UK Government – Page 132 – The NEN

Joint call for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting

The TUC, CBI and Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) yesterday issued a joint call for the government to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting.

In a joint letter to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, the heads of the three organisations say: “Introducing mandatory pay reporting on ethnicity would transform our understanding of race inequality at work and most importantly, drive action to tackle it where we find it.”

The letter – signed by TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady, CBI Director General Tony Danker and EHRC chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner – urges ministers to set out a clear timeframe for introducing ethnicity pay gap reporting to help “ethnic minorities reach their full potential in the workplace.”

TUC General Secretary  Frances O’Grady  said:  “Everyone deserves the chance to thrive at work, and to have a decent, secure job they can build a life on. But the sad reality is that even today race still plays a significant role in determining people’s pay and career progression.

“This problem isn’t going to magic itself away. Without robust and urgent action many BME workers will continue to be held back.

“Unions stand ready to work with employers, regulators and government on practical steps to tackle inequality and discrimination in the workplace.

“Mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting is an obvious first step in helping to improve transparency and bring about change.

“We need ministers to commit to introducing ethnicity pay reporting now and to bring forward a clear timetable for getting it into law.”

The full letter reads:

Dear Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

The case for mandatory ethnicity pay reporting

We are writing to set out our shared priorities to the inter-ministerial group established to consider the recommendations of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. Respectively, we represent millions of workers, thousands of businesses, and enforce the Equality Act 2010 in Britain to ensure that people have equal access to and are treated fairly at work.

We agree with the Commission’s statement that the report comes at a pivotal moment for the country, at a time when the inequalities facing ethnic minority people are under scrutiny. Outcomes at work are no exception. However we believe the report’s recommendations, in particular those related to pay disparities, could go further in order to effectively increase the participation and progression of ethnic minorities in the workplace and create a fairer Britain.

Introducing mandatory pay reporting on ethnicity would transform our understanding of race inequality at work and most importantly, drive action to tackle it where we find it. This has been a longstanding goal for all of us. It will enable employers to identify, consider and address the particular barriers facing ethnic minorities in their workplace, and will complement and enhance the work many already do to address gender pay gaps under existing regulations.

Together we’re asking the Government to make it mandatory for employers to report on their ethnicity pay gaps, building on the successful framework already in place for gender. Reporting, done well, can provide a real foundation to better understand and address the factors contributing to pay disparities. To further enable this, we also support the Commission’s recommendation that pay gap data should be supported by a narrative – comprised of key data, relevant findings and actions plans to address race inequalities.

Some employers are already voluntarily reporting on their ethnicity data and taking action to address race inequality in their workplaces. While this is welcome and should continue to be supported in the interim, introducing mandatory ethnicity pay reporting will put greater focus on race at work, contribute to a greater number of employers reporting their ethnicity pay gap figures, and achieve the change across the labour market that is required.

We urge Government to set out a clear timeframe to implement this and encourage you to work with us to develop the tools and resources required to ensure that employers are supported, and that workers are confident in disclosing data in advance of making reporting mandatory.

In so doing, we firmly believe that this will help ethnic minorities reach their full potential in the workplace, make business more inclusive, and ensure Government has a rich source of robust evidence to inform future labour market and industrial strategies.

Frances O’Grady, General Secretary, TUC

Tony Danker, Director General, CBI

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman, EHRC

Extra £14.5 billion for Scotland since start of Covid-19 pandemic

Scotland has benefitted from £14.5 billion of UK government funding to the devolved administrations, figures released today by the Treasury show.

The annual publication of the Block Grant Transparency shows that since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic the Scottish Government has received an additional £14.5 billion, the Welsh Government an additional £8.6 billion and the Northern Ireland Executive an additional £5.0 billion.

This funding has enabled the Scottish Government to provide support to individuals, businesses and public services across Scotland in response to Covid-19 and will continue to support the recovery through 2021-22.

This comes as part of the unprecedented package of support for the whole of the UK throughout the pandemic, with £352 billion spent right across the UK on Covid-19 measures.

In Scotland this included protecting more than 900,000 jobs through the furlough scheme, £294 million in self-employment support, help for businesses and the procurement of vaccines.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay said: “The UK government is fully committed to strengthening the Union and making sure Scotland has the funding needed to get through this pandemic, with £14.5 billion of additional spending over the last year.

“We’ve protected more than a million Scottish jobs and businesses with furlough and support schemes, our vaccine rollout is unlocking the economy, and our Plan for Jobs is levelling up opportunity and helping us build back better across the UK.”

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “From the very start of the pandemic, the UK Government has taken unprecedented action to help people and businesses right across the country.

“That includes our furlough scheme, support for self-employed people, help for businesses, and the hugely successful UK-wide vaccine programmes.

“On top of this direct support, the UK Government has provided an additional £14.5 billion of funding for the Scottish Government.

“This extensive support, which now enables us to look towards recovery, shows how Scotland benefits from being part of a strong United Kingdom. Never has the value of the Union been more important or more apparent.”

The UK government’s Plan for Jobs is helping to support, create and protect jobs across the UK.

The Kickstart scheme is already helping thousands of 16-24 year-olds into work, JETS Scotland is providing up to six months of targeted support and 13,500 new Work Coaches have been recruited to give tailored support to people out of work.

Social media platforms unite to support COVID-19 vaccine drive

Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok and YouTube partnered with UK government to encourage users to get the vaccine

Collaboration comes as all adults aged 18 and over invited to get a jab
Filters and a range of stickers will be available on Snapchat from today
Other platforms will host live question and answers with medical experts providing vaccine advice

Leading social media platforms popular with young people including Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube, are supporting the vaccination programme by encouraging their users to get coronavirus (COVID-19) jabs.

The partnerships come as all adults aged 18 and over are invited to receive a vaccine in England as the vaccination programme continues at unprecedented pace and scale.

Snapchat users can use NHS stickers, a filter, and later this month, an augmented reality lens that all read: ‘I’ve had my vaccine’ for UK users to share on their accounts.

The platform is also hosting a series of question and answers with medical experts on the Prime Minister’s snapchat account. The most recent took place on Saturday (19 June) with Dr Kiren Collison, the interim Deputy Medical Director for Primary Care for NHS England, who answered questions from the public about the vaccine.

Snapchat has also expanded its: ‘Here For You’ feature which provides in-app resources to people looking for more information around health, mental health and wellbeing.

When someone searches for ‘COVID-19’, ‘vaccine’, ‘NHS’ and ‘vaccination’, they will have access to expert NHS resources on the vaccine to make sure they are well informed, build confidence and tackle misinformation.

The activity supports the NHS ‘every vaccination gives us hope’ campaign encouraging younger people to get their vaccine and join the millions of people who have already received their jabs.

The government met its target of offering a vaccine to the most vulnerable by 15 April and is on track to offer a first dose to all adults by 19 July, 2 weeks earlier than planned. NHS England has extended the offer of a vaccine to all adults.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “With the offer of the vaccine now extended to all adults in England, we are leaving no stone unturned to boost uptake and encourage everyone to get the jab when eligible.

“I am delighted that Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok and YouTube – some of the most influential social media platforms – are coming together to support the biggest and most successful vaccine effort in NHS history.

“We’re accelerating our vaccine programme on the road to recovery and I urge everyone to come forward for the offer, roll up their sleeves and join the millions that already have the fullest possible protection from 2 doses.”

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “Our vaccine rollout has been a great success story and is now available to all adults.

“We have worked closely with social media platforms throughout the pandemic to promote life saving vaccine information, and this new initiative with popular platforms will help drive take-up even higher.

“We are also tackling misinformation online through our new Online Safety Bill to make sure people are not bombarded by harmful content.”

The community network platform Reddit has hosted 2 live ‘ask me anything’ sessions on its coronavirus forum, featuring experts such as Dr Amalina Bakri answering questions from Downing Street. Reddit will continue to host question and answers over the coming weeks to help people access factual and reliable information from a range of experts.

TikTok’s support for the vaccine rollout includes adding the NHS ‘I’ve had my COVID vaccine’ stickers to its library for users to share, and working with Team Halo – a group of scientists using the platform to provide the latest information on vaccines with entertaining and shareable videos.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “I’m thrilled that some of the leading social media platforms are joining forces to boost vaccine uptake among younger people. This is another incredible asset to our vaccination programme, which is already saving lives.

“The vaccine is our way out of this pandemic and we have made incredible progress so far with more than 4 in 5 adults receiving at least one dose and all adults being invited.

“I encourage everyone to get the jab – it could stop you becoming seriously ill and protect your loved ones.”

Ed Couchman, UK Regional General Manager at Snapchat, said: “With Snapchat playing a key part of the lives of young people around the world, we’re thrilled to collaborate with the government to make sure they have accurate and trusted resources to stay safe, healthy and informed.

“As well as creative tools, it’s great to be expanding our in-app health and wellbeing support portal with NHS resources about the vaccine and to host question and answer sessions with key government officials from the Prime Minister’s official Snap Star account.

“As we enter this next phase of the COVID-19 recovery in the UK, we continue to explore new ways we can collaborate with trusted partners and organisations to help support the health and wellbeing of our Snapchat community.”

In collaboration with the NHS, YouTube has rolled out a video campaign with the tagline: ‘Let’s Not Go Back’ to remind its core 18 to 34-year-old audience of the importance of being vaccinated through messaging that speaks to their personal experiences from a year in lockdown.

The campaign is running on YouTube, and on national billboards and bus stop advertising, and on social media. Collectively, these information panels have served over 400 billion impressions worldwide.

Ben McOwen Wilson, UK Managing Director at YouTube, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support the NHS with our ‘Let’s Not Go Back’ campaign to encourage young people to get vaccinated. From billboards to bus stops, online and off, we reached young people wherever they are to raise awareness of the key role they have to play.

“It has been fantastic to witness the public response to our national initiative and to have seen the rates at which young people have stepped up. We will continue to work to combat the pandemic by using YouTube’s extensive reach among young people to help in this critical national effort.”

Dr. Jessica Ashooh, Director of Policy for Reddit said: “Building bridges between policymakers, industry experts, and online communities is central to how we elevate authoritative vaccine information on Reddit.

“Our partnership with 10 Downing Street has enabled us to promote quality COVID-19 resources for Redditors in the United Kingdom.”

Last year Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden and Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock agreed new measures with social media platforms to limit the spread of false vaccine information and help people find the information they need about any COVID-19 vaccine.

At a virtual roundtable, Facebook, Twitter and Google committed to the principle that no company should profit from or promote false information about COVID-19 vaccines, to respond to flagged content more swiftly, and to work with authorities to promote scientifically accurate messages.

The government has also developed a toolkit with content designed to be shared via WhatsApp and Facebook community groups, as well as Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, to tackle false information about the vaccine.

Earlier this year we announced that Facebook and Instagram are backing a new nationwide social media campaign launched by the government and the NHS for people to show their support for the vaccine roll out.

The initiative allows users to update their profiles with a range of specially-designed profile frames and graphics. People can use these to show ‘I’ve had my vaccine’ or make a pledge that ‘I will get my vaccine’.

More than one million jabs were booked on Friday and Saturday after vaccinations opened to all over-18s in England.

Covid Vaccination Programme: More than thirty million Britons now have fullest protection

More than 30 million people in the UK have been vaccinated with a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, giving them the fullest possible protection
More than 79% of people in the UK now vaccinated with a single dose
Public urged to come forward for second doses to help protect against the threat of new variants

41,830,546 people across the UK have now been vaccinated with a first dose (79.4%), while 30,204,738 people have had both doses (57.3%).

New analysis by Public Health England (PHE) shows for the first time that 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.61.2) variant. The analysis suggests the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after both doses.

The UK government met its target of offering a vaccine to the most vulnerable by 15 April and is on track to offer a first dose to all adults by 19 July, 2 weeks earlier than planned. NHS England has today extended the offer of a vaccine to everyone over the age of 23.

By 19 July, all those aged 50 and over and the clinically extremely vulnerable will have been offered their second dose.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Second doses are increasingly vital, so this is an incredibly important milestone. Day after day, our vaccination programme reaches new heights. With over 30 million people across the UK now receiving a second dose, we are giving the fullest possible protection to our loved ones in the face of new variants.

“The strength of the union has never been clearer than in the UK vaccination effort. All 4 corners of this country have pulled together for one common purpose – to get the jab and fight this virus.

“I want to pay tribute to everyone right across the country who has answered our call to arms and rolled up their sleeves to get the jab. I encourage everyone over 23 to come forward and get the jab.”

The vaccination programme is weakening the link between cases and hospitalisations, but the latest evidence shows that 2 doses are needed to provide effective protection against the Delta variant.

To ensure people have the strongest possible protection against COVID-19, second doses for all over 40s will be accelerated by reducing the dosing interval from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. All over 40s who received a first dose by mid-May will be offered a second dose by 19 July.

The move follows advice from the independent experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which has considered the latest available evidence and has recommended reducing the dosing interval to counter the threat of new variants of concern.

The government and its scientific experts are monitoring the evolving situation and rates of variants closely, and will not hesitate to take additional action as necessary.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “I am delighted that we have reached another poignant milestone in our vaccines programme, with over 30 million people receiving the fullest possible protection from this virus.

“In the space of 6 months, the UK has made history after not only deploying a licensed vaccine to the first person in the world, Margaret Keenan, but also to tens of millions of others in the largest vaccination programme in our history.

“I encourage everyone to come forward for the vaccine, and for the crucial second dose when the offer comes. It could save your life and protect your loved ones.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: The UK government is supplying vaccines for people in all parts of the United Kingdom and this milestone is further welcome evidence of how effectively we are pulling together to protect ourselves and our community.

“With 30 million people across the UK already having had their second doses, I encourage everyone in Scotland to come forward when the offer comes to get their second vaccination and maximum protection from the virus.”

Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms. Vaccinated people are even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus to others.

Data from PHE’s real-world study shows the vaccines are already having a significant impact in the UK, reducing hospitalisations and deaths, saving 14,000 lives and preventing 42,000 hospitalisations in England.

Data published by YouGov shows the UK continues to top the list of nations where people are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated.

ONS data published on 9 June shows that more than 9 in 10 (94%) adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine.

Approved vaccines are available from thousands of NHS vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies. Around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre in England and vaccinations are taking place at sites including mosques, community centres and football stadiums.

COVID recovery: Easing on hold as Johnson presses pause button

Prime Minister: “We must learn to live with COVID”

Step 4 of England’s Roadmap paused for four weeks while vaccination programme is accelerated following significant rise in more transmissible variant
Second dose brought forward to 8 weeks for over 40s to provide strongest protection against Delta variant sooner
Restrictions to be lifted on weddings and wakes on 21 June

Step 4 will be delayed by up to four weeks in England and the vaccination programme accelerated to respond to the rapid spread of the Delta variant, the Prime Minister confirmed yesterday.

Scotland’s First Minister will give an update on Scotland’s plans later today. At present it’s planned that Scotland would move to Level 0 on 28 June, but concerns over rising numbers of the Delta variant make it likely that the date will be put back.

By 19 July, all adults in England will have been offered a first dose and around two thirds of all adults will have been offered two doses of the vaccine.

Data suggests that the Delta variant is between 40% and 80% more transmissible than the Alpha variant and is rapidly driving up case numbers.

There are currently around 8,000 cases a day, the highest since the end of February, and these are increasing by around 64% each week.

Hospitalisations are starting to rise, with the average number of people admitted to hospital increasing in England by 50% per week, and 61% per week in the North-West.

Our successful vaccination programme is weakening the link between cases and hospitalisations, but the latest evidence shows that two doses are needed to provide effective protection against the Delta variant.

The Roadmap has always been led by data and not dates, and the government’s four tests have not been met. In order to offer two vaccine doses to more people, prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths and protect the NHS, Step 4 will be delayed by up to four weeks to Monday 19 July. If the data rapidly improves this could be brought forward to 5 July.

The four tests are:

The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully
Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated
Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS
Our assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new Variants of Concern

Two vaccine doses have now been shown to be highly effective in reducing hospitalisation from the Delta variant, with the latest PHE data suggesting this could be up to 96% for Pfizer-BioNTech and 92% for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

All adults aged 18 and over will now be offered a first dose by 19 July, 2 weeks earlier than planned. All adults aged 23 and 24 will be able to book their first dose from tomorrow (15 June).

By 19 July, all those aged over 50 and the clinically extremely vulnerable will have been offered their second dose, and those second doses will have taken effect.

Second doses for all over 40s will be accelerated by reducing the dosing interval from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. All over 40s who received a first dose by mid-May will be offered a second dose by 19 July.

The school holidays in England begin at the end of July, further reducing transmission among the younger age groups. Step 3 restrictions will continue in their current format with the following exceptions implemented from 21 June. No restrictions will be reimposed.

The 30-person limit will be lifted for weddings and wakes. There will be no set limit on the number of attendees, but venues must adhere to covid secure guidance, maintain social distancing and provide table service. All weddings in private settings, such as gardens, must have completed a covid risk assessment to ascertain how many guests they can host safely.

Event pilots will continue, including some Euro 2020 matches, Wimbledon, and some arts and music performances. Attendees will show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.

Care home residents will no longer need to isolate if they leave their residence. Exceptions will include high risk visits including overnight stays in hospital.

Cases are expected to continue rising due to the transmissibility of the Delta variant, but with the acceleration of the vaccination programme hospitalisations are expected to stabilise.

Additional support is available for areas with high cases rates of the Delta variant, including surge testing, isolation support, and efforts to maximise vaccination uptake.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a statement at a press conference last night:

When we set out on our roadmap to freedom a few months ago, we were determined to make progress that was cautious but irreversible. And step by step – thanks to the enormous efforts of the British people and the spectacular vaccine roll-out we now have one of the most open economies and societies in this part of the world.

And as we have always known and as the February roadmap explicitly predicted – this opening up has inevitably been accompanied by more infection and more hospitalisation. Because we must be clear that we cannot simply eliminate Covid – we must learn to live with it. And with every day that goes by we are better protected by the vaccines and we are better able to live with the disease.

Vaccination greatly reduces transmission and two doses provide a very high degree of protection against serious illness and death. But there are still millions of younger adults who have not been vaccinated and sadly a proportion of the elderly and vulnerable may still succumb even if they have had two jabs.

And that is why we are so concerned by the Delta variant that is now spreading faster than the third wave predicted in the February roadmap. We’re seeing cases growing by about 64 per cent per week, and in the worst affected areas, it’s doubling every week.

And the average number of people being admitted to hospital in England has increased by 50 per cent week on week, and by 61 per cent in the North West, which may be the shape of things to come. Because we know the remorseless logic of exponential growth and even if the link between infection and hospitalisation has been weakened it has not been severed.

And even if the link between hospitalisation and death has also been weakened, I’m afraid numbers in intensive care, in ICU are also rising. And so we have faced a very difficult choice. We can simply keep going with all of step 4 on June 21st even though there is a real possibility that the virus will outrun the vaccines and that thousands more deaths would ensue that could otherwise have been avoided.

Or else we can give our NHS a few more crucial weeks to get those remaining jabs into the arms of those who need them. And since today I cannot say that we have met all four tests for proceeding with step four, I do think it is sensible to wait just a little longer.

By Monday 19th July we will aim to have double jabbed around two thirds of the adult population including everyone over 50, all the vulnerable, all the frontline health and care workers and everyone over 40 who received their first dose by mid-May. And to do this we will now accelerate the 2nd jabs for those over 40 – just as we did for the vulnerable groups – so they get maximum protection as fast as possible.

And we will bring forward our target to give every adult in this country a first dose by 19th July that is including young people over the age of 18 with 23 and 24 year olds invited to book jabs from tomorrow – so we reduce the risk of transmission among groups that mix the most.

And to give the NHS that extra time we will hold off step 4 openings until July 19th except for weddings that can still go ahead with more than 30 guests provided social distancing remains in place and the same will apply to wakes. And we will continue the pilot events – such as Euro2020 and some theatrical performances.

We will monitor the position every day and if after 2 weeks we have concluded that the risk has diminished then we reserve the possibility of proceeding to Step 4 and full opening sooner.

As things stand – and on the basis of the evidence I can see right now – I am confident we will not need any more than 4 weeks and we won’t need to go beyond July 19th. It is unmistakably clear the vaccines are working and the sheer scale of the vaccine roll-out has made our position incomparably better than in previous waves.

But now is the time to ease off the accelerator because by being cautious now we have the chance – in the next four weeks – to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more people.

And once the adults of this country have been overwhelmingly vaccinated, which is what we can achieve in a short space of time, we will be in a far stronger position to keep hospitalisations down, to live with this disease, and to complete our cautious but irreversible roadmap to freedom.

G7 leaders agree Nature Compact

G7 leaders have agreed commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and tackle deforestation, marine litter and illegal wildlife trade

G7 leaders have agreed commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and tackle deforestation, marine litter and illegal wildlife trade.

At the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Cornwall yesterday, countries came together and agreed a shared G7 Nature Compact.

This is a key agreement which brings G7 countries together to address the most pressing international and interlinked challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. Leaders have also agreed to review progress against the Nature Compact to ensure delivery of its 2030 vision.

This next milestone marks a crucial commitment to supporting global consensus and taking bold action for the delivery of ambitious outcomes for nature in 2021. Climate change is one key driver of biodiversity loss, and protecting, conserving and restoring biodiversity is crucial to addressing climate change.

The G7 Nature Compact commits world leaders to:

Shift incentives and use all appropriate levers to address unsustainable and illegal activities negatively impacting nature, such as through tackling deforestation by supporting sustainable supply chains, and stepping up efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade
Work to dramatically increase investment in nature from all sources, and to ensure nature is accounted for in economic and financial decision-making – for instance, through drawing on the Dasgupta Review for key actions
Support and drive the protection, conservation and restoration of ecosystems critical to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and tackle climate change, such as supporting the target to conserve or protect at least 30% of global land and at least 30% of the global ocean by the end of the decade
Hold themselves to account for taking domestic and global action for nature through driving strengthened accountability and implementation mechanisms of all Multilateral Environmental Agreements to which we are parties

Through this Compact, the UK Government is committing to supporting the global consensus and to taking bold action for delivery of ambitious outcomes for nature in 2021 at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 in Kunming and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP26 in Glasgow.

The Prime Minister has also launched the UK’s Blue Planet Fund. The £500 million fund will support countries to tackle unsustainable fishing, protect and restore coastal ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs, and reduce marine pollution.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “For the first time, the G7 has committed to halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity in the next decade.

“This is a major step forward on the path to CBD COP15 and COP26 and is a sign of the dedication to accelerate action within the G7 – and beyond – to tackle the interdependent crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

“We have seen major progress this weekend and we welcome the collaboration between global leaders to raise our ambition and remain accountable in this critical decade.”

The Compact’s commitments will be embedded in national plans as appropriate, raising ambition wherever possible, and the G7 will hold themselves to account for delivering effective action integrated with that to support climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Through existing G7 mechanisms, including at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in five years, the G7 countries will review options to ratchet up action and ambition, as needed, to ensure delivery of the vision for 2030.

The full G7 Nature Compact can be read online here.

UK launches Blue Planet fund

G7 leaders expected to agree a series of measures to address the climate crisis and protect nature

G7 leaders to kick off new partnership on infrastructure investment today to propel global green economic growth, as they commit to increase international climate finance
UK launches £500m Blue Planet Fund to protect the ocean and marine biodiversity
Comes as the G7 is expected to endorse an ambitious Nature Compact to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030
Sir David Attenborough will address leaders on the importance of action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees on the final day of the G7 Summit in Cornwall

G7 leaders are expected to agree plans today (Sunday) to transform the financing of infrastructure projects in developing countries, part of a raft of measures at the Summit to address the climate crisis and protect nature.

The ‘Build Back Better for the World’ plan will bring together G7 countries under the UK’s presidency to develop an offer for high quality financing for vital infrastructure, from railways in Africa to wind farms in Asia.

The new approach is intended to give developing countries access to more, better and faster finance, while accelerating the global shift to renewable energy and sustainable technology. The Government will build on this with other countries ahead of the COP26 Summit in November.

The Prime Minister has also launched the UK’s Blue Planet Fund from the G7 Summit’s ocean-side setting in Cornwall. The £500 million fund will support countries including Ghana, Indonesia and Pacific island states to tackle unsustainable fishing, protect and restore coastal ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs, and reduce marine pollution.

The G7 will endorse a Nature Compact at this afternoon’s meeting to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 – including supporting the global target to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of land and 30 percent of ocean globally by the end of the decade.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Protecting our planet is the most important thing we as leaders can do for our people. There is a direct relationship between reducing emissions, restoring nature, creating jobs and ensuring long-term economic growth.

“As democratic nations we have a responsibility to help developing countries reap the benefits of clean growth through a fair and transparent system. The G7 has an unprecedented opportunity to drive a global Green Industrial Revolution, with the potential to transform the way we live.”

The G7 are also expected to commit to almost halve their emissions by 2030 relative to 2010. The UK is already going even further, pledging to cut emissions by at least 68% by 2030 on 1990 levels (58% reduction on 2010 levels).

Leaders will set out the action they will take to slash carbon emissions, including measures like ending all unabated coal as soon as possible, ending almost all direct government support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas and phasing out petrol and diesel cars.

Sir David Attenborough, renowned British environmentalist and the UK’s COP26 People’s Champion, will address the leaders of the G7 countries plus guests Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa at a session on Climate and Nature later today and urge them to take action as the world’s leading economies to secure the future of our planet.

Sir David Attenborough, Environmentalist and COP26 People’s Champion, said: “The natural world today is greatly diminished. That is undeniable. Our climate is warming fast. That is beyond doubt. Our societies and nations are unequal and that is sadly is plain to see.

“But the question science forces us to address specifically in 2021 is whether as a result of these intertwined facts we are on the verge of destabilising the entire planet?

“If that is so, then the decisions we make this decade – in particular the decisions made by the most economically advanced nations – are the most important in human history.”

In addition to taking action at home, G7 leaders will commit to increase their contributions to international climate finance to meet the target of mobilising $100bn a year, which will help developing countries deal with the impacts of climate change and support sustainable, green growth.

This is the first-ever net-zero G7, with all countries having committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest with ambitious reductions targets in the 2020s. The Leaders’ Summit is an important stepping-stone on the road to COP26, which the UK will host in Glasgow in November.

Scots recognized in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List

From Dumfries to Edinburgh and from Fife to the Isle of Harris, 33 Scots have been recognized for their services to public life in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021.

Recipients include Glasgow-born singer Lulu for services to music, entertainment and charity, and Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Council (above).

Neil Berkett, Chair of the NSPCC, said: “Congratulations to Andrew for his OBE, his honour is so well deserved for a life time of public service. As an NSPCC Trustee he carries the voice of the child and young person in everything he does. His work as a trustee and as a member of our service delivery committee help us protect vulnerable children.”

Public health expert Prof. Linda Bauld, receives an OBE.

The Queen’s Birthday Honours are awarded annually to recognise the outstanding achievements of people right across the UK.

Commenting on this year’s awards, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “Her Majesty’s Birthday Honours are a fitting tribute to those in Scotland and right across the UK who have done so much to get the country through the pandemic.

“That includes Ian McCubbin for his work on the vaccines taskforce, Professor Michael Barrett of the Glasgow Lighthouse covid testing lab, and former chief nursing officer Fiona McQueen.

“The honours list shows the wealth of talent in Scotland’s public life. From ophthalmologist Carrie MacEwen, to financial expert Anne Richards, and Edinburgh Council Chief Executive Andrew Kerr, a host of Scots are recognised for their contribution to Scottish society.

“Lulu’s award for services to entertainment is very welcome. Nothing short of a national treasure, Lulu has a special place in the hearts of many Scots.

“Her Majesty has also recognised the depth of dedication and commitment in local communities across the country, with awards for the unsung heroes up and down Scotland.

“My sincere congratulations go to all the Scots who have been honoured by Her Majesty.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also paid tribute to the Scottish recipients in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list. She said: “The Queen’s Birthday Honours recognise the outstanding contributions of the people of Scotland to communities throughout the country, and around the world.

“Their exceptional service and dedication in a range of fields including the arts, education, business, charity, community support, and science has provided countless benefits across society.

“I’m also pleased to see that many individuals who have helped our work to tackle the coronavirus pandemic have been recognised. I know we are all hugely grateful to each and every one of them, and it is right that their stellar efforts have been acknowledged in this way

“Our emergency services have always gone above and beyond the call of duty to keep people and communities across Scotland safe, and never more so than during these unprecedented times. I also want to extend my congratulations to those personnel who have been awarded The Queen’s Fire, Police or Ambulance Service Medals.”

‘Caring Nation’ at the centre of Queen’s Birthday Honours List

The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021 demonstrates the extraordinary efforts made by individuals in all four nations of the United Kingdom during the pandemic.

The List includes those who have worked throughout the crisis, putting others before themselves – from caring neighbours, frontline and community heroes, to those supporting the UK recovery.

The Birthday Honours List 2021 is the most ethnically diverse list to date, with 15% of recipients coming from an ethnic minority background.

In a year that has truly tested the resolve and determination of the country, almost 23% of recipients are recommended for COVID-19 service. These include recipients who have given charitable and voluntary support to communities, service in health and social care, and those who have provided critical infrastructure support.

Recognising the world-beating and extraordinary success of the UK’s vaccination programme, a damehood goes to Kate Bingham, lately Chair, Vaccine Taskforce, for services to the procurement, manufacture and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

A damehood also goes to Professor Sarah Gilbert, Saïd Professor of Vaccinology at the Jenner Institute for her pivotal role in developing a COVID-19 vaccine.

A knighthood is given to Professor Andrew Pollard, Professor of Paediatric Infection, University of Oxford for services to Public Health particularly during COVID-19. CBEs are awarded to Ian McCubbin, Manufacturing Expert on the Vaccine Taskforce Steering Committee, Vaccine Taskforce and Mark Proctor, Global Supply Strategy Director at AstraZeneca. Divya Chadha Manek receives an OBE for her work in the research and development of vaccines and the resulting clinical trials.

This Honours List is an exemplary showcase of what a caring nation we are. British Empire Medals go to brother and sister John Brownhill and Amanda Guest, co-founders of Food4Heroes which delivered food from local chefs to those NHS frontline staff.

A BEM also goes to Rhys Mallows, 25 years old from South Glamorgan who repurposed his whiskey distillery to produce hand sanitiser and Mahtab Morovat for her work in supporting vulnerable people during the pandemic.

The majority of awards are for the contributions people have made in their communities. Of those receiving an award, 62% are recognised for their community work.

Leading a number of high impact contributions by younger people, the youngest recipient is 21 year old Amika George, founder of the #FreePeriods Campaign who receives an MBE for services to education. In campaigning against period poverty, she is joined on the List by friends Clegg Bamber and Anna Miles, also receiving MBEs for their work on the Red Box Project which has delivered free period products in schools across the country.

Singer Lulu receives a CBE for services to music, entertainment and charity, as does sport commentator Sue Barker for services to sport, broadcasting and charity, and former manager of Crystal Palace Football Club, Roy Hodgson for services to football.

Damehoods are awarded to Meg Hillier MP and Andrea Leadsom MP for their parliamentary and political service. Tony Lloyd MP receives a knighthood for parliamentary and public service.

In sport, Director of Rugby at Leeds Rhinos Kevin Sinfield receives an OBE for services to Rugby League Football and charitable fundraising for motor neuron disease. MBEs are also awarded to England footballers Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling for services to charity and racial equality in sport respectively.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: The Queen’s Birthday Honours allow us to pay tribute to all those who have gone above and beyond in their service to this country.

“Throughout the pandemic we have seen countless examples of every day heroes. From those using their expertise to help develop life-saving vaccines, which are now being rolled out successfully to all parts of the UK, to the people who have given time and energy to care for their communities.

“We should take heart from the stories of those receiving honours today and be inspired by their courage and kindness. May they be a reminder of all that we can achieve when we come together as a society.”

The honours system ‘strives to be inclusive of all of the UK society’. Of the 1,129 people who receive an award:

986 candidates have been selected at BEM, MBE and OBE level:
323 at BEM
457 at MBE
206 at OBE
695 (62%) of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity;
567 women are recognised in the List, representing 50% of the total (39% of recipients at CBE level and above are women);
15% of the successful candidates come from an ethnic minority background:
6.8% of recipients are from an Asian ethnic group;
4.2% of recipients are from a Black ethnic group;
3.3% of recipients with a mixed ethnic background;
0.7% of recipients come from another ethnic background;
9% of the successful candidates are disabled or have a long-term health condition;
17.3% of recipients considered themselves to come from a lower socio-economic background; and
5% of recipients are LGBT.

A further breakdown of the diversity statistics will be available at the new dedicated honours website honours.cabinetoffice.gov.uk which has been launched to improve accessibility, transparency and inclusivity of the honours system.

The full Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021 can be found here.

PM calls on G7 to help educate every child in the world

Over one billion children in the world’s poorest countries will see a transformation in their educational opportunities thanks to £430 million of new UK aid announced by the Prime Minister today.

PM used first session of the G7 Summit to rally world leaders to build back better
£430 million of new UK aid announced to get world’s most vulnerable children, particularly girls, into school
Next month Global Education Summit will take place in London to raise further funding

Over one billion children in the world’s poorest countries will see a transformation in their educational opportunities thanks to £430 million of new UK aid announced by the Prime Minister today (Friday 11th June).

In this afternoon’s first session of the UK’s G7 Summit, leaders discussed how to build back better from the coronavirus pandemic in a way that creates opportunities for everyone. Ensuring all girls get a quality education is central to that goal.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused an unprecedented global education crisis, with 1.6 billion children around the world out of school at its height. Girls have been hardest hit as the pandemic compounded the obstacles to education girls already face, including poverty, gender-based violence and child marriage.

The support announced by the UK today will go to the Global Partnership for Education, the largest fund dedicated to education in developing countries.

Since it was established in 2002 GPE has contributed to the largest expansion of primary and lower secondary schooling in history, getting 160 million more children into school. In countries where GPE works the number of girls enrolling in school has increased by 65 per cent.

Next month the UK and Kenya will co-host the Global Education Summit in London which aims to help raise $5 billion to support the work of the GPE over the next five years. The funding boost pledged by the UK and other G7 countries will go a considerable way towards achieving this goal.

Getting girls into school is one of the easiest ways to lift countries out of poverty and help them rebound from the coronavirus crisis – a child whose mother can read is twice as likely to go to school themselves and 50% more likely to be immunised. With just one additional school year, a woman’s earnings can increase by a fifth.

Supporting girls’ education is therefore a cornerstone of the UK’s G7 Presidency. Today G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to targets set at the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in May to get 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10 in the next five years. The work of the GPE will be instrumental in helping achieve those targets.

Today the Prime Minister called on fellow leaders to make their own major commitments to achieve these targets, as well as the ambition to ensure every girl in the world receives 12 years of quality education.

Italy and the European Commission have already made pledges of €25 million and €700 million respectively to GPE and further announcements on funding are expected from G7 partners in the coming days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The best way we can lift countries out of poverty and lead a global recovery is by investing in education and particularly girls’ education.

“It is a source of international shame that every day around the world children bursting with potential are denied the chance to become titans of industry, scientific pioneers or leaders in any field, purely because they are female, their parents’ income or the place they were born.

“I am calling on other world leaders, including those here at the G7, to also donate and put us firmly on a path to get more girls into the classroom, address the terrible setback to global education caused by coronavirus and help the world build back better.”

The £430m of new aid funding announced today will go towards GPE’s work in 90 lower-income countries that are home to 1.1 billion children over the next five years. In time GPE aim to train 2.2 million more teachers, build 78,000 new classrooms and buy 512 million textbooks.

This funding pledge for the Global Partnership for Education is separate to the £400m of UK aid which will be spent this year on bilateral efforts to increase girls’ access to education.

Exchange of letters spells end of the road for hapless Health Secretary … for now at least