Pulse.Assent

A Downing Street spokesman said:

The Prime Minister spoke to President Macron of France to update him on the latest situation regarding the incident in Salisbury on 4 March.

She outlined the conclusion reached by the Government that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

They discussed the wide pattern of aggressive Russian behaviour and agreed that it would be important to continue to act in concert with allies to address it.

President Macron condemned the attack and offered his solidarity with the UK.

They agreed that the French and British governments should coordinate closely as the investigation developed and following Russia’s response.

Minister Mark Field said:

This report by the UN Fact Finding Mission on human rights has reaffirmed the appalling human rights violations that so many in Burma have suffered and confirms that the Burmese military are primarily to blame for the widespread and systematic violence against the Rohingya.

These findings show the vital importance of an open and transparent investigation into these appalling events and I urge the Burmese authorities to reverse their decision not to cooperate with the Fact Finding Mission, and allow them immediate access so they can continue their work.

I call on the Burmese authorities to establish a credible and independent investigation into these horrifying accusations, and a judicial process to hold to account those responsible for abuses.

The UK is fully committed to help bring an end to this humanitarian crisis and I plan to update Parliament on the Government’s approach at the earliest opportunity allowed.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Mark Field @MarkFieldUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

The Cabinet Office partnered with Changing the Chemistry, a Scottish peer to peer support network focused on improving board diversity, to promote UK Government public appointments opportunities at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh last week (7 March 2018).

Attendees at the event included Edinburgh University, the Institute of Directors, Women on Boards and CEMVO Scotland – a strategic partner of the Scottish Government Equality Unit.

Guests heard from speakers from a wide range of UK public bodies, such as Lesley Sawers (Equality and Human Rights Commission), Muriel Gray (British Museum) and Susan Rice (Bank of England). They spoke about the benefits of being a public appointee which include:

• Using your expertise to help society and influence decisions that affect everyone’s lives
• Meeting people from all walks of life who also want to make a difference
• Developing your career, gaining board experience and boosting your skills

The government launched the Diversity Action Plan for Public Appointments in December 2017, which included a commitment that by 2022, half of all public appointees should be female and 14% should be from ethnic minorities.

Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden said:

We need to attract the brightest and the best from across the UK to serve on our public boards and to see them truly reflect British society.

A range of people from across the country bring new perspectives, different backgrounds, and diversity of thought, which strengthens decision-making and improves outcomes.

Serving on a public board is both exciting and rewarding – I encourage everybody to consider taking up a role.

Chair of Waverley Care, Scotland’s HIV and Hepatitis C Charity, Ian Arnot said:

It’s great to see the Cabinet Office, working with Changing The Chemistry, seeking out diverse groups of people to take up public appointments – especially in Scotland. The networking event helped to demystify the application process and the inspiring speakers encouraged me to consider applying for a non-executive role in the future.

It’s great to see so much support available to ensure our public appointment system has representation from across our communities.