Thank you very much to Dominic and to all of you, for your kind invitation. And my heartfelt thanks to you Micheál, not only for your warm and extremely wise words, but also for the way in which you have embraced the opportunity we now have for a genuine and lasting reset in the relationship between our two countries. It is a privilege for me to be here, for the first time since my appointment as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. I’ve only ever been to one other BIA conference, that was two years ago when I was a…
Author: HM Government
Keir Starmer is the first British Prime Minister to visit Ireland in 5 years Prime Minister to continue the charge to boost the UK’s economic growth, his key mission for government, by resetting our relationship with another key international partner Visit marks a new era of co-operation and friendship between Britain and Ireland Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Dublin today to meet the Taoiseach, Simon Harris, in his first official visit to Ireland. Continuing his drive to reset the UK’s relationships with its key international partners and deliver for hard-working British people, he will welcome a new era…
The UK will train further cohorts of Ukrainian men and women to become soldiers on British soil, as part of this new government’s commitment to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. The training operation, which continues to evolve to incorporate lessons identified from Ukraine’s frontline, was due to come to an end this year but the scheme will now continue until at least the end of 2025. The trainees will join the more than 45,000 Ukrainian personnel who have been trained under Operation Interflex since Russia’s illegal invasion in 2022. The Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, announced…
On 21 August, Ambassador Ben Lyster-Binns hosted an event for the new Costa Rican Chevening scholars, celebrating their achievement and wishing them every success in their year ahead as Master’s students in the United Kingdom. The 2024 to 2025 cohort will be pursuing studies in a diverse range of fields, among them Global Crime, Justice and Security; Environment and Sustainable Development; Human Rights and Politics; and International Trade. Their studies will undoubtedly equip them with the skills and experience to help shape their professional paths on their return to Costa Rica. “Studying a Master’s with a Chevening scholarship is so…
This is an NSIP development comprising three electricity generating stations, each with anticipated capacity in excess of 50MW, comprising of ground mounted solar arrays, with associated development comprising energy storage, grid connection, operation and maintenance of the NSIPs. The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by Cottam Solar Project Limited on 12 January 2023 and accepted for Examination on 9 February 2023. Following an Examination during which the public, Statutory Consultees and Interested Parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, recommendations were made to the Secretary of State on 5 June 2024. …
This year sees the launch of the United Kingdom’s ASEAN Chevening Scholarship programme. This scheme, in addition to the country specific Chevening programmes, also offers fully funded opportunities for exceptional individuals to pursue a Master’s degree at one of the UK’s top universities, as well as bespoke additional opportunities. All applicants from the region will automatically be considered for the ASEAN Scholarship unless they choose to opt out. This new scholarship opportunity underscores the UK’s commitment to fostering educational exchanges and strengthening ties with ASEAN Member States. UK Ambassador to ASEAN, Sarah Tiffin, said: I am delighted that the UK is…
I thank you very much for that welcome, and it’s an enormous honour to be here, and thank you very much to Universities UK for the kind invitation. I’m also very pleased and proud to be back in government again, 25 years after I first arrived at the Department for Education in my first ministerial job, but it’s great this time to be here at the beginning of a new government too. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor have rightly been outlining the enormous challenges and tough choices that we face in the coming months. But despite that, I’m really…
Richard Oliver falsely applied for business grants from at least 21 local authorities for his firm, Exact Data Trading Co. Ltd A total of £95,000 was paid into the company’s bank account in the summer of 2020 to which it was not entitled Oliver also provided misleading information to secure a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan The sole director of a data processing and equipment sourcing business has been disqualified for the maximum period allowed under law after obtaining £145,000 in Covid support scheme funds his business was not entitled to. Richard Oliver was the director of Exact Data…
£7.4 million funding from UK will make malaria drugs and tests accessible for countries around the world over 50 million people will have access to the life-saving drugs and tests by 2027 UK-Indian developed vaccines being rolled out to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Benin The UK government will improve access to malaria drugs to help tackle one of the biggest killers of children in sub-Saharan Africa, it has been announced today (25 April). More than 600,000 people worldwide die every year from malaria, which is preventable and treatable. The £7.4 million support for MedAccess will be used to negotiate lower…
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the Middle East. On taking office, in July, I told this House… …that this government’s priority in the region would be to advance the cause of peace. This continues to be our mission, on every front. In Israel, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in the Red Sea, and of course in Gaza, where we need an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians, the immediate release of all hostages, and more aid getting into Gaza. Over the summer, we were faced with the prospect of full-scale war breaking out between…