Pupils from a Highland primary school got the chance to see democracy in action when they visited 10 Downing Street and the House of Commons last Friday (20 June).
The group from Cauldeen Primary School in Inverness had been invited as part of the Lessons at 10 project, an initiative run by the Prime Minister’s office to inspire children from across the UK by bringing them into Downing Street for a unique class experience.
The mission behind the project is to break down barriers and ensure all children get the best start in life.
School head teacher Allison Howie said: “We were invited as part of Lessons at 10 to give children the opportunity to participate in learning about the history of politics in the UK and gain a wider understanding of how our parliamentary system works.
“The children were given a tour of Number 10, seeing its artefacts and learning about the history of the building, the people who use it and what happens there day-to-day.
They were then invited to have lunch in the garden where they met with the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
The PM took time to meet and speak to the children, asking them what they had learned about the building, what they would change in the country and what they were doing for the remainder of the visit.”
It proved to be a very busy and topical day in parliament, with many MPs in attendance due to the debate and vote on the Assisted Dying Bill.
When at Westminster, the pupils got to witness the various aspects of debate in action – including the protests, the press pack and the ringing of the division bells to signal the vote.
The school had been invited by Angus MacDonald, MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, who met and chatted with the group during what was an informative and insightful visit to the corridors of power.
Head teacher Mrs Howie added: “Our Cauldeen children were beautifully behaved and an absolute credit to themselves and their school. They asked some fantastic questions, and it was wonderful to hear their thoughts and questions throughout the day, reminding us all why we do the job we do.
“What a day, what an experience.
“I would like to say a huge thanks to everyone who was involved in organising the day in London, which all went without a hitch.”
London, UK, June 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — JA Mining, a UK-based, FCA-accredited cloud mining provider, today announced significant developments in its cloud mining services, including the launch of an advanced AI-driven mining solution. These advancements seek to provide a more efficient, accessible, and sustainable method for individuals to participate in cryptocurrency mining.
JA Mining is a trusted partner for clients seeking to generate passive income from digital assets without having to manage physical mining equipment. Their new expert system is designed to intelligently select the best cryptocurrencies and mining strategy, and adjust dynamically to changes in the market and computing conditions, such as what recently happened when Bitcoin hit $108,000.
“Our commitment at JA Mining has always been to combine robust technology with user-friendly access to the digital asset space,” said a spokesperson for JA Mining. “The introduction of our automated mining solution marks a pivotal moment, allowing us to offer even smarter, more adaptable strategies to our users. We are proud to maintain our leadership in sustainable mining, utilizing renewable energy across our global data centres to drive both profitability and environmental responsibility.”
Key Features and Advantages of JA Mining:
AI-Driven Optimisation: JA Mining’s new AI engine intelligently navigates market volatility, continuously identifying the most profitable cryptocurrencies and mining strategies. This dynamic optimization aims to enhance user returns and streamline the mining process.
Sustainable Infrastructure: Operating over 100 data centers across Europe, North America, and Asia, JA Mining powers its operations entirely with renewable energy sources, including solar and wind power, underscoring its dedication to eco-conscious mining.
Comprehensive Contract Options: The platform offers a diverse range of cloud-mining contracts for popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dogecoin. Contracts vary from short-term experiential plans to longer-term options, with daily payouts automatically transferred to user accounts.
User-Centric Design: Designed for ease of use, JA Mining’s web and mobile interfaces allow seamless registration, plan selection, and daily earnings reception without any hardware setup or technical expertise required.
Robust Security Measures: Enhanced protection from McAfee®, Cloudflare®, and user money is safeguarded by multi-layered security protocols, including cold wallet storage, ensuring a safe mining environment.
Promotional Incentives: To welcome new users, JA Mining offers a $100 sign-up reward. The platform also features cashback events on BTC plans and a multi-level referral program offering bonuses from 5% to 7% for inviting new participants.
JA Mining’s continuous presence has been combined with its FCA accreditation, offering a transparent, secure, and profitable cloud mining experience to its growing global user base by demonstrating its commitment to recent technology developments. The platform seeks to provide responsible and effective solutions for retail investors looking to capitalize on the digital economy.
About JA Mining: JA Mining is a UK-based, FCA-licensed cloud mining company. Such as AI-based mining, JA Mining offers a faithful and user-friendly platform for people to participate in the crypto mining industry and earn passive income with a mission of sustainability and the utilization of cutting-edge technology. The company operates a global network of data centers powered by renewable energy.
Media Contact: Full Name: Anna W Hitchens Position: Manager Phone: +44 7751696528 Email: info@jamining.com Website: https://jamining.com
Company Address: JA Financial Services Limited, 11 The Elms, Leek Wootton, Warwick, England, CV35 7RR, London, UK
Disclaimer:This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, legal advice, or investment recommendations. Stock Trading involves risk and market volatility. Please research or consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions. Jamining.com and associated parties are not liable for any financial loss incurred.
