Tag: UK Government

Ian Murray to focus on jobs and investment in USA visit

US investors invited to Edinburgh for a Global Investment Summit to help boost jobs and investment

Jobs and investment in Scotland will be top of the agenda today [Thursday 3 April] when Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, Lord Mayor of London Alastair King and Scottish Financial Enterprise Chief Executive Sandy Begbie meet key sectors in a series of meetings in New York during Tartan Week.

In a co-ordinated effort aimed at boosting growth in Scotland they will invite companies to attend the Scottish Investor Summit – organised by Scottish Financial Enterprise and The City of London Corporation – to be held in Edinburgh in October this year.

The event will be key to encouraging inward investment in Scotland – investment which can boost Scotland’s economy, create well paid jobs and boost living standards, putting more money back in people’s pockets. 

The New York meetings will showcase Scotland’s key strengths in financial services, clean energy and life sciences to international investors. This will be held at the UK Consul General’s residence in New York and at the offices of BlackRock, a global investment management corporation with a significant presence in Scotland. 

Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said: “At a time when we are celebrating Scotland on the international stage, we want to highlight the exceptional investment opportunities in innovative industries.

“These meetings and roundtables are at the heart of Brand Scotland, selling the nation on the global stage. By strengthening these international partnerships through our Plan for Change, we’re laying the groundwork for the Edinburgh Global Investment Summit.”

Lord Mayor of London Alastair King said: “Tartan week is not just an opportunity to celebrate the strong cultural and economic links between Scotland and the US, it is also a chance to deepen them further especially in financial services.

“That is why I am in New York speaking to major US businesses and investors and promoting the forthcoming Scottish Investment Summit in Edinburgh in October

“The theme of my mayoralty is ‘growth unleashed’, aiming to reignite the City’s appetite for positive risk and fully leverage the white heat of new technology to fuel economic growth across the United Kingdom. One of the best ways to do that is through greater cooperation with the US in financial services – which is a major part of both the Scottish and wider UK economy.”

Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise Sandy Begbie CBE said: “Tartan week is an excellent example of the soft power which Scotland commands across the globe, but especially in the US. These roundtables provide just a small taste of the investment opportunity in Scotland.

“The Scottish investment summit later this year will showcase in detail the very best of Scotland’s financial services, renewables and life science to global investors. This coupled with opportunities to engage with government stakeholders and investment prospects highlight the unique opportunity the summit will bring.”

The Scottish investment summit, to be held in Edinburgh in October, will bring together major global investors, UK industry leaders, higher education institutions, and government representatives. Around 150 senior-level attendees are expected at the summit, with at least half representing significant global investors. 

The summit will showcase the investments that have already been made, as well as the rationale behind why firms made the decision to invest in Scotland and what have been the returns and benefits to them as a result. It will also provide opportunities for investors to engage with investment prospects that currently exist in our investment pipeline, as well as government and regulatory stakeholders.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray is ‘further strengthening diplomatic, cultural and business ties with the United States’ during a five-day visit this week to Washington DC and New York.

As part of the UK Government’s Plan for Change, Brand Scotland is boosting economic growth by promoting Scottish products and services and while attracting international inward investment.

While in Washington, Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray signed a strategic partnership agreement with The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to promote Scotland worldwide.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, Brand Scotland supports delivering security and renewal by kick-starting economic growth. This new partnership aims to support Scottish businesses in trading internationally, encouraging foreign direct investment, and promoting Scottish culture globally.

Thirty performers from The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo including pipers, drummers, fiddle players and dancers have accompanied the Secretary of State on his visit to the United States. They kicked off with a performance at Washington’s iconic Capitol building to mark the beginning of Tartan Week.

Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said: “Scotland has an enviable international reputation, with our culture, products and services renowned worldwide. This partnership with The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo – one of Scotland’s most iconic cultural institutions – will help us champion Brand Scotland across the world.

“Kickstarting growth is the key to delivering the government’s Plan For Change, and selling Scotland to the world will deliver that. This Tartan Week we will be celebrating Scottish culture and seeking new opportunities for growth. I can think of no better way to start than with a performance by the Tattoo in front of an iconic building.”

Jason Barrett, Chief Executive of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we are delighted to partner with Brand Scotland to bring the very best of Scotland to the USA for Tartan Week.

“Showcasing Scottish heritage on the global stage is at the heart of the Tattoo, and we are thrilled to inspire audiences while promoting Scotland not just in the USA, but around the world.”

The Tattoo has long been a cultural ambassador for Scotland, and their presence in the US and on future trade missions will encourage investment and promote Scottish business through performances and profile. The Tattoo Performers will also march with the Secretary of State down 6th Avenue in New York as part of the annual Tartan Day parade on Saturday 5 April.

The Tattoo will go on to support Brand Scotland trade missions in Japan and Australia later in the year.

Statement on organised immigration crime

Statement from the representatives of the governments of Albania, China, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam

We, the representatives of the governments of Albania, China, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, united as an international community in the fight against organised immigration crime (OIC), meeting within the framework of the Border Security Summit hosted by the United Kingdom, hereby affirm our collective responsibility to address the threat posed by organised criminal groups exploiting online platforms for the facilitation of irregular immigration including human trafficking.

Acknowledging the scope of the threat

We recognise the role that online platforms can play in the facilitation of OIC. Organised criminal groups are exploiting these platforms to advertise and facilitate illegal immigration services, generating illegal profits at the expense of vulnerable migrants. Inaccurate information is spread online, with claims to guarantee passage with shared ‘success stories’ of being able to remain in country despite illegal entry.

These stories are shared despite the increasing risk of fatalities from clandestine entry by boats and lorries. As online platforms evolve, criminal networks adapt their methods, making a co-ordinated global response essential. We recognise the harm that irregular migration can cause nations’ citizens.

Commitment to collective action

The fight against OIC requires collaboration across borders, sectors, and jurisdictions to effectively counter the global scale of the threat. No single government can combat this threat alone. We call upon all governments, international organisations, and industry partners to join us in this endeavour to work together to prevent the misuse of online platforms for illegal immigration services.

Disrupting the facilitation of OIC

The online environment should not be permissive for immigration crimes.  We call on industry partners to design out from platforms opportunities for exploitation and to prevent the proliferation of glorifying illegal migration. Fatalities as a result of people smuggling are increasing globally and we must ensure those seeking illegal entry are aware of the grave risks.

A collective responsibility to prevent exploitation

We commit to strengthening our collective efforts to prevent, disrupt, and degrade the capacity of organised criminal groups to exploit online platforms for OIC. Online platforms should not enable facilitation of organised crime, and we are committed to working together to prevent this.

International governments, industry partners, and international organisations should join forces in a global effort to stop criminals from exploiting online platforms.

Platforms should invest in strong detection and moderation tools, while governments must back them with effective laws and international cooperation.

Collaborative framework for action

We commit to share trends in use of the online environment by organised criminal groups and the principle approaches for detecting and disrupting the facilitation of OIC online. Following this summit, the UK will provide opportunities for global collaboration, learning from the approach taken to other tech-enabled harms.

Towards a secure digital environment for all

Looking ahead, we recognise that addressing OIC in the digital age requires innovation, prevention, and sustained cooperation. Only through collective action can we prevent criminal groups from exploiting online platforms for irregular immigration. Together, we will work to ensure that online spaces remain secure and safe for everyone and do not provide the opportunity for people smuggling services to be advertised and accessed by vulnerable migrants.

A call to action

In conclusion, we call for ongoing dialogue and swift action to address the challenges posed by OIC online content and the threat it presents to the integrity of our borders. We reaffirm our commitment to a global response that prevents the exploitation of online platforms for criminal purposes.

We call for global action to prevent the spread of OIC content and protect the integrity of online spaces. By acting decisively, we can safeguard vulnerable people and uphold the security of our collective borders.

Summit agrees new measures against organised immigration crime

The Prime Minister and Home Secretary gathered leaders from across the world in London yesterday to tackle organised immigration crime

The purpose of the Organised Immigration Crime Summit is to agree new action to tackle organised immigration crime (OIC) and boost border security.

Discussions at day 1 of the summit included:

  • tackling the supply chains and enablers of OIC
  • the role of criminal finances in facilitating OIC
  • the UK’s systems based approach to border security

as well as how countries can tackle organised crime groups’ operations online in relation to the advertising, promoting and facilitating of illegal immigration services.

