Pulse.Assent

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

This evening the Prime Minister called President Erdogan of Turkey to congratulate him on his victory in the Turkish Presidential elections.

The Prime Minister reiterated the importance of the bilateral relationship between the UK and Turkey and expressed her desire to continue working in partnership with President Erdogan and his government on our shared priorities including security cooperation, trade and investment, the situation in Syria and supporting a political settlement in Cyprus.

The Prime Minister thanked President Erdogan for Turkey’s support on the Chemical Weapons Convention Special Session and the leaders looked forward to meeting at the NATO Summit next month.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

In a meeting at Downing Street, Prime Minister Theresa May and European Council President Donald Tusk discussed this week’s upcoming European Council meeting in Brussels.

The Prime Minister said it would be an opportunity to discuss a number of important issues, including migration and security and defence ahead of the NATO Summit.

On the Brexit negotiations, the PM looked forward to discussing the continuing progress we have made on issues relating to the UK’s withdrawal and work to build towards a deep future partnership.

The PM said the UK will be setting out more detail on the UK’s vision for the future relationship in a White Paper after the June Council.

The Prime Minister and President Tusk also looked forward to the Western Balkans Summit which will take place in London next month.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

I realise the disappointment this decision may cause, but ultimately this project did not meet the threshold for taxpayer value.

The reality is the consumer and industry would have been paying disproportionately high prices for electricity when cheaper alternatives are available. I was an early and consistent supporter of the scheme – and took it to Number 10 – but after months of hard work by officials – the conclusion when taking a responsible approach to taxpayers money – is it just did not stack up.

It’s important to stress that the issue here is specifically with the tidal lagoon application, not the concept of marine energy itself. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales and wider Government is committed to renewable energy and we will remain open to different sources of that. However, the priority always has to be that renewable energy represents good value for the Welsh consumer.

Read the Business Secretary’s statement to the House in full here

Read the Value for Money assessment here

UK aid is supporting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) to educate 500,000 children and provide health services for 3 million Palestinian refugees.

The UK will deliver financial support earlier than originally planned to ensure vulnerable Palestinians continue to receive food, education and healthcare. At the UNRWA pledging conference in New York today (Monday 25 June), the UK will confirm that it will be imminently releasing £38.5 million to the agency to help alleviate some of the financial pressures the organisation is under.

Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said:

The UN Relief and Works Agency is a necessary humanitarian and stabilising force across the Middle-East, providing millions of Palestinian refugees with hope and opportunities every day.

The recent violence on the Gaza border has significantly added to the burden on UNRWA’s services, and their vital work delivering food, education and healthcare has never been more critical.

I urge the international community to come together and follow our lead so the Agency can continue its often life-saving work.

Notes to Editors

• The UK will deliver financial support to UNRWA earlier than originally planned, releasing £38.5m to the Agency which includes £10 million on top of the £28.5 million package of support announced by Minister Burt at the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference on UNRWA in Rome in March. This urgent support will ensure vital frontline services remain uninterrupted.
• The announcement will be confirmed at the United Nations in New York by Jonathan Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative for the UK Mission to the UN.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson flew into Kabul today, 25 June, to show support for recent positive developments in Afghanistan. On the back of the ceasefires over Eid, which saw Government and Taliban forces talking rather than fighting in cities across the country, the Foreign Secretary held talks in Kabul with Afghanistan’s President, Chief Executive, and Deputy Foreign Minister.

The Foreign Secretary underlined that Britain was fully committed to helping build a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan. He welcomed the National Unity Government’s determination to achieve a peaceful political settlement to the conflict with the Taliban, including through holding timely and credible Parliamentary and Presidential elections.

He also highlighted the UK’s strong support for girls’ education in Afghanistan by meeting Afghan girls who are getting access to sports education through UK funding.

The Foreign Secretary also met General Nicholson, the Commander of Resolute Support, NATO’s training and assistance mission in Afghanistan, and had a chance to talk to – and ride in an armoured vehicle with – some of the Welsh Guards helping to mentor the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces.

The Foreign Secretary said:

At this important moment when Afghan-led efforts towards peace and a political settlement have gained considerable impetus, I was proud and inspired to be in Kabul to see how the UK is working in support of the Afghan Government to achieve this goal.

In my meetings with President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah, I welcomed their historic offer of unconditional talks earlier this year, and their determined recent efforts towards a political process with the Taliban.

I urge all countries with influence in Afghanistan, especially in the neighbourhood, to use it constructively at this crucial moment.

My visit comes just as the UK is considering the request from the US and NATO to give additional assistance to Resolute Support. I was hugely impressed by the work done by British troops as a part of this NATO mission and I believe there is still a lot the UK could contribute to this vital operation. The Government will be taking a decision very soon.

I was also delighted to meet a talented group of Afghan girls to see how excited they were about their prospects, thanks to British funding and the Afghan Government’s determination to do more in this area. A good education for them will help Afghanistan’s development and is a big part of the UK’s commitment towards a brighter future for Afghanistan. I am proud that UK Aid has helped 300,000 marginalised Afghan girls into education and trained over 10,000 teachers over the last six years.

During his visit the Foreign Secretary met President Dr Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah, and Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai.

This is the Foreign Secretary’s second visit to Afghanistan, where the UK is currently investing more than £750m in development assistance to support the Afghan people.

Notes to editors

• The UK is contributing £750m in development spend between 2016 and 2020. UK Aid is helping improve access to education, services and justice for the Afghan people, offering humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable and supporting good governance and anti-corruption efforts.
• The UK has also committed £70m per year until 2020 in non-military support to help sustain the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces. Over 650 UK troops are currently serving in Afghanistan in non-combat roles as part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission to help train, assist and advise the Afghan Security Forces

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn