Tag: UK Government

First steps towards recovery as the Festival Fringe comes to a close

TICKET SALES SLUMP BY A QUARTER

The 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe draws to a close today having brought together artists, international arts industry and media, and both loyal Fringe fans and new audiences. 

After some of the most challenging years on record for the sector, the hard work and effort of the artists, venues, producers, promoters, arts and media industry, and staff should be recognised and celebrated.

The lead up brought with it understandable anxiety, as Fringe-makers took on the risk and uncertainty of returning in a year like no other. Audience patterns have changed, industrial action caused significant disruption to rail travel and refuse collection, and affordable accommodation in Edinburgh was at crisis point. This year’s festival has been a colossal and collective effort.

We recognise and thank the residents and businesses of Edinburgh and the Lothians, home to the Fringe for the last 75 years. Residents of our historic city accounted for 39% of all tickets issued (+4% on 2019), and their support and commitment to the festival is evident.  Overseas audience attendances also increased, accounting for 10% of all tickets issued (+2% on 2019).

While the number of tickets issued is testament to the commitment of those who put on the shows and the audiences who came to see them, far beyond what we could have imagined at the start of the year.

The growing cost of Edinburgh for artists points to the need for long-term recovery, investment, and support to ensure the sustainability and longevity of one of the world’s most important cultural events.

Some clear challenges have emerged, and we need a collective approach to address these, or the future of this long-running beacon for cultural connection and development will be in jeopardy.

This year’s Fringe saw an estimated 2,201,175 tickets issued across 3,334 shows which were performed by artists from 63 countries. The festival welcomed diverse work from Scotland, the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, with 13 showcases including work from Canada, Finland, Belgium, Taiwan, South Korea, Ireland – North and South, Denmark and Australia.

The 2022 programme tackled themes and issues such as mental health, gender and gender identity, neurodiversity, disability, feminism, lockdown, experience of migration, LGBTQ+, politics, race and racial identity and work for children; with upcoming talent showcased alongside well-known performers and international work.

The Street Events programme was extended into new sites, with 3,284 performances by Street Performers across the programme.  These included 650 Taster Stage slots on new sites in St Andrew Square and Cathedral Square in St James Quarter.  170 shows were represented, with five additional slots given to community groups and schools.   

Over 35 professional development events for Fringe participants were delivered in partnership with 16 external organisations in Fringe Central, our dedicated centre for artists at the heart of the Fringe, and on Fringe Connect, our online home for artists.

The Arts Industry office accredited 1,354 producers, programmers, bookers, talent agencies, festivals and others from 45 countries, looking to find work, tour it and support artists beyond the festival itself. They were joined by over 770 of the world’s media, and 147 delegates who participated in Screen Fringe.

The communities, learning and access team worked on a number of key initiatives, including loaning out 150 sensory backpacks for autistic children and adults.  BSL interpretation took place in West Parliament Square on five days of the festival, and a dedicated Changing Places toilet was located beside George Square.

The Society worked with over 30 Edinburgh charities and community groups to distribute over £60,000 of Fringe vouchers and Lothian bus tickets, enabling residents from across the city to experience the festival, many for the very first time.  In addition, over 900 schoolchildren came to the Fringe as part of our schools’ outreach work.

Shona McCarthy, CEO of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Our enormous congratulations go out to everyone who came together to create the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

“This year’s festival is the first step in what will be a long road to recovery and renewal.  The hard work of thousands of artists, and hundreds of venues, producers and staff has combined to deliver the 75th anniversary festival during one of the most challenging summers on record.

“We recognise the significant amount of work that is still required to support the long-term sustainability of this phenomenal Festival.  As we review and discuss all the learnings from this year, our focus this autumn will be on planning for the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe.  

“Collectively we will work to advocate for greater support for those at the heart of the Fringe – our artists.  The eyes of the world look to this historic city every August, and we need to work together to ensure the Fringe is the best place for creatives to express their ideas, audiences to support them and for people across the sector to develop their skills and careers for the next 75 years.”

Benny Higgins, Chair of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, added: “I add my congratulations to those that worked tirelessly this August to deliver the 75th anniversary of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  The importance of this festival cannot be underestimated.  Artists use the Fringe as a place to perform, connect and springboard onto their next career opportunity. 

“Recovery takes time, and that is why in June we launched our future development goals.  The Society acts to offer anyone a stage and everyone a seat, and there is much to do in the coming months.  We need to ensure the Fringe is the best place for thriving artists, while ensuring fair work and good citizenship. 

“Our digital experience will be key to delivering our climate action targets, and we need to do more to ensure who you are, and where you’re from, is not a barrier to attending or participating in the Fringe.”

As a charity, the work of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society would not be possible without the valuable support of our partners, sponsors and funders.

We are hugely grateful to the support of partners City of Edinburgh Council, EventScotland, Creative Scotland, The Scottish Government, British Council, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, St James Quarter and Nuveen. 

Our thanks to sponsors TikTok, Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Edinburgh Gin and Cirrus Logic. Our continued appreciation also to our Fringe Angels, Patrons, Friends and supporters who help make the Fringe happen each year.

Next year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from 04 – 28 August 2023.

£1.5 million from UK to assist Pakistan flood relief efforts

The UK is providing urgent support to Pakistan after flooding in the south of the country killed at least 900 people. Extreme monsoon rainfall has affected millions, with at least 700,000 homes destroyed.

In response to the disaster, the UK will provide up to £1.5 million for the relief effort. The UN is carrying out a needs assessment over the weekend, and a UN appeal is expected to be launched on Tuesday.

Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South and Central Asia, North Africa, UN and the Commonwealth and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, said: “The floods in Pakistan have devastated local communities and the UK is providing up to £1.5 million to help the immediate aftermath. We are witnessing the catastrophe that climate change can cause and how it impacts the most vulnerable.

“My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their families, and I would like to pay tribute to everyone involved in the relief efforts. We are also working directly with the Pakistan authorities to establish what further assistance and support they require. The UK stands with the people of Pakistan during this time of need.”

The UK also provides assistance to Pakistan through international organisations working directly with the victims of the disaster, including the World Bank and the United Nations.

Johnson: I’m convinced Britain’s bounceback will be golden

The months ahead are going to be tough, perhaps very tough (writes Prime Minister BORIS JOHNSON). Our energy bills are going to be eye-watering. For many of us, the cost of heating our homes is already frightening.

And yet I have never been more certain that we will come through this well – and that Britain will emerge stronger and more  prosperous the other side.

 Let us remember who caused this global surge in the cost of energy, and what is at stake.

Yes, we were already seeing  supply chain pressures last year, caused by the aftershocks of Covid, and that was causing a rise in some global prices.

But by the end of last year we were fixing it. The world was finding the lorry drivers. The  container ships were moving. We were sourcing the silicon chips.

What no one had bargained for was the decision of Vladimir Putin – and it was his decision alone – to launch a vicious and irrational attack, on February 24, against an innocent European country.

It was Putin’s barbaric invasion that spooked the energy markets.

It is Putin’s war that is costing British consumers. That is why your energy bill is doubling. I am afraid Putin knows it. He likes it. And he wants us to buckle.

 He believes that soft European politicians will not have the  stomach for the struggle – that this coming winter we will throw in the sponge, take off the sanctions and go begging for Russian oil and gas.

He believes we will tire of backing Ukraine and begin discreetly to encourage the Ukrainians to do a deal, however nauseating, with the tyrant in the Kremlin.

That would be utter madness. In this brutal arm-wrestle, the Ukrainian people can and will win. And so will Britain.

With every month that goes by Putin’s position grows weaker. His ability to bully and blackmail is diminishing. And Britain’s position will grow stronger.

We must and we will help people through the crisis. Colossal sums  of taxpayers’ money are already committed to helping people pay their bills. That cash is flowing now – and will continue to flow in the months ahead.

Another chunk of the £650 is already due to go to the eight million most vulnerable households this autumn. There is another £300 going to  pensioners in November, £150 for the disabled and £400 for all energy bill payers.

Next month – whoever takes over from me – the Government will announce another huge package of financial support. It is worth remembering why we are in a position to make these payments.

We have the cash to support  families across the country because we have already proved the  pessimists wrong. 

I remember sitting in the Cabinet room for an economic briefing in 2020 as the waves of the pandemic broke over the world and we saw the biggest drop in output for 300 years. They told me UK unemployment would top 14 per cent.

They said that millions would be thrown on to the economic scrapheap – with all the consequent costs to the Exchequer.

They were wrong. After becoming the first country in the world to approve an effective vaccine, we staged the fastest vaccine roll-out in Europe, the fastest exit from Covid. As a result we had the fastest growth in the G7 last year and instead of mass unemployment we have about 640,000 MORE people in payrolled employment than before the pandemic began.

Instead of being at 14 per cent, unemployment is at 3.8 per cent, nearly the lowest for almost 50 years. That is giving us the fundamental economic strength to endure this crisis – as the Russian economy continues to melt down.

We are ending our dependency on Russian hydrocarbons. In June, for the first time in decades, we did not import any fuel from Russia. The UK has already stepped up production of domestic gas – 26 per cent more this year than last.

With every new windfarm we build offshore, with every new nuclear project we approve, we strengthen our strategic position. We become less vulnerable to the vagaries of the global gas price and less vulnerable to Putin’s pressure.

It is this Government that has reversed the apathy of decades and greenlighted new nuclear plants.

We are going to build a new  reactor every year and will have a colossal 50 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 – almost half our total electricity consumption.

This British Energy Security Strategy is just a part of a vast  programme to make the economy more productive and competitive. 

In just three years we have increased the coverage of gigabit broadband from seven per cent of households to 70 per cent. We are strengthening the economic sinews of the country with the biggest investment in rail – three new high speed lines – for a century.

We have invested massively in skills, so that people can improve their qualifications throughout their lives.

We have taken decisive steps to make this the best place in the world to invest and start a business. We are axing dozens of burdensome EU laws – including Solvency 2 and MiFID, that acted as unnecessary deterrents to investment.

We are creating eight new free- ports, cutting taxes on investment and lengthening our lead as  a science superpower – with  £22billion of investment in science and a new Advanced Research agency to crack the big problems of our time, from dementia to zero carbon aviation.

All this is paying off in jobs and growth. In the first quarter of  this year the UK attracted more venture capital investment in technology than China.

We have more tech investment than France, Germany and Israel combined and we produce a new billion pound “unicorn” company roughly every two weeks.

These new ideas are blooming not just in the golden triangle of Oxford, Cambridge and London but across the whole UK as we drive forward our levelling up agenda.

We have laid the foundations for long-term gains in prosperity and productivity. We know we will bounce back from the crisis in the cost of energy as we rapidly build up our own UK supplies.

That is why we will succeed and why we cannot flinch now.

If Putin is allowed to get away with his murder and mayhem, and to change the borders of Europe by force, then he will simply do it again, elsewhere on the periphery of the former Soviet Union.

Other countries will draw the  lesson that violence and aggression can pay off and that will usher in a new cycle of political and economic instability.

That is why we must continue to back the Ukrainians – and their military success continues to be remarkable. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown his country is fundamentally unconquerable.

Now is the time for the West to double down our support, not to go wobbly.

We have more than enough resilience to get through tough months ahead. We have shown that before.

And we have made the long term decisions – including on domestic energy supply – to ensure that our bounceback can and should be remarkable and that our future will be golden.

Community support funding announced for people of Liverpool

The Home Secretary has announced a £150,000 package to support the communities of Liverpool and Knowsley in the wake of the tragic shootings in the city. This will provide specialist trauma informed support in nearby schools, as well as mental health provisions for those closely affected.

Following the horrific killings of Sam Rimmer, Ashley Dale and Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Merseyside within a week of each other, the Home Secretary also announced £350,000 to expand the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ pilot to other areas in Merseyside affected by Serious and Organised Crime.

The pilot sees both a proactive policing response and multi-agency working to support communities worst affected by Organised Crime Groups to make them more resilient and less susceptible to their activities.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “The whole country has been appalled at the spate of violence in Liverpool over the past couple of weeks, which has tragically left 9 people dead, including 9 year old Olivia.

The impact on the wider community is immense, which is why we are providing funding for specialist trauma and mental health support for those who need it, as well as expanding the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ pilot to disrupt Merseyside’s corrosive and deadly Organised Crime Groups.

We will stop at nothing to drive down serious violence and ensure that fewer families have to endure the pain of losing a loved one in this way.

Established in the Birkenhead area of Merseyside in January 2022, the pilot has focused on making sustainable reductions in firearms and knife crime offences, whilst improving community confidence and delivering preventative programmes to over 2,000 young people in the area.

Priti Patel made the announcement on a visit to Liverpool on Friday where she met with Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable, to receive an update on the investigation, and then with the local policing commander to understand the impact the violence has had on the community and what resilience plans are being put in place.

Over one million families claiming tax credits to receive first Cost of Living Payment from 2 September

Around 1.1 million claimant families receiving tax credits will get their first Cost of Living Payment from Friday 2 September 2022, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has confirmed.

This £326 UK Government payment will be paid automatically into eligible tax credit-only customers’ bank accounts between 2 and 7 September 2022. The first HMRC payments will total around £360 million.

Nadhim Zahawi, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “I know people are really concerned by rising prices so I’m glad that over a million more low earners will shortly receive their first Cost of Living Payment. We are also preparing options for further support so the new Prime Minister can hit the ground running.

“Alongside £400 off most people’s energy bills, tax cuts and the Household Support Fund, these direct payments are a very important part of our £37 billion package of help for households, which is targeted at those who need it most.”

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, said: “This first Cost of Living Payment will provide vital financial support for eligible tax credit-only claimants across the UK. A second payment will be made to eligible customers from the winter.

“The money will be paid automatically into bank accounts, so people don’t need to do anything to get this extra help.”

These latest payments mean that more than eight million eligible households in receipt of a means-tested benefit will have received the first of two automatic Cost of Living payments of £326 from 14 July.

The second means-tested payment of £324 will be issued later this year – from the autumn for DWP benefit claimants, and from the winter for tax credit-only customers.

Tax credit claimants who also receive benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions will have already received their first Cost of Living Payment from July 2022.

The Cost of Living payments from the UK Government are part of a £37 billion package of support, which will see millions of low-income households receive at least £1,200 this year to help cover rising costs.

As well as the Cost of Living Payment, other UK Government support includes:

  • £400 discount from the government to help with the cost of energy bills from October onwards    
  • £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment that will be paid alongside Winter Fuel Payments  
  • £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment from 20 September for those receiving an eligible UK disability benefit.

This is all in addition to changes to the Universal Credit taper rate and work allowances worth £1,000 a year on average for 1.7 million working claimants; a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour; and a tax cut for around 30 million workers through a rise in National Insurance contribution thresholds.

The UK Government is offering help for households. Customers should check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support they could be eligible for. 

Energy price cap rises by 80%

Energy price hikes will cause ‘stress, anxiety, illness, debt and death’

Today (26 August) Ofgem has announced the energy price cap will increase to £3,549 per year for dual fuel for an average household from 1 October 2022.  

This comes as Ofgem’s CEO warns of the hardship energy prices will cause this winter and urges the incoming Prime Minister and new cabinet to provide an additional and urgent response to continued surging energy prices.  

The new price cap level is based on a transparent methodology and calculations by Ofgem. The data is published on the Default tariff cap level: 1 October 2022 to 31 December 2022 publication.

The increase reflects the continued rise in global wholesale gas prices, which began to surge as the world unlocked from the Covid pandemic and have been driven still higher to record levels by Russia slowly switching off gas supplies to Europe.  

The price cap, as set out in law, puts a maximum per unit price on energy that reflects what it costs to buy energy on the wholesale market and supply it to our homes. It also sets a strict and modest profit rate that suppliers can make from domestic energy sales. However, unlike energy producers and extractors, most domestic suppliers are currently not making a profit.

The price cap protects against the so called ‘loyalty premium’ where customers who do not move suppliers or switch to better deals can end up paying far more than others. Ultimately, the price cap cannot be set below the true cost of buying and supplying energy to our homes and so the rising costs of energy are reflected in it.  

Although Ofgem is not giving price cap projections for January because the market remains too volatile, the market for gas in Winter means that prices could get significantly worse through 2023.

Jonathan Brearley, CEO of Ofgem, said: “We know the massive impact this price cap increase will have on households across Britain and the difficult decisions consumers will now have to make. I talk to customers regularly and I know that today’s news will be very worrying for many.  

“The price of energy has reached record levels driven by an aggressive economic act by the Russian state. They have slowly and deliberately turned off the gas supplies to Europe causing harm to our households, businesses and wider economy. Ofgem has no choice but to reflect these cost increases in the price cap.

“The Government support package is delivering help right now, but it’s clear the new Prime Minister will need to act further to tackle the impact of the price rises that are coming in October and next year.

“We are working with ministers, consumer groups and industry on a set of options for the incoming Prime Minister that will require urgent action. The response will need to match the scale of the crisis we have before us. With the right support in place and with regulator, government, industry and consumers working together, we can find a way through this.”   

Ofgem will continue to work with government, consumers groups, charities and suppliers, in supporting any new package of help or measures to ease the crisis.

Ofgem has also today strengthened the rules around direct debits to ensure suppliers set them at the right level, meaning that customers only pay exactly what they need to. The changes will stop suppliers from building up excessive customer credit balances and using them in a risky way as working capital.

Ofgem’s clear role is to protect consumers, and it has also today:

  • Strengthened requirements for suppliers to have sufficient control over the key assets they use to run their businesses. Together, this and the direct debit rule changes build on existing requirements to boost supplier resilience to better protect customers from costs associated with supplier failures.
  • Extended the Market Stabilisation Charge (MSC), which is paid by suppliers and helps protect customers from the cost of supplier failure.
  • Extended the ban on acquisition only tariffs which ensures all energy tariffs are available to existing as well as new customers, ensuring all consumers can get a fair deal on their energy.
  • Launched a review into the mechanism and level of profit margin available under the price cap to ensure that suppliers do not earn excessive profits and receive only a fair return for the services they provide to customers.

The new price cap level will take effect from 1 October 2022, but it is possible some suppliers may begin increasing direct debits before this date to spread costs. Customers worried about when their direct debit will increase should contact their supplier. Any money taken from customers to build up a credit will only ever be spent on their energy supply and customers can ask for their credit balance to be returned at any time.  

Anyone worried about paying their bill should contact their supplier in the first instance. They are obliged to discuss payment plans and direct customers to government and third sector support where available. Ofgem is tightly monitoring suppliers’ performance in this area and has told all suppliers now is the time to step up their support for customers, especially those on low incomes or in a vulnerable situation.  

Ofgem continues to monitor the impact of the price cap and to work with stakeholders and government on what more can be done for those least able to pay but most in need of energy.

When the new Prime Minister announces what additional support packages will be available, Ofgem will continue to examine how best it can help those groups of people that need it the most.  

Reacting to today’s announcement by Ofgem, Poverty Alliance director Peter Kelly said: “The first moral duty of government is to protect people and provide them with security. The UK Government and Ofgem are failing badly in that duty and acting without any sense of compassion and justice.

“This massive price hike is in line with predictions. Ministers knew this was coming for months but have put nothing in place to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

“We must be clear. Bills of this size will be completely and utterly unaffordable for people on low incomes, many of whom have already been struggling with cuts to social security and huge wage squeeze for years and years. They will cause stress, anxiety, illness, debt and death.

“The UK Government must act now. It is simply not right that they continue to dither – prices must be frozen and targeted support must be put in place to help those most in need.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi said: “I know the energy price cap announcement this morning will cause stress and anxiety for many people, but help is coming with £400 off energy bills for all, the second instalment of a £650 payment for vulnerable households, and £300 for all pensioners.

“While Putin is driving up energy prices in revenge for our support of Ukraine’s brave struggle for freedom, I am working flat out to develop options for further support. This will mean the incoming Prime Minister can hit the ground running and deliver support to those who need it most, as soon as possible.”

He later told the public to cut back their energy consumption – this from the man who once claimed parliamentary expenses for heating his stables!

This morning, Ofgem announced that the energy price cap will rise by 80%, taking typical household bills from £1,971 a year to £3,549 a year on 1 October.

People will rightly be worried by these huge price hikes. These eye-watering increases will simply be unaffordable for households up and down the country.

We’re demanding the government increase its support package for every household to at least £1,000, with extra support for the most financially vulnerable, or risk pushing millions of households into financial distress this winter. We also expect energy suppliers to ensure their customer service centres are adequately resourced to resolve queries quickly and help those struggling to pay their bills.

Are you concerned what the price cap rise could mean for you? Find out more about today’s news and use our tool to calculate what the price cap rise means for your own payments.

THE Government needs to spend £100 billion to freeze household energy prices for a year, according to an industry expert. Derek Lickorish, chairman of retailer Utilita Energy, told GB News: “Back in the banking crisis, Gordon Brown found £500 billion pounds to stop the banks falling apart and I’m advocating that we’re looking at about £100 billion to freeze prices for one year.

“At the moment, we don’t know what Liz Truss is bringing to the party and we don’t know whether it’s going to meet the size of the gap.

“While we have a price cap , when we get to the first of January, that figure is going to have a five in front of it, and it’s going to be another couple of thousand pounds and people cannot possibly afford to pay that amount of money for their energy bill.”

Speaking to Alastair Stewart on GB News, he added: “I think the area that needs to be looked at quite closely is the market structure, in terms of the way electricity is bought and sold, and I know there are plans to look at this now with some urgency.

“But you have a situation where you’re bringing on to the network power that has been effectively subsidised by the renewables obligation, yet they are getting these huge prices in terms of generation because the market price is set by gas.

“The wind doesn’t cost any more. The sun doesn’t cost any more. But these schemes are making an awful lot of money. 

“To be fair, that’s about solutions that were brought in prior to 2017, so there was a change so that renewable projects from 2017 would get the price that they agreed.”

Asked to make a final point, Mr Lickorish said: “I want the Government to tell us what’s happening and it needs to be a very, very big number that we need to know now.

John Redwood MP, who has been tipped for a post in a new administration, suggested that VAT on energy will be scrapped for businesses when a new Prime Minister is in place.

“Cancelling VAT on fuel, at least temporarily while fuel costs are elevated, is a serious runner and any new government team will want to look at that,” he told Liam Halligan on GB News.

“I certainly agree with you that there are a lot of businesses under a lot of pressure and I think that must be part of a comprehensive package to explain to industry what help might become available.

“And what can be done about the excessive fuel bills that will directly now lead to some closures, as we’ve heard recently.”

Commenting on the energy price cap rise announced today, Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, said:  ‘This winter’s energy bills are a ticking time bomb threatening to blow apart household finances.

“Rural areas, where wages are lower and homes often cost more to heat, will be devastated if the full force of the price rises are felt by consumers. The government must step in to prevent those living in the countryside from having to choose between eating and heating this winter. 

‘We’ve been here before in the pandemic – the country is entering a national crisis that requires an emergency response. Ministers must urgently put in place direct financial support to get people through the winter, while working to deliver the only viable long term solution – improving the energy efficiency of our homes. 

‘In addition to stratospheric energy bills, the cost of living crisis is being driven by a lack of housing and soaring rents for millions in the private rented sector. Homelessness is rising as half a million people languish on social housing waiting lists. In the Eden district of Cumbria, homelessness rates are more than four times what they were in early 2020. 

‘Twiddling with taxes won’t cut it. To ease the cost of living crisis the government needs to provide immediate monetary support. To prevent a generation of rolling winter crises, we need to get off gas and rapidly invest in home insulation and cheap renewable energy. A longer term fix must also include providing many more social and affordable homes.’ 

Boris Johnson: ‘Ukraine can and will win the war’

Independence Day: Prime Minister travelled to Kyiv in a show of strength and solidarity with Ukraine

  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Kyiv to underline the UK’s unwavering, long term support to Ukraine as it marks 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union.
  • Visit comes as the Prime Minister announces another major package of support, including unmanned surveillance and missile systems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
  • The £54 million package of 2,000 state-of-the-art drones and loitering munitions will enable Ukraine to better track and target invading Russian forces.

The Prime Minister travelled to Kyiv yesterday in a show of strength and solidarity with Ukraine as he tells President Zelenskyy his country ‘can and will win the war’.

As part of the visit, his third to the city since the invasion, the Prime Minister also called on the international community to stay the course in Ukraine, as it continues to valiantly defend its sovereignty six months on from Putin’s brutal and illegal invasion.

While meeting President Zelenskyy in Kyiv today to mark 31 years of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, the Prime Minister also outlined the UK’s next major package of new support, including unmanned surveillance and anti-tank loitering munitions requested by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This package of unmanned air systems will be a step up in the Ukrainian’s current capability, improving their long range surveillance and defensive targeting ability.

It includes 850 hand launched Black Hornet micro-drones, which are specifically designed for use in towns and villages, and are deployed to detect approaching enemy forces.

Military personnel can be trained to fly the helicopter drones, which are smaller than a mobile phone, in under 20 minutes. Each drone feeds back live video and still images to allow forces on the ground to defend urban areas safely.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “For the past six months, the United Kingdom has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, supporting this sovereign country to defend itself from this barbaric and illegal invader.

“Today’s package of support will give the brave and resilient Ukrainian Armed Forces another boost in capability, allowing them to continue to push back Russian forces and fight for their freedom.

“What happens in Ukraine matters to us all, which is why I am here today to deliver the message that the United Kingdom is with you and will be with you for the days and months ahead, and you can and will win.”

The leaders also held talks on the challenges of the winter ahead for the country, and the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s all-encompassing and unwavering support for the Ukrainian people, from humanitarian aid to supporting the investigation of war crimes and rebuilding the country’s economy.

In his final visit to the country before leaving Downing Street, the Prime Minister also received Ukraine’s highest award that can be bestowed on foreign nationals, ‘The Order of Liberty’, for the UK’s staunch support of Ukraine’s freedom.

Today’s £54 million military package comes as the UK also prepares to give minehunting vehicles to Ukraine to help detect Russian mines in the waters off its coast. Ukrainian personnel will be trained how to use them in UK waters in the coming weeks.

The UK also continues to expand the training of Ukrainian military personnel.

Eight other countries have signed up to the major training programmes, which trains civilians to become soldiers, since the Prime Minister announced the programme on his previous visit to Ukraine in June.

Partners contributing expertise and trainers to the rapidly expanding programme include Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Lithuania.

The UK has also helped to drive continued international momentum on funding for defensive lethal aid to Ukraine. Since the Prime Minister announced an additional £1 billion to provide military aid to Ukraine at NATO in June, a further £1.2 bn worth of financial pledges from allies were secured for Ukraine at the Copenhagen Conference, co-hosted by the UK and Denmark earlier this month.

The UK has committed more than £2.3bn of military and financial aid to Ukraine since the invasion began in February.

Ukraine has inspired the world with its courage and defiance against brutality: UK statement at the Security Council

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council briefing on Ukraine

On behalf of the United Kingdom, I thank the Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for their briefings. We warmly welcome President Zelenskyy’s participation in today’s meeting.

Six months ago, even as this Council met late into the night to try and avert catastrophe, Russia launched an unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine in violation of the UN Charter.

In the months that have followed, Ukraine has been subjected to the full horrors of war.

As we have heard today, thousands of civilians have been killed or wounded.

Over 17 million are now in need of humanitarian assistance.

Schools, hospitals and other medical facilities have been attacked. We have seen a pattern of Russian violations of international humanitarian law. And of Russian human rights abuses and violations including reports of torture, inhumane treatment and arbitrary detention.

Ukrainian citizens, including children, have been forcibly deported to Russia. 6 million people are displaced within Ukraine and over 6 million are refugees abroad.

The people of Ukraine are not the only victims of this war.

Beyond Ukraine’s borders, Putin’s decisions have had a devastating impact on the world’s most vulnerable, with many millions across the world affected by rising food and fuel prices.

We again pay tribute to the work of the Secretary-General with Türkiye to negotiate the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Today, in what would be another violation of the UN Charter, there are reports that Russia is planning fake referenda to illegally annex more territory from Ukraine.

Any such attempt would fool no one.

Russia has, after all, lied throughout their illegal invasion, using disinformation to create false pretexts, undermine Ukrainian sovereignty, obscure the truth and hide war crimes.

And it would further demonstrate Russia’s contempt for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Principles which, as Member States of this organisation, we have all committed to upholding.

President, 31 years ago today, Ukraine declared its independence with over 90% of Ukrainians voting in favour.

Today, that pride in Ukrainian identity and sovereignty remains as strong as ever.

We have all seen the courage and ingenuity of the Ukrainian people as they have fought to defend their nation against Russia’s attack on their national sovereignty and right to self-determination. Ukraine’s fight is a fight for the principles of the UN Charter. All all of us in this Chamber have a responsibility to recognise that. It is a fight that has inspired the world with its courage and defiance against brutality.

So today, on Ukrainian Independence Day, we stand together with the nation of Ukraine and its heroic people who continue to resist Russia’s attempts to rewrite international borders by force.

We once again call for Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine immediately. And we call for full accountability for Russia’s crimes.

First Minister underlines Scotland’s solidarity on Ukraine Independence Day

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to President Volodymyr Zelensky to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day and express Scotland’s continued solidarity with their efforts to resist Russian aggression.   

The First Minister passed the letter to the Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, during a meeting at Bute House this morning.

The First Minister’s letter to President Zelensky has been published online.

FM hosts Scottish energy summit

Further action agreed as consensus reached

The Scottish Government, energy companies and advice organisations met at Bute House yesterday (Tuesday 23rd August) for a summit chaired by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – but it’s the UK Government that will have to act to head off a financial crisis for families across the country.

During the meeting a consensus emerged around next steps that must be taken by the UK Government, and where further work and action will take place between energy companies, advice organisations and the Scottish Government ahead of a follow up meeting next month.

The First Minister said: “Any further increase in energy bills in October will have a profound impact on households, businesses and the public sector already struggling with the cost crisis.

“No single government, company or organisation can solve this crisis alone. It requires a collective response commensurate to the situation and the Scottish Government is now treating this situation as a public emergency.

“There was clear consensus at today’s summit that energy customers simply cannot be expected to carry the burden of further price rises in October, and that the UK Government must now commit to freeze the cap for all households and to support the energy companies to deliver that.

“This meeting was focussed on practical solutions, but without action by the UK Government to address the problem at source, the actions we discussed can only ever mitigate the impact of such dramatic price rises at the edges.

“I am grateful to energy suppliers and our third sector partners for coming to the table today and for committing to work together with the Scottish Government to develop further action and practical steps to help households and businesses through the cost crisis.”

The consensus reached in the meeting was that the UK government should:

  • Immediately cancel any further energy price increase for domestic consumers, and work with the regulator and energy companies to put in place the funding to support this;
  • Provide significant additional support to help households and businesses meet current energy bills and the impact of inflation more generally;
  • Take action to protect small and medium sizes businesses, and other organisations not covered by the price cap, from rising energy costs;
  • Reform the energy market for the longer term to prevent this situation occurring again in the future.

The following actions to mitigate the current situation were also agreed and will be developed further:

  • Energy companies will pursue all possible options to provide enhanced support to consumers who are in difficulty, including working with advice agencies and government to improve the support available to consumers, and protect customers from disconnection. It was agreed that the energy companies will work with the Scottish government over the next two weeks to agree a package of measures;
  • The Scottish Government will provide additional support to advice agencies and consider, as part of its emergency budget review, further support for households and businesses. It will also undertake a public information campaign to promote energy efficiency measures alongside sources of help and support for those in difficulty;
  • This group will reconvene following the announcement by Ofgem of the new price cap on Friday 26th August and the appointment of a new Prime Minister to determine further specific actions.

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi visits Edinburgh as UK Government ‘delivers major cost-of-living support’

  • The Chancellor is in Edinburgh today to showcase the support the UK Government is providing the people of Scotland through a £37bn package.
  • It comes after July’s National Insurance Contribution threshold rise for workers across Scotland, putting £330 back into the pockets of a typical employee this year and saving households over £260m. 
  • The Chancellor will also be meeting leaders of Scotland’s green energy industry, emphasising our drive to improve Britain’s energy security.

The Chancellor will today reaffirm the UK Government commitment to help the people of Scotland with rising costs in the coming months, as it continues to deliver its £37bn package of support.

On a visit to Edinburgh, Nadhim Zahawi will also emphasise the UK Government’s commitment to energy security and making sure we have the green supplies of power we need for the future.

He will be meeting some of the figures who have led Scotland to the cutting edge of green power generation technology, as well as apprentices starting out in the industry. His visit will take in one of Scotland’s leading companies in the field of tidal energy as well a windfarm capable of providing power to up to 11,000 homes.

This comes in the same week that Chancellor began a series of meetings with energy generation companies as part of ongoing discussions on what more the industry can do to ensure markets function effectively for consumers.

The visit comes as the UK government is providing 689,000 households in Scotland with the £650 cost of living payment as well as £400 to help people with their energy bills, from October, over the winter months. It has also committed an extra £82 million for the Scottish Government to help vulnerable families at their discretion – in addition to the significant income tax and welfare powers they already have.

The UK Government has also launched the Review of Electricity Markets Arrangement to address higher energy costs, the need to boost energy security and the need to move the UK to a cleaner energy system as well as the Energy Security Bill, the most ambitious piece of legislation in the sector for more than a decade.

Zahawi is also sitting down with the leaders of Scotland’s financial services industry, which employs thousands of people in Scotland. He will listen to their concerns and emphasise the UK Government’s commitment to the sector.

The Chancellor will also meet performers from the world-famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “I know families across Scotland are feeling anxious about rising costs and the UK Government has stepped in to ease pressures on household budgets.

“We delivered an unprecedented level of support in July with a National Insurance cut that will put £330 back into workers’ pockets this year, while many of Scotland’s most vulnerable households have already received the first instalment of a £650 Cost of Living Payment.

“And there’s more to come. Not only will the second instalment of that payment arrive this autumn, but I’ve been clear that we are absolutely committed to bringing an equivalent to the £400 energy bills discount to Northern Ireland as soon as possible to ease the burden on families.

“We will continue to help support families in Northern Ireland through the global pressures we are all facing.”

The UK Government has provided a record £41 billion annual settlement for the next three years and we will continue to work collaboratively with them.

UK announces £37.6 million to provide vital food and water to West Africa

The UK has announced £37.65 million in UK humanitarian funding to help people across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin area

  • £37.65 million of urgent UK humanitarian funding will deliver life-saving assistance across Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria and Niger.
  • 20 million are projected to be in need of urgent aid across the region by the end of 2022.
  • The money will help fund two projects for the next year focused on the most vulnerable, including malnourished women and children.

The UK will support around 1 million of the most vulnerable people across the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin with food, water and sanitation.

Growing instability and violent extremism across the region and the war on Ukraine have exacerbated existing issues with food insecurity and malnutrition. As things stand, there will be close to 20 million people across the region in need of humanitarian aid by the end of the year.

And the Sahel faces further vulnerabilities due to climate change and extreme weather shocks, putting unimaginable stress on communities, meaning urgent intervention by the international community is now a necessity.

The UK is providing £37.65 million in urgent humanitarian assistance, focused on these areas where conflict, climate change and extreme hunger is causing the most suffering.

Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford said: “Millions of people across the Sahel and West Africa are unimaginably suffering with hunger and malnutrition.

“That’s why the UK will step up with an urgent £38 million of humanitarian funding, reaching those most vulnerable and saving lives across the region.

“The number of people facing starvation are at their worst for a decade. Whilst this UK funding is a necessity, it has to be part of a bigger international effort. We’re calling on international partners to enhance our collective support and scale-up intervention to halt this humanitarian catastrophe.”

£19.9 million will support The Sahel Humanitarian Assistance and Protection Programme (SHAPP), a programme which has been responding to the most acute needs, including those of displaced and malnourished women and children, and enables safer access for humanitarian aid workers to reach them.

The funding ensures delivery partners including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the INGO-run Sahel Regional Fund can continue their heroic, life-saving work in the region. The funding also supports the work of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) and the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO).

Their work between 2019-2022 under the Sahel Humanitarian Emergency Response Programme (SHERP) supported 2.7 million people with food assistance, provided treatment to nearly 900,000 severely malnourished children and ensured over 1.5 million mothers could detect malnutrition among their children, enabling early intervention.

In addition, £15 million of emergency humanitarian funding has been made available for North-East Nigeria over the next few months, when food is most scarce and humanitarian needs are highest.

Violence, displacement, poverty and climate shocks are just some of the many reasons why 8.4 million people need life-saving humanitarian assistance there. This emergency funding supports the UK’s work alongside the Nigerian government to build security in the face of growing instability in the north of the country.

In North-East Nigeria, the UK is proud to be supporting the work of our delivery partners – the World Food Programme and UNICEF – whose aid workers put themselves at great risk in order to reach those suffering most.

This food assistance funding is part of the UK’s wider commitment to prioritise life-saving humanitarian aid to communities around the world who are most vulnerable due to the ongoing combination of crises.