The UK and allies including France, Iraq, Vietnam and the USA, and partners including the National Crime Agency (NCA) and representatives from social media organisations, met to agree actions to secure our collective borders, protect vulnerable people from exploitation, and tackle the global threat of organised immigration crime.

Unlike previous summits, this event engaged both European nations and key source and transit countries, as well as those that are integral to the supply of equipment, including small boats and engines, ensuring a broader, more comprehensive approach to tackling OIC.

Concrete outcomes have been agreed across Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and North America to strengthen international partnerships to disrupt OIC networks.  This also includes new joint work with France to tackle irregular migration in source and transit countries, through community outreach and bolstering false document detection capabilities to Iraqi officials.

The agreement represents a key step forward in the government’s Plan for Change to deliver on working people’s priorities to restore order to the immigration system and comes after the publication of new figures showing more than 24,000 people with no right to be here have been returned since the election – the highest rate of returns in 8 years. 

A communiqué was issued that sets out how we will deepen our collaboration internationally to tackle this vile crime.  

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Organised immigration crime undermines our security and puts lives at risk. The criminal networks have spread across the globe and no single country can tackle this problem alone.

“Today, at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, the UK has led the way forward by securing international commitments to disrupt and pursue this vile criminal trade in people – part of our Plan for Change to strengthen our borders and keep communities safe.”

Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt said: “I have said since I came into my post as Border Security Commander that organised immigration crime requires a coordinated international response to effectively dismantle criminal networks.

“In my role I have seen first-hand how the cruelty and greed of criminal gangs puts the lives of the most vulnerable at risk in dangerous small boat crossings all for financial gain.

“This summit marks a step change in the international community’s approach to tackling the problem, presenting a critical opportunity to strengthen global cooperation, disrupt criminal networks, and prevent further loss of life.”

Director General of the National Crime Agency (NCA) Graeme Biggar said: “Criminal gangs are using sophisticated online tactics, the abuse of legitimate goods and services, and illicit financial networks to facilitate dangerous and illegal journeys which put thousands of lives at risk each year and undermine border security.

“Today’s summit sets out international agreements to tackle an international problem. International intelligence sharing and cooperation is absolutely crucial to track criminal activity across borders allowing us to put a stop to these dangerous criminals.”

In addition, today the Home Secretary confirmed over £30 million in funding within the Border Security Command to tackle Organised Immigration Criminal Networks. This significant funding package will be spent on key security projects across Europe, the Western Balkans, Asia and Africa, designed to strengthen border security and combat international criminal smuggling gangs.

The Home Secretary also announced joint work with France to fund an additional grassroots engagement programme to educate local communities on the dangers of irregular migration and people smuggling gangs, raising awareness of the realities and difficulties with travelling to Northern France to cross the Channel to the UK.

This will target both potential irregular migrants and, for the first time, teachers, religious leaders, and family members within vulnerable communities, and builds on the Home Office digital deterrence comms campaign that is already running in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The UK will also collaborate with France to deliver critical training to Iraqi officials and commercial transport staff,  helping them detect fraudulent documents and passports used to facilitate irregular migration and OIC activities.

UK hosts first major international summit to tackle illegal migration

The UK has ‘mobilised’ over 40 countries and organisations to launch an unprecedented global fight against ruthless people smuggling gangs

The UK is spearheading the toughest ever international crackdown on organised immigration crime as the Prime Minister and Home Secretary host a landmark summit today (31 March). 

The Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) Summit brings together over 40 countries, including the United States, Vietnam, Iraq, and France, to unite behind a new approach to dismantle people smuggling gangs and deliver on working people’s priorities for secure borders.

This is the first time the full range of factors driving illegal migration, from the supply chain in small boats to anti-trafficking measures, illicit finance and social media advertising, have been explored at a global summit of this scale.

The summit will also see representatives from Meta, X and TikTok discuss how to jointly tackle the online promotion of irregular migration. 

Through the summit, the government will use all available levers at its disposal to push forward progress in bringing gangs to justice, tackle the global threat of organised immigration crime and protect vulnerable people from exploitation.

To back this drive, the Home Secretary has today announced £30 million of funding going directly to high impact operations from the Border Security Command to tackle supply chains, illicit finances and trafficking routes across Europe, the Western Balkans, Asia, and Africa. 

An additional £3 million will enable the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to increase its capacity to prosecute organised international smugglers and expand its international footprint to support the Border Security Command to pursue, disrupt and arrest those responsible for dangerous people smuggling operations. 

This reflects the Prime Minister’s long-held view, informed by his work as Chief Prosecutor, that cross border cooperation is the foundation of tackling international gangs and securing Britain’s borders.

In remarks delivered later today, the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is expected to say: “This vile trade exploits the cracks between our institutions, pits nations against one another and profits from our inability at the political level to come together. 

“When I was the Director of Public Prosecutions, we worked across borders throughout Europe and beyond to foil numerous plots, saving thousands of lives in the process. We prevented planes from being blown up over the Atlantic and brought the perpetrators to justice. 

“I believe we should treat organised immigration crime in the same way. 

“I simply do not believe organised immigration crime cannot be tackled. We’ve got to combine our resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream at every step of the people smuggling routes.”

The summit will deliver concrete outcomes across Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and North America by strengthening international partnerships, enhancing intelligence sharing, and implementing targeted disruptions to Organised Immigration Crime networks.

As a direct result, we will be able to strengthen UK borders and security and create a more efficient and manageable asylum system, taking the burden away from housing, the NHS and schools, and giving hotels back to the local economy.  

Speaking ahead of the summit, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Smuggler and trafficking gangs make their money crossing borders so law enforcement needs to work together across borders to bring them down. Only a coordinated international response, across the whole irregular migration route, can effectively dismantle these networks. 

“The Organised Immigration Crime Summit is the first of its kind and will reinforce the UK’s position as a leader by securing international commitments to disrupt Organised Immigration Crime at every stage of the business model.   

“The summit demonstrates mine and the Prime Minister’s absolute dedication to disrupting the callous Organised Criminal Gangs, strengthening our borders and ultimately save countless lives.”

The UK’s global leadership on this is issue is already delivering results. France has agreed to launch a unit of specialist officers who are mobile, highly trained and equipped to respond dynamically to prevent small boat launches. 

Germany has committed to strengthen their laws against those who facilitate smuggling to the UK and a new UK-Italy taskforce is hitting people smugglers’ financial flows. After boosting the resources for the National Crime Agency to work with international law enforcement partners, they have seized 600 boats and engines since July. 

Along with this, work continues at home through giving law enforcement tougher powers than ever to smash the smuggling gangs, ‘ramping up’ removals to record levels and surging illegal working raids to end the false promise of jobs used by gangs to sell spaces on boats. 

This comprehensive approach is a vital aspect of the government’s Plan for Change, with the threat from organised immigration crime increasing in scale and complexity.  

Organised immigration crime spans multiple countries, nationalities, and criminal methodologies, with recent estimate of the total global income from migrant smuggling reaching $10 billion last year.

Criminal gangs headed by hundreds of kingpins are using sophisticated online tactics, the abuse of legitimate goods and services, and illicit financial networks to facilitate dangerous and illegal journeys which undermine border security and put thousands of lives at risk each year.  

The summit will also examine the work of the government’s Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) in supporting the US, by providing innovative space-based maritime surveillance capability to monitor and dismantle any vessels along Haiti’s north coast suspected to be involved in illegal immigration, illegal fishing activities and drug smuggling.

The JMSC is harnessing cutting edge technology and capabilities to provide 24 hour monitoring of UK waters and ensure our borders are secure, by using satellite to provide a better overall understanding of incoming threats to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The UK government is working with our partners in Turks and Caicos to support and protect the Island from irregular migration. 

This collaboration demonstrates the UK government’s commitment to deploying advanced capabilities against illegal migration while protecting overseas territories. 

There has also been a series of major arrests of smuggling kingpins, including: 

  • arrests linked to a major Syrian organised crime group responsible for smuggling at least 750 migrants into the UK and Europe
  • the arrest of a Turkish national suspected of being a huge supplier of small boats
  • the conviction of 2 men in Wales who ran a smuggling ring moving thousands of migrants across Europe
  • the arrests in February of 6 men wanted in Belgium over their suspected involvement in a major people smuggling ring

These arrests come alongside the NCA working with the authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for the first time, to facilitate the arrests of 3 men linked to a Kurdish people smuggling organised crime group, as well as an increase in the takedown of social media accounts linked to people smugglers.

DWP: Spring Statement Welfare Reforms

Chancellor Rachel Reeves: “We believe if you can work, you should work. But if you can’t work, you should be properly supported”

Significant welfare reforms were announced to build the economy and get Britain working in the Spring Statement

£1 billion will be invested to provide personalised employment, health and skills support from 2026-2027 to help people start or stay in work

This will build on existing support from WorkWell, Connect to Work and the Get Britain Working trailblazers

Universal Credit Standard Allowance will be increased for new and existing claims above inflation from 2026-2027 This means the standard allowance weekly rate for a single person aged 25 and over, will increase from £92 in 2025-2026 to £106 in 2029-2030.

To ensure PIP is focused on those with higher needs, a new eligibility requirement will be introduced Please be assured there will be no immediate changes to your health and disability related benefit payment.

https://gov.uk/government/collections/spring-statement-2025…

Crackdown on illegal working and rogue employers in ‘gig economy’

In the latest move to restore order to the asylum and immigration system, the UK government will introduce tough new laws to clamp down on illegal working

Companies hiring people in the gig economy will now be legally required to carry out checks confirming that anyone working in their name is eligible to work in the UK, bringing them in line with other employers.

These checks, which take just minutes to complete, confirm someone’s immigration status and allow them to legally work in the UK.

This means that for the very first time, employment checks will be extended to cover businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons and courier services.

Currently, thousands of companies using these flexible arrangements are not legally required to check the status of these workers. This changes now.

Where businesses fail to carry out these checks, they will face hefty penalties already in place for those hiring illegal workers in traditional roles, including fines of up to £60,000 per worker, business closures, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to 5 years.

Expanding illegal working checks will help level the playing field for the majority of honest companies who do the right thing. For example, Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats already voluntarily carry out checks to ensure their delivery riders are eligible to work.

Clamping down on illegal working forms a critical part of the government’s plan to strengthen the entire immigration system, restoring tough enforcement of the rules and undermine people smugglers using the false promise of jobs for migrants.

The announcement comes a day before the UK holds the first ever Organised Immigration Crime Summit, bringing together over 40 countries to agree unprecedented new international action to take down every aspect of criminal smuggling gangs’ tactics.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Under our Plan for Change, we are restoring order to the asylum and immigration system by introducing tougher laws and bolstering enforcement action to tackle illegal working and stopping rogue employers in their tracks.

“Turning a blind eye to illegal working plays into the hands of callous people smugglers trying to sell spaces on flimsy, overcrowded boats with the promise of work and a life in the UK.

“These exploitative practices are often an attempt to undercut competitors who are doing the right thing. But we are clear that the rules need to be respected and enforced.

“These new laws build on significant efforts to stop organised immigration crime and protect the integrity of our borders, including increasing raids and arrests  for illegal working and getting returns of people who have no right to be here to their highest rate in half a decade.”

Claire Pointon, Managing Director, Just Eat UK and Ireland said: “Just Eat is committed to supporting high streets and communities by ensuring a fair and well-regulated rapid delivery sector.

“Preventing unauthorised work is key to this, which is why we’re strengthening our measures by introducing biometric checks to swiftly remove those without the correct authorisation to work in the UK. We welcome this decision from the Home Office to expand these requirements to other sectors.”

A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “Deliveroo has led the industry in taking action to secure our platform against illegal working, developing our approach in close collaboration with the Home Office.

“We were the first to roll out direct right to work checks, a registration process, daily identity verification and now additional device checks for riders, including substitutes. We take our responsibilities extremely seriously and will continue to strengthen our controls to prevent misuse of our platform.

“We welcome the government taking action to ensure all businesses and sectors adopt the same standards.”

An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “Uber Eats is fully committed to fighting illegal work and the criminal networks who are often behind it, including by introducing state of the art identity and document video verification technology and mandatory substitute registration.

“We welcome efforts to enable and enforce further controls, and create a level playing field across the sector.”

The checks take minutes to complete, and the Home Office provide this free of charge, with businesses able to utilise digital ID verification technology to support the process. There is also support in place for employers with enquiries about the process.

The new laws further build on measures announced in November to equip Immigration Enforcement teams with new technology. From May, body worn cameras will be rolled out to officers on the front line tackling illegal working and organised immigration crime.

Backed by £5 milllion, this will help officers collect evidence to support prosecutions and make sure exploitative businesses undermining our immigration system are held to account.

The new measures go alongside a ramp-up of operational action by Immigration Enforcement teams, who since July have carried out 6,784 illegal working visits to premises and made 4,779 arrests – an increase of 40% and 42% compared to the same period 12 months ago. In that time, 1,508 civil penalty notices have been issued.

This also follows wider measures within the legislation announced earlier this month to impose tougher restrictions on foreign criminals whose removal we are pursuing but we are presently unable to deport. This includes the use of electronic tags, night time curfews and exclusion zones. Breaching these conditions would be grounds for arrest and the individual could face imprisonment.

The measures will help ensure the Home Office maintains close contact with individuals and makes it very clear that they should not become established in the UK, as the intention remains to remove them when possible.  

Tomorrow (31 March 2025), the Home Secretary will convene key government and law enforcement leads at the UK’s 2 day landmark international Organised Immigration Crime Summit.

This will include Immigration Enforcement, the Department for Business and Trade, the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority and the National Crime Agency, holding a roundtable to discuss the importance of shutting down illegal working and government’s ongoing surge in operational activity.

The summit will bring together leaders from across the globe, with the aim of securing international commitments to intensify efforts against organised immigration crime gangs.

UK sends life-saving aid to Myanmar following devastating earthquake

UK Government announces a package of up to £10 million support to help the people of Myanmar following recent earthquake

  • £10m of UK support pledged to help deliver humanitarian response to the natural disaster
  • UK Government working with local partners to get help to those most in need
  • British nationals receiving ongoing consular support

The UK Government has announced a package of up to £10 million support to help the people of Myanmar following the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the country’s central region on Friday.  

This UK funding will increase support in the hardest hit areas of the earthquake and geared towards food and water supplies, medicine, and shelter.  

Baroness Chapman, Minister of State for Development, said: “The UK is sending immediate and life-saving support to the people of Myanmar following the devastating earthquake.  

“UK-funded local partners are already mobilising a humanitarian response on the ground, and this £10m package will bolster their efforts. 

“I offer my deepest sympathies to the people of Myanmar after this tragic event.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is offering support to British nationals in both Myanmar and Thailand following the earthquake.

 British nationals in Myanmar who require consular assistance can call British Embassy Yangon on +95 (01) 370 863/4/5/7.

British Nationals who require consular assistance in Thailand can call British Embassy Bangkok on +66 (0) 2 305 8333.  

Anyone in the UK and concerned about a British national in Myanmar or Thailand you can contact the FCDO on +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

Government announces substantial and immediate changes to aid budget

The UK aid budget will no longer be linked to changes in the UK’s gross national income, instead being given a fixed budget potentially protecting it from spending by other departments, the Labour Government has confirmed.

The announcement could mark a major shift in the way that UK aid spending is allocated.

In a letter to the Chair of the International Development Committee, Minister Baroness Chapman (above) said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will lose its role as the Government’s aid ‘spender and saver of last resort’, meaning that it will no longer need to adjust its budgets to hit a spending commitment if gross national income (GNI) changes or other department’s costs increase.

The Minister also confirmed that bilateral aid spending has been set to meet only existing contracts, suggesting that with a few exceptions there will be no new additional bilateral aid programming in 2025/26.

Exceptions include full aid allocations for Ukraine, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan, and the Overseas Territories.

Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the International Development Committee, said: “I’m very nervous about what these changes signify. Aid programmes deliver benefits over years and decades, not months.

“What UK aid needs above all is stability. Vital programmes for the world’s most vulnerable people must be protected from the ebb and flow of domestic priorities.

“The measures announced could represent a positive step forward. Unshackling aid from percentage targets could protect aid spending from drains on its resources like reckless Home Office spending on asylum hotels at home.

“But we need more information. Will the aid budget rise as well as fall, if income forecasts improve? Which specific programmes are set to be cut? Which areas are high priorities for ministers?

“Until we know, it is impossible to assess whether the Government is serious about its international commitments and the potential risks these changes present.”

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Spring Statement ‘heralds further boost to growth in Scotland’

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray welcomes Chancellor’s £2.2billion defence budget boost

Chancellor Rachel Reeves this week pledged a new era of security and national renewal as she delivered a Spring Statement to ‘kickstart economic growth, protect working people and keep Britain safe’. 

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray has welcomed her measures, including a £2.2 billion increase in the UK-wide defence budget for 2025-26, on top of £2.9 billion announced at Autumn Budget.

Mr Murray said: “We are living in an increasingly insecure world, and the extra £2.2 billion for defence – on top of the £2.9 billion announced at Autumn Budget – will make Britain stronger and safer.

“This is a huge boost for Scotland’s world-leading defence sector, which delivers Scottish economic growth and more highly-skilled jobs. The increase will also mean better homes for our military personnel and families, including the thousands based in Scotland. 

“Today’s announcements underpin the great strides being made by the UK Government in achieving stability in our public finances. There have been three interest rate cuts since the general election.

“Next week the increase in the minimum wage will mean a pay rise for hundreds of thousands of workers in Scotland and our employment rights legislation will deliver the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation. 

“The Spring Statement also delivered an extra £28 million for the Scottish Government. That is on top of their £4.9 billion extra from the budget, creating a record £47.7 billion settlement for 25/26, announced at the Autumn Budget.

“This is the biggest budget settlement in the history of devolution and an end to austerity. The Scottish Government must now use that wisely – to improve Scotland’s failing public services.” 

This latest defence boost builds on the Chancellor’s recent visit to Babcock in Rosyth where she also announced that UK defence exporters would benefit from a £2 billion increase to UK Export Finance lending capacity. 

Her Spring Statement underlines that growth is at the heart of the UK Government’s Plan for Change with £13 billion of additional capital spend allocated alongside the defence funding boost.

It follows the Budget in the autumn where it was announced that the Scottish Government will be provided with a £47.7 billion settlement in 2025/26 – the largest in real terms in the history of devolution. This includes an additional £3.4 billion through the Barnett formula, with £2.8 billion for day-to-day spending and £610 million for capital investment.  

The measures announced this week top up these Barnett consequentials by a further £28 million in 2025/26.

The Scottish Government continues to receive over 20% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK, translating into over £8.5 billion more in 2025-26. Block Grant funding from 2026-27 onwards will be confirmed at Phase 2 of the Spending Review, which concludes on 11 June 2025.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury will meet with his counterparts from the devolved governments to discuss their priorities ahead of its conclusion.

Disability Rights UK: Fight the CUTS!

Disability Rights UK have launched a new page on the DR UK website containing information and resources regarding the recent green paper plan on benefit cuts and how people can get involved in responding.

The fallout from the recent announcements of benefit cuts and reforms has sent shockwaves through Disabled peoples organisations, disability charities and allies such as Amnesty, the Trussel Trust and many more, who all agree the cuts proposed will be catastrophic.

According to the Government, the benefits system is out of control, with far too many disabled people wrongly receiving benefits. This is not the true picture.

Social security spending overall is not increasing in any significant way.

Inclusion London have made clear that in 2023/4 the UK spent 4.88% of GDP on non-pensioner social security payments, which is lower than it was in 2009 (5.75%), the comparison year the Office for Budget Responsibility used in its 2024 Welfare Trends Report on incapacity benefits.

This is a long-term trend is steady back to the 1990s. Fraud rates for disability benefits are practically non-existent: (PIP) fraud stood at 0% in the financial year ending 2024.

It is a fact that half of all people in poverty are disabled people. Disabled people can’t afford food, energy, housing and transport, and are the biggest users of Food Banks.

The community also faces additional costs related to impairments and health conditions, amounting to up to £1k extra a month and yet the Government intends to take £5 billion pounds from Disabled peoples incomes with its benefit reforms.

With the spring statement offering even less hope, there no humanitarian or economic sense of pushing more disabled people into poverty: we need to act.

The OBR has not yet been able to forecast any employment gain from the cuts/changes to incapacity & disability benefits, so effectively MPs are being asked to support these cuts without any clear assessment of what it will achieve.

These cuts are purely about saving money, nothing else. DR UK and its allies will not stay silent as benefits are cut, public services are slashed, & our rights are eroded, join us in the fight.

The Our new web page contains what action you can take how you can get involved in campaigning against these thebenefit cuta proposals how you can respond , for example responding to the consultation write writing to your MP and protesting.

Learn more about what we campaign on, and how you can campaign with us by visiting the Take Action page