Good evening, my lords, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to express my gratitude to Lord Taylor of Warwick and Dr. Lisa Cameron, as well as the Financial Club and the UK US Crypto Alliance, for this recognition at the Digital Assets Global Forum 100 Impact Leaders Dinner and Annual Awards and inviting me to provide remarks. Thank you also to Baroness Uddin and Lord Ranger, and especially to all the event staff at the House of Lords. It is a great honor to receive this year’s Legacy Award, and a great privilege to share my views regarding innovation and market structure in financial services. Tonight’s event is a testament to the strength and longevity of the close relationships among UK and U.S. institutions, and the special relationship between our two great Nations. Crypto and Digital Assets In April, Treasury Secretary Bessent and Chancellor Reeves discussed digital asset regulation and laid the groundwork for our governments to explore ways “to support the use and responsible growth of digital assets.” In the context of that discussion, I was pleased to learn that Chancellor Reeves acknowledged the importance of the UK-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group (FRWG), which I will discuss in a few minutes. Both the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are members, and our agencies have partnered closely for decades. The UK Government has moved quickly on cryptoasset regulatory proposals, including the FCA’s public consultation on various papers and publication of an FCA Crypto Roadmap. So, I would like to highlight for you the CFTC’s swift progress on President Trump’s executive orders and policy agenda for digital assets. For both our Nations, this is the light at the end of a very long tunnel, the dawn of a new golden age for market innovation, and the culmination of years of hard work by both the public and private sectors. Responsible innovation and fair competition While UK regulators have recently gained a secondary mandate on competition, the CFTC has long had a dual mandate to promote responsible innovation and fair competition in our markets. Our dual mandate enshrines the simple truth that derivatives are financial instruments that are at the cutting edge of market innovation, and therefore our regulatory framework must be principles-based and flexible to adapt to new markets and new products. Let me tell you about my personal journey towards ensuring that the CFTC remains not only the first, but also at the forefront, of leadership on digital asset markets. The U.S. regulation of spot digital assets is a high priority for the CFTC because the largest digital asset markets are commodities. It is also a high priority for me because I have worked on crypto and digital assets initiatives for over 10 years—since 2013, when I was staff at the CFTC and the Bitcoin Foundation came to Washington, DC to engage with regulators on responsible innovation. That’s right—the crypto industry did not run away from regulation, they ran towards it, even in those early years, in hopes of finding a clear regulatory roadmap. At that time, we at the CFTC thought that Bitcoin was a commodity. Two years later, in 2015, the CFTC made this view known publicly, and has maintained this view ever since as this novel asset class has expanded to include more tokens. After my initial experience with crypto at the CFTC, I engaged on crypto again in the private sector. I worked on Citi’s digital asset strategy, including product development and strategic equity and venture capital investments, and I worked on transactions, partnerships, vendors, and new clients. I led digital assets global regulatory strategy and policy advocacy and initiatives to implement governance, risk, and control frameworks and compliance policies and procedures. That included leading global engagement in supervisory examinations of distributed ledger technology (DLT or blockchain) and digital assets by both U.S. and non-U.S. regulators—including the FCA. Based on my hands-on experience, when I became a CFTC Commissioner, I knew providing regulatory clarity for digital assets had to be a priority. I first proposed 10 fundamentals for responsible digital asset markets, which could be universally applied in any jurisdiction, in 2022. Then, I proposed a CFTC digital asset markets pilot program as a U.S. regulatory sandbox in 2023. I was gratified to be named to CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2023 list for these efforts. Last year, in 2024, the Digital Asset Markets Subcommittee of the CFTC’s Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC), which I sponsor, developed and made two recommendations to the Commission: (1) a U.S. digital asset taxonomy and (2) regulatory treatment of tokenized non-cash collateral. I want to thank the firms—many in this audience—from the largest banks and asset managers, to exchanges and clearinghouses, to crypto native startups, who have contributed to the GMAC’s efforts and graciously provided their time and resources to create a consensus view across both traditional and digital asset markets. These recommendations for industry standards reflect years of thoughtful, disciplined work from the actual builders in this space who are the industry leaders. It’s a common global solution that works for everyone, and also includes input from both international standard setters and non-U.S. regulatory authorities. A golden age for market innovation This year, in the Trump Administration’s first 100 days, the CFTC has taken decisive action to implement these prior proposals and promote a pro-innovation, pro-growth approach for digital assets. The CFTC is a member of the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, which is expected to release a report next month that will be the Administration’s crypto roadmap. We have been working closely with the U.S. Treasury Department, the SEC, and other agencies on this productive and fruitful effort. In February, I hosted a first-ever Crypto CEO Forum and participated in the groundbreaking White House Digital Assets Summit. The CFTC has withdrawn outdated staff advisories and released new guidance to improve regulatory clarity for American and other innovators and entrepreneurs in crypto and digital assets. We have had discussions on a digital asset markets pilot program and will soon participate as an observer in industry tokenization initiatives. And, the CFTC recently completed a public comment period on 24/7 trading and perpetual derivatives, two crypto market innovations that may have implications for other asset classes with sufficient liquidity. Perpetual derivatives have been trading live on CFTC-registered designated contract markets (DCMs) since April, and 24/7 trading has been live since May. The CFTC has provided technical assistance to Congress on various digital asset legislative proposals, including the CLARITY Act, and stands ready to carry out our mission if our jurisdiction is expanded. The future is bright. Looking ahead, the U.S. must have a durable and flexible approach to regulation that will keep up with continuing innovation and stand the test of time. Lessons learned I appreciate Lord Taylor’s remarks about learning from the past. I will share some lessons learned from my experience at the CFTC and in the private sector with implementing the Dodd-Frank Act, the last time the U.S. enacted legislation that dramatically reshaped market structure. The CFTC’s implementation of Dodd-Frank with our swaps regulations had far-reaching unintended consequences. Fifteen years later, the CFTC is still working to eliminate unworkable, overly burdensome requirements and resolve regulatory overreach that have significantly increased costs for all market participants with no meaningful benefits. There are two key lessons learned, and we must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Regulatory moat First, Dodd-Frank’s duplicative, costly, and unnecessary regulatory requirements that cost billions of dollars annually for registration, compliance, and reporting—in addition to enforcement penalties that have become a tax on doing business—have resulted in a regulatory moat that is a barrier to entry for smaller firms, startups, and entrepreneurs. This has led to anti-competitive effects and consolidation and concentration of market participants, because only the biggest firms can afford the overhead. Any mandate or issuance of new regulations by the CFTC should leverage our existing registration categories and compliance requirements to avoid piling on with another layer of overregulation that has no benefit to market integrity or customer protection. Market fragmentation Second, Dodd-Frank’s jurisdictional overreach and the CFTC’s initial approach to cross-border activity resulted in swaps market fragmentation. These effects were especially profound in London and New York, the most important trading hubs. A lack of harmonization based on principles of international comity, mutual recognition, and regulatory coherence led to fractured market liquidity that is less resilient to market shock or dislocation, increasing both market volatility and systemic risk. Market fragmentation also resulted in increased complexity and costs for international financial institutions and other market participants’ legal entity strategy, booking models, and other operational processes. Increasing complexity increases both financial and non-financial risks. Again, fifteen years later, the CFTC still has not completed implementing a substituted compliance regime across all CFTC swaps regulation. Most of the CFTC’s over 20 staff letters, advisories, or other guidance issued since January under my leadership as acting Chairman have been to fix remaining Dodd-Frank issues based on my experience as an operating executive. Because crypto and digital asset markets are borderless by design, it is imperative that the CFTC’s policy approach ensures that substituted compliance will be available from the start for entities that are properly registered in their home country jurisdictions that have comparable regulatory schemes, and that reciprocal mutual recognition for CFTC-registered entities is available as well. The close partnership between UK and U.S. authorities can help to achieve this regulatory coherence. By leveraging existing registration categories and cross-border substituted compliance or mutual recognition, the CFTC and our non-U.S. regulatory counterparts would not have to reinvent the wheel and further delay growth and progress for digital asset markets. Our current CFTC regulated entities could begin trading crypto on day one, and bring previously offshore activity back onshore to the U.S. with no negative impact to depth of market liquidity. Simplicity is the solution I have encouraged technology-neutral regulations that do not have to be continually rewritten to keep up with innovation, and activity-based regulations that do not require burdensome and costly entity-registration requirements that stifle competition by raising the gate to new entrants with less capital (namely, start-ups and entrepreneurs). It is critical that once further regulatory clarity is provided, including through interpretations and exemptions, that the CFTC is prepared to move quickly rather than waiting to complete the 4 to 5 year process to develop and adopt additional digital asset regulations, for the crypto and financial sector to then spend even more years to implement. The regulatory burn rate and the costs of missing out on market share are real. A simple approach that can be completed in 12 to 18 months is the fastest way to ensure that the U.S. is no longer left behind when it comes to promoting innovation and welcoming American entrepreneurs and companies to come back home. This is how we ensure U.S. competitiveness and that the U.S. leads the way in harnessing the potential of this new technology to create economic opportunities for all Americans. This is how the U.S. becomes the crypto capital of the world. UK and U.S. Relationship In the FinTech and digital-assets space, the CFTC’s coordination with our UK counterparts has enabled us to navigate the rapidly changing landscape, mitigate risks, and advance responsible innovation. I especially want to recognize our close cooperation with the FCA in this regard. In 2018, the CFTC and the FCA signed a FinTech Innovation Arrangement wherein we each committed to collaborate and support innovative firms through our respective financial technology initiatives. CFTC staff members have also benefitted from participating with their UK peers and other regulatory partners in the Financial Innovation Partnership, which is a dialogue like the FRWG, designed to focus on facilitating our mutual engagement in financial innovation. In other areas of financial services oversight, we have a long and deep history of collaboration. These long-standing examples serve as a formidable blueprint for successful collaboration going forward regarding digital-assets, decentralized finance, and artificial intelligence (AI):
In 1986, the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK Department of Trade and Industry, now succeeded by the FCA.
In 1989, the CFTC included the UK among the first exemptions issued under Rule 30.10 (allowing UK firms to serve as futures brokers for U.S. customers on UK exchanges without having to register as brokers in the U.S.). Many UK firms still avail themselves of this 30.10 relief.
In 1991, we signed a memorandum of understanding amongst the CFTC, SEC, the then Department of Trade and Industry, and the Securities and Investments Board (the latter two succeeded by the FCA, the Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Bank of England) on mutual assistance and the exchange of information.
In 2009, the CFTC and the Bank of England executed a memorandum of understanding on Central Counterparty Clearing House (CCP) supervision.
In 2020, the CFTC revised that clearing memorandum of understanding with the Bank of England to reflect the cooperation and exchange of information in the supervision and oversight of CCPs that operate on a cross-border basis in the U.S. and UK.
In the Spring of 2023, the CFTC and Bank of England announced a further strengthening of our commitment to close cooperation and mutual understandings on the supervision of CCPs.
Later in 2023, the UK Parliament published its CCP equivalence decision for the CFTC. This was an important milestone in our mutual deferential approach to supervision because it highlights our strong cooperation and allows greater cross-border access for our regulated entities.
Each of these achievements have been possible because we have a relationship based on trust and mutual respect. Since the financial crisis and global derivatives regulatory reform, the CFTC directly regulates the largest UK banks as swap dealers, and much hard work has gone into establishing a substituted compliance and mutual recognition regime. I’m pleased to have furthered these efforts under my chairmanship as well. The UK-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group During the most recent FRWG meeting, representatives of our finance ministries, markets regulators, and prudential authorities discussed the strong current of innovation evident in our jurisdictions as well as the means to collaborate on a foundational framework in the areas of digital-assets and AI. Our respective delegations provided updates on proposed legislation to regulate digital assets, including stablecoin. UK participants also noted that you have updated your Digital Securities Sandbox and are building on recent discussions between the Chancellor and the U.S. Treasury Secretary. Importantly, the FRWG also discussed exploring potential opportunities to support cross-border innovation. Participants emphasized the importance of effective regulation in promoting economic growth while also addressing risks and continued bilateral and international engagement within the sector and amongst authorities. In that regard, FRWG representatives also exchanged views on their respective approaches to AI and both current and future AI use cases within financial services. U.S. and UK authorities discussed means to work together, including as appropriate through international standard-setting and coordination institutions, to realize the potential of this technology and address the risks of AI in financial services. Conclusion During my chairmanship and as a commissioner, I have tirelessly advocated for a level playing field for global businesses and access to markets. Relationships—especially special ones like ours, the UK and the U.S.—make this possible. Through my work with the CFTC’s GMAC and engagement with international standard-setters like the Financial Stability Board (FSB), Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (BCBS), the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and my bilateral relationships with nearly two dozen of the CFTC’s regulatory counterparts around the world, I believe that we can achieve shared prosperity through economic growth and the engine of capital markets. As our Nations continue to forge ahead with our pro-innovation agendas through our multiple regulatory initiatives, our markets will be well-served by our continued cooperation. Thank you.
Good evening, my lords, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to express my gratitude to Lord Taylor of Warwick and Dr. Lisa Cameron, as well as the Financial Club and the UK US Crypto Alliance, for this recognition at the Digital Assets Global Forum 100 Impact Leaders Dinner and Annual Awards and inviting me to provide remarks. Thank you also to Baroness Uddin and Lord Ranger, and especially to all the event staff at the House of Lords. It is a great honor to receive this year’s Legacy Award, and a great privilege to share my views regarding innovation and market structure in financial services. Tonight’s event is a testament to the strength and longevity of the close relationships among UK and U.S. institutions, and the special relationship between our two great Nations. Crypto and Digital Assets In April, Treasury Secretary Bessent and Chancellor Reeves discussed digital asset regulation and laid the groundwork for our governments to explore ways “to support the use and responsible growth of digital assets.” In the context of that discussion, I was pleased to learn that Chancellor Reeves acknowledged the importance of the UK-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group (FRWG), which I will discuss in a few minutes. Both the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are members, and our agencies have partnered closely for decades. The UK Government has moved quickly on cryptoasset regulatory proposals, including the FCA’s public consultation on various papers and publication of an FCA Crypto Roadmap. So, I would like to highlight for you the CFTC’s swift progress on President Trump’s executive orders and policy agenda for digital assets. For both our Nations, this is the light at the end of a very long tunnel, the dawn of a new golden age for market innovation, and the culmination of years of hard work by both the public and private sectors. Responsible innovation and fair competition While UK regulators have recently gained a secondary mandate on competition, the CFTC has long had a dual mandate to promote responsible innovation and fair competition in our markets. Our dual mandate enshrines the simple truth that derivatives are financial instruments that are at the cutting edge of market innovation, and therefore our regulatory framework must be principles-based and flexible to adapt to new markets and new products. Let me tell you about my personal journey towards ensuring that the CFTC remains not only the first, but also at the forefront, of leadership on digital asset markets. The U.S. regulation of spot digital assets is a high priority for the CFTC because the largest digital asset markets are commodities. It is also a high priority for me because I have worked on crypto and digital assets initiatives for over 10 years—since 2013, when I was staff at the CFTC and the Bitcoin Foundation came to Washington, DC to engage with regulators on responsible innovation. That’s right—the crypto industry did not run away from regulation, they ran towards it, even in those early years, in hopes of finding a clear regulatory roadmap. At that time, we at the CFTC thought that Bitcoin was a commodity. Two years later, in 2015, the CFTC made this view known publicly, and has maintained this view ever since as this novel asset class has expanded to include more tokens. After my initial experience with crypto at the CFTC, I engaged on crypto again in the private sector. I worked on Citi’s digital asset strategy, including product development and strategic equity and venture capital investments, and I worked on transactions, partnerships, vendors, and new clients. I led digital assets global regulatory strategy and policy advocacy and initiatives to implement governance, risk, and control frameworks and compliance policies and procedures. That included leading global engagement in supervisory examinations of distributed ledger technology (DLT or blockchain) and digital assets by both U.S. and non-U.S. regulators—including the FCA. Based on my hands-on experience, when I became a CFTC Commissioner, I knew providing regulatory clarity for digital assets had to be a priority. I first proposed 10 fundamentals for responsible digital asset markets, which could be universally applied in any jurisdiction, in 2022. Then, I proposed a CFTC digital asset markets pilot program as a U.S. regulatory sandbox in 2023. I was gratified to be named to CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2023 list for these efforts. Last year, in 2024, the Digital Asset Markets Subcommittee of the CFTC’s Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC), which I sponsor, developed and made two recommendations to the Commission: (1) a U.S. digital asset taxonomy and (2) regulatory treatment of tokenized non-cash collateral. I want to thank the firms—many in this audience—from the largest banks and asset managers, to exchanges and clearinghouses, to crypto native startups, who have contributed to the GMAC’s efforts and graciously provided their time and resources to create a consensus view across both traditional and digital asset markets. These recommendations for industry standards reflect years of thoughtful, disciplined work from the actual builders in this space who are the industry leaders. It’s a common global solution that works for everyone, and also includes input from both international standard setters and non-U.S. regulatory authorities. A golden age for market innovation This year, in the Trump Administration’s first 100 days, the CFTC has taken decisive action to implement these prior proposals and promote a pro-innovation, pro-growth approach for digital assets. The CFTC is a member of the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, which is expected to release a report next month that will be the Administration’s crypto roadmap. We have been working closely with the U.S. Treasury Department, the SEC, and other agencies on this productive and fruitful effort. In February, I hosted a first-ever Crypto CEO Forum and participated in the groundbreaking White House Digital Assets Summit. The CFTC has withdrawn outdated staff advisories and released new guidance to improve regulatory clarity for American and other innovators and entrepreneurs in crypto and digital assets. We have had discussions on a digital asset markets pilot program and will soon participate as an observer in industry tokenization initiatives. And, the CFTC recently completed a public comment period on 24/7 trading and perpetual derivatives, two crypto market innovations that may have implications for other asset classes with sufficient liquidity. Perpetual derivatives have been trading live on CFTC-registered designated contract markets (DCMs) since April, and 24/7 trading has been live since May. The CFTC has provided technical assistance to Congress on various digital asset legislative proposals, including the CLARITY Act, and stands ready to carry out our mission if our jurisdiction is expanded. The future is bright. Looking ahead, the U.S. must have a durable and flexible approach to regulation that will keep up with continuing innovation and stand the test of time. Lessons learned I appreciate Lord Taylor’s remarks about learning from the past. I will share some lessons learned from my experience at the CFTC and in the private sector with implementing the Dodd-Frank Act, the last time the U.S. enacted legislation that dramatically reshaped market structure. The CFTC’s implementation of Dodd-Frank with our swaps regulations had far-reaching unintended consequences. Fifteen years later, the CFTC is still working to eliminate unworkable, overly burdensome requirements and resolve regulatory overreach that have significantly increased costs for all market participants with no meaningful benefits. There are two key lessons learned, and we must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Regulatory moat First, Dodd-Frank’s duplicative, costly, and unnecessary regulatory requirements that cost billions of dollars annually for registration, compliance, and reporting—in addition to enforcement penalties that have become a tax on doing business—have resulted in a regulatory moat that is a barrier to entry for smaller firms, startups, and entrepreneurs. This has led to anti-competitive effects and consolidation and concentration of market participants, because only the biggest firms can afford the overhead. Any mandate or issuance of new regulations by the CFTC should leverage our existing registration categories and compliance requirements to avoid piling on with another layer of overregulation that has no benefit to market integrity or customer protection. Market fragmentation Second, Dodd-Frank’s jurisdictional overreach and the CFTC’s initial approach to cross-border activity resulted in swaps market fragmentation. These effects were especially profound in London and New York, the most important trading hubs. A lack of harmonization based on principles of international comity, mutual recognition, and regulatory coherence led to fractured market liquidity that is less resilient to market shock or dislocation, increasing both market volatility and systemic risk. Market fragmentation also resulted in increased complexity and costs for international financial institutions and other market participants’ legal entity strategy, booking models, and other operational processes. Increasing complexity increases both financial and non-financial risks. Again, fifteen years later, the CFTC still has not completed implementing a substituted compliance regime across all CFTC swaps regulation. Most of the CFTC’s over 20 staff letters, advisories, or other guidance issued since January under my leadership as acting Chairman have been to fix remaining Dodd-Frank issues based on my experience as an operating executive. Because crypto and digital asset markets are borderless by design, it is imperative that the CFTC’s policy approach ensures that substituted compliance will be available from the start for entities that are properly registered in their home country jurisdictions that have comparable regulatory schemes, and that reciprocal mutual recognition for CFTC-registered entities is available as well. The close partnership between UK and U.S. authorities can help to achieve this regulatory coherence. By leveraging existing registration categories and cross-border substituted compliance or mutual recognition, the CFTC and our non-U.S. regulatory counterparts would not have to reinvent the wheel and further delay growth and progress for digital asset markets. Our current CFTC regulated entities could begin trading crypto on day one, and bring previously offshore activity back onshore to the U.S. with no negative impact to depth of market liquidity. Simplicity is the solution I have encouraged technology-neutral regulations that do not have to be continually rewritten to keep up with innovation, and activity-based regulations that do not require burdensome and costly entity-registration requirements that stifle competition by raising the gate to new entrants with less capital (namely, start-ups and entrepreneurs). It is critical that once further regulatory clarity is provided, including through interpretations and exemptions, that the CFTC is prepared to move quickly rather than waiting to complete the 4 to 5 year process to develop and adopt additional digital asset regulations, for the crypto and financial sector to then spend even more years to implement. The regulatory burn rate and the costs of missing out on market share are real. A simple approach that can be completed in 12 to 18 months is the fastest way to ensure that the U.S. is no longer left behind when it comes to promoting innovation and welcoming American entrepreneurs and companies to come back home. This is how we ensure U.S. competitiveness and that the U.S. leads the way in harnessing the potential of this new technology to create economic opportunities for all Americans. This is how the U.S. becomes the crypto capital of the world. UK and U.S. Relationship In the FinTech and digital-assets space, the CFTC’s coordination with our UK counterparts has enabled us to navigate the rapidly changing landscape, mitigate risks, and advance responsible innovation. I especially want to recognize our close cooperation with the FCA in this regard. In 2018, the CFTC and the FCA signed a FinTech Innovation Arrangement wherein we each committed to collaborate and support innovative firms through our respective financial technology initiatives. CFTC staff members have also benefitted from participating with their UK peers and other regulatory partners in the Financial Innovation Partnership, which is a dialogue like the FRWG, designed to focus on facilitating our mutual engagement in financial innovation. In other areas of financial services oversight, we have a long and deep history of collaboration. These long-standing examples serve as a formidable blueprint for successful collaboration going forward regarding digital-assets, decentralized finance, and artificial intelligence (AI):
In 1986, the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK Department of Trade and Industry, now succeeded by the FCA.
In 1989, the CFTC included the UK among the first exemptions issued under Rule 30.10 (allowing UK firms to serve as futures brokers for U.S. customers on UK exchanges without having to register as brokers in the U.S.). Many UK firms still avail themselves of this 30.10 relief.
In 1991, we signed a memorandum of understanding amongst the CFTC, SEC, the then Department of Trade and Industry, and the Securities and Investments Board (the latter two succeeded by the FCA, the Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Bank of England) on mutual assistance and the exchange of information.
In 2009, the CFTC and the Bank of England executed a memorandum of understanding on Central Counterparty Clearing House (CCP) supervision.
In 2020, the CFTC revised that clearing memorandum of understanding with the Bank of England to reflect the cooperation and exchange of information in the supervision and oversight of CCPs that operate on a cross-border basis in the U.S. and UK.
In the Spring of 2023, the CFTC and Bank of England announced a further strengthening of our commitment to close cooperation and mutual understandings on the supervision of CCPs.
Later in 2023, the UK Parliament published its CCP equivalence decision for the CFTC. This was an important milestone in our mutual deferential approach to supervision because it highlights our strong cooperation and allows greater cross-border access for our regulated entities.
Each of these achievements have been possible because we have a relationship based on trust and mutual respect. Since the financial crisis and global derivatives regulatory reform, the CFTC directly regulates the largest UK banks as swap dealers, and much hard work has gone into establishing a substituted compliance and mutual recognition regime. I’m pleased to have furthered these efforts under my chairmanship as well. The UK-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group During the most recent FRWG meeting, representatives of our finance ministries, markets regulators, and prudential authorities discussed the strong current of innovation evident in our jurisdictions as well as the means to collaborate on a foundational framework in the areas of digital-assets and AI. Our respective delegations provided updates on proposed legislation to regulate digital assets, including stablecoin. UK participants also noted that you have updated your Digital Securities Sandbox and are building on recent discussions between the Chancellor and the U.S. Treasury Secretary. Importantly, the FRWG also discussed exploring potential opportunities to support cross-border innovation. Participants emphasized the importance of effective regulation in promoting economic growth while also addressing risks and continued bilateral and international engagement within the sector and amongst authorities. In that regard, FRWG representatives also exchanged views on their respective approaches to AI and both current and future AI use cases within financial services. U.S. and UK authorities discussed means to work together, including as appropriate through international standard-setting and coordination institutions, to realize the potential of this technology and address the risks of AI in financial services. Conclusion During my chairmanship and as a commissioner, I have tirelessly advocated for a level playing field for global businesses and access to markets. Relationships—especially special ones like ours, the UK and the U.S.—make this possible. Through my work with the CFTC’s GMAC and engagement with international standard-setters like the Financial Stability Board (FSB), Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (BCBS), the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and my bilateral relationships with nearly two dozen of the CFTC’s regulatory counterparts around the world, I believe that we can achieve shared prosperity through economic growth and the engine of capital markets. As our Nations continue to forge ahead with our pro-innovation agendas through our multiple regulatory initiatives, our markets will be well-served by our continued cooperation. Thank you.
The UK government has published a ten-year strategy outlining how it aims to boost productivity and innovation across eight key sectors of the economy. From the future of AI to energy security and net zero, it’s a broad and ambitious plan. Our experts assess what it tells us about how the UK economy – and the jobs it offers – could look in future.
Nuclear placed firmly in the centre of the UK’s low-carbon future
Doug Specht, Reader in Cultural Geography and Communication, University of Westminster
For clean energy and industrial growth, the strategy presents an ambitious and comprehensive vision. And it seeks to establish the UK as a global leader in clean energy manufacturing and innovation. A key strength lies in its substantial investment commitments, however this includes £14.2 billion for the controversial Sizewell C nuclear power station and more than £2.5 billion for a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme.
Nuclear energy remains controversial – nevertheless, the strategy firmly places it as a central pillar for low-carbon, reliable energy and national security.
The strategy also targets high-growth sectors, prioritises regional development and introduces support schemes and regulatory reforms to tackle high electricity costs for industry, and slow grid connections. Yet despite these potential strengths, there are notable challenges. Implementation risks are significant, given the ten-year timeframe and potential shifts in political priorities.
And regional disparities and social inequalities may not be fully addressed, as the focus is on high-potential city regions. Some areas could be left behind. Skills shortages in engineering and digital sectors persist, and there is not enough detail on reskilling and lifelong learning. The importance of supply chain resilience, especially for the critical minerals needed for the green transition is acknowledged but not fully assured.
Overall, the strategy is ambitious and well-structured. But a reliance on nuclear rather than true renewables is seeking a quick win with high risks and high costs. A more radical and inclusive plan that expanded green infrastructure, and provided details of resilient growth across all regions and sectors, would have been welcomed.
An innovation boost for the UK’s world-leading creative industries
Bernard Hay, Head of Policy at the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, Newcastle University
The plan for the creative industries is a significant step forward for this critical sector. With multiple new commitments announced on areas ranging from scale-up finance and AI to skills, exports and freelance support, there is a lot to welcome for the sector. After all, it already accounts for over 5% of the UK’s annual gross value added (or GVA – which measures the value of goods and services) and 14% of its services exports.
One key aspect is boosting creative industries’ research and development (R&D), which is a driver of innovation, productivity and growth. This includes £100 million for the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s clusters programme, which supports location-based, creative R&D partnerships between universities and industry.
And by the end of the year, HMRC will publish clarification on what types of activity are eligible for R&D tax relief, to include arts activities that meet certain criteria. This is a nuanced change, but together with the other plans, it could have a catalytic effect on innovation in the sector.
Supporting regional creative economies is a golden thread running through this plan. A new £4 billion group capital initiative from the British Business Bank, announced earlier in the spending review, will be an important source of scale-up finance for small and medium-sized creative businesses that face barriers in accessing capital.
It is also welcome to see the government both increasing creative industries investment in several city-regions and supporting places to join up and work together through “creative corridors”. Coupled with the ongoing devolution of powers and funding in England, the next decade provides a huge opportunity for local policy innovation. This includes sharing and scaling proven strategies in growing regional creative economies.
An effective industrial strategy relies on high-quality data and analysis to support it. This is especially true when dealing with a rapidly evolving part of the economy such as the creative industries. The new plan includes commitments to strengthen the evidence base, including by increasing access to official statistics. This is good news not only for researchers, but for the whole sector.
The Lowry in Salford is part of a creative cluster in the north-west of England. Debu55y/Shutterstock
Advanced manufacturing: promising plans, but persistent problems
Michael Lewis, Professor of Operations and Supply Management, University of Bath
The government plans to invest £4.3 billion in advanced manufacturing. This covers research-driven production in sectors including automotive, aerospace and advanced materials (engineered substances that are especially useful in these industries). Some firms may also get energy cost relief through green levy exemptions.
A long-term plan is overdue, but the challenges are huge. Automotive production is targeted to rise substantially, but the sector will still depend heavily on a range of critical imports. The aerospace sector will start 40,000 apprenticeships by 2035, yet further education funding remains below 2010 levels. Much of the promised investment appears to be the repackaging of existing funding.
Most importantly, how to deliver these changes remains unclear. There are good ideas, like £99 million to expand the relatively successful Made Smarter Adoption programme to help small and medium-sized enterprises employ digital technology. But when helping small firms adopt basic digital tools counts as policy success, it shows how far UK manufacturing has fallen behind competitors. Likewise, when you need a new “connections accelerator service” just to help companies connect to the grid, it shows the scale of basic infrastructure problems that undermine grander ambitions.
Overall, the strategy marks real progress. However, without clear delivery plans, it reads more like a wish list than an action plan. This explains why industry reactions have been cautiously optimistic at best.
A chance to take the lead in the global AI race
Kamran Mahroof, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Analytics and Programme Leader for the MSc in the Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, University of Bradford
From a digital and technologies perspective, the industrial strategy appears to signal a strong commitment to anchoring the nation at the forefront of the global AI race. The proposed Sovereign AI Unit shows an intent to ensure national control and access to critical AI infrastructure, computational power and expertise.
This is pivotal, not only for research and development, but also for national security and economic resilience in an increasingly AI-driven world. It points to a recognition that relying solely on external providers for cutting-edge AI capabilities carries inherent risks.
Besides, some of the world’s most innovative AI businesses are based in the UK. British companies are pushing the limits of what is feasible, from Synthesia’s advances in synthetic media to DeepMind’s developments in machine learning. In sectors including public safety, insurance and defence, smaller firms like Faculty, Tractable and Mind Foundry are also having a significant impact.
Complementing this, the AI Growth Zones are designed to act as regional magnets for investment and innovation, particularly in the realm of data centres and high-density computational facilities. By streamlining planning and providing preferential access to energy, these zones could accelerate the development of the physical infrastructure needed.
This decentralised approach has received more than 200 bids already from local authorities. It also has the potential to spread the economic benefits of AI beyond established tech hubs, encouraging new regional powerhouses and creating high-skilled jobs right across the UK.
Taken as a whole, these projects show a deliberate effort to develop core competencies and draw in private-sector funding. This puts the UK in a position to benefit from AI’s potential. This effort to develop national AI capabilities is not a new idea – it echoes the US AI executive order and the EU’s AI Act.
However, given the dominance of global tech giants, the UK needs to define “sovereignty” in practice and decide whether it is willing to provide large-scale funding. At a time when debates continue around the UK’s defence budget — a field now deeply intertwined with AI – more transparency is needed on how these ambitions will be funded.
Growth plans for financial services – and moves to share the benefits beyond London
Sarah Hall, 1931 Professor of Geography, University of Cambridge
One of the most striking elements of the new plan is that it places financial services much more centrally compared to previous approaches.
There are good reasons for doing this. Financial services are a vital component of the UK economy, contributing close to 9% of economic output in 2023. Clearly then, an industrial strategy without one of the most important economic sectors would make little sense.
There is also a welcome emphasis on the ways in which financial services can grow, not only as a sector in its own right, but also to be better integrated in supporting the growth of other parts of the economy. Some important policy moves have already been announced, such as changes to pension funds aimed at increasing their investment in large infrastructure projects.
In order to meet these ambitions, the strategy is right to note that financial services need to be supported, not only in London but also across the many clusters around the UK. These include, for example, Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol.
There will be more details in the sector plan, released alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Mansion House speech on July 15. At that point, we will be able to assess the measures intended to grapple with two longstanding issues for UK financial services. That is, how does the government bridge the gap between finance and the “real” economy (goods and non-financial services)? And how does it bridge the gap between London and the rest of the UK?
Michael A. Lewis receives funding from AHRC, EPSRC and ESRC.
Bernard Hay is Head of Policy at the Creative PEC, a partnership between Newcastle University and the Royal Society of Arts, which is funded by the UKRI via Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Sarah Hall receives funding from an ESRC Fellowship grant.
Doug Specht and Kamran Mahroof do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The UK government has published a ten-year strategy outlining how it aims to boost productivity and innovation across eight key sectors of the economy. From the future of AI to energy security and net zero, it’s a broad and ambitious plan. Our experts assess what it tells us about how the UK economy – and the jobs it offers – could look in future.
Nuclear placed firmly in the centre of the UK’s low-carbon future
Doug Specht, Reader in Cultural Geography and Communication, University of Westminster
For clean energy and industrial growth, the strategy presents an ambitious and comprehensive vision. And it seeks to establish the UK as a global leader in clean energy manufacturing and innovation. A key strength lies in its substantial investment commitments, however this includes £14.2 billion for the controversial Sizewell C nuclear power station and more than £2.5 billion for a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme.
Nuclear energy remains controversial – nevertheless, the strategy firmly places it as a central pillar for low-carbon, reliable energy and national security.
The strategy also targets high-growth sectors, prioritises regional development and introduces support schemes and regulatory reforms to tackle high electricity costs for industry, and slow grid connections. Yet despite these potential strengths, there are notable challenges. Implementation risks are significant, given the ten-year timeframe and potential shifts in political priorities.
And regional disparities and social inequalities may not be fully addressed, as the focus is on high-potential city regions. Some areas could be left behind. Skills shortages in engineering and digital sectors persist, and there is not enough detail on reskilling and lifelong learning. The importance of supply chain resilience, especially for the critical minerals needed for the green transition is acknowledged but not fully assured.
Overall, the strategy is ambitious and well-structured. But a reliance on nuclear rather than true renewables is seeking a quick win with high risks and high costs. A more radical and inclusive plan that expanded green infrastructure, and provided details of resilient growth across all regions and sectors, would have been welcomed.
An innovation boost for the UK’s world-leading creative industries
Bernard Hay, Head of Policy at the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, Newcastle University
The plan for the creative industries is a significant step forward for this critical sector. With multiple new commitments announced on areas ranging from scale-up finance and AI to skills, exports and freelance support, there is a lot to welcome for the sector. After all, it already accounts for over 5% of the UK’s annual gross value added (or GVA – which measures the value of goods and services) and 14% of its services exports.
One key aspect is boosting creative industries’ research and development (R&D), which is a driver of innovation, productivity and growth. This includes £100 million for the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s clusters programme, which supports location-based, creative R&D partnerships between universities and industry.
And by the end of the year, HMRC will publish clarification on what types of activity are eligible for R&D tax relief, to include arts activities that meet certain criteria. This is a nuanced change, but together with the other plans, it could have a catalytic effect on innovation in the sector.
Supporting regional creative economies is a golden thread running through this plan. A new £4 billion group capital initiative from the British Business Bank, announced earlier in the spending review, will be an important source of scale-up finance for small and medium-sized creative businesses that face barriers in accessing capital.
It is also welcome to see the government both increasing creative industries investment in several city-regions and supporting places to join up and work together through “creative corridors”. Coupled with the ongoing devolution of powers and funding in England, the next decade provides a huge opportunity for local policy innovation. This includes sharing and scaling proven strategies in growing regional creative economies.
An effective industrial strategy relies on high-quality data and analysis to support it. This is especially true when dealing with a rapidly evolving part of the economy such as the creative industries. The new plan includes commitments to strengthen the evidence base, including by increasing access to official statistics. This is good news not only for researchers, but for the whole sector.
The Lowry in Salford is part of a creative cluster in the north-west of England. Debu55y/Shutterstock
Advanced manufacturing: promising plans, but persistent problems
Michael Lewis, Professor of Operations and Supply Management, University of Bath
The government plans to invest £4.3 billion in advanced manufacturing. This covers research-driven production in sectors including automotive, aerospace and advanced materials (engineered substances that are especially useful in these industries). Some firms may also get energy cost relief through green levy exemptions.
A long-term plan is overdue, but the challenges are huge. Automotive production is targeted to rise substantially, but the sector will still depend heavily on a range of critical imports. The aerospace sector will start 40,000 apprenticeships by 2035, yet further education funding remains below 2010 levels. Much of the promised investment appears to be the repackaging of existing funding.
Most importantly, how to deliver these changes remains unclear. There are good ideas, like £99 million to expand the relatively successful Made Smarter Adoption programme to help small and medium-sized enterprises employ digital technology. But when helping small firms adopt basic digital tools counts as policy success, it shows how far UK manufacturing has fallen behind competitors. Likewise, when you need a new “connections accelerator service” just to help companies connect to the grid, it shows the scale of basic infrastructure problems that undermine grander ambitions.
Overall, the strategy marks real progress. However, without clear delivery plans, it reads more like a wish list than an action plan. This explains why industry reactions have been cautiously optimistic at best.
A chance to take the lead in the global AI race
Kamran Mahroof, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Analytics and Programme Leader for the MSc in the Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, University of Bradford
From a digital and technologies perspective, the industrial strategy appears to signal a strong commitment to anchoring the nation at the forefront of the global AI race. The proposed Sovereign AI Unit shows an intent to ensure national control and access to critical AI infrastructure, computational power and expertise.
This is pivotal, not only for research and development, but also for national security and economic resilience in an increasingly AI-driven world. It points to a recognition that relying solely on external providers for cutting-edge AI capabilities carries inherent risks.
Besides, some of the world’s most innovative AI businesses are based in the UK. British companies are pushing the limits of what is feasible, from Synthesia’s advances in synthetic media to DeepMind’s developments in machine learning. In sectors including public safety, insurance and defence, smaller firms like Faculty, Tractable and Mind Foundry are also having a significant impact.
Complementing this, the AI Growth Zones are designed to act as regional magnets for investment and innovation, particularly in the realm of data centres and high-density computational facilities. By streamlining planning and providing preferential access to energy, these zones could accelerate the development of the physical infrastructure needed.
This decentralised approach has received more than 200 bids already from local authorities. It also has the potential to spread the economic benefits of AI beyond established tech hubs, encouraging new regional powerhouses and creating high-skilled jobs right across the UK.
Taken as a whole, these projects show a deliberate effort to develop core competencies and draw in private-sector funding. This puts the UK in a position to benefit from AI’s potential. This effort to develop national AI capabilities is not a new idea – it echoes the US AI executive order and the EU’s AI Act.
However, given the dominance of global tech giants, the UK needs to define “sovereignty” in practice and decide whether it is willing to provide large-scale funding. At a time when debates continue around the UK’s defence budget — a field now deeply intertwined with AI – more transparency is needed on how these ambitions will be funded.
Growth plans for financial services – and moves to share the benefits beyond London
Sarah Hall, 1931 Professor of Geography, University of Cambridge
One of the most striking elements of the new plan is that it places financial services much more centrally compared to previous approaches.
There are good reasons for doing this. Financial services are a vital component of the UK economy, contributing close to 9% of economic output in 2023. Clearly then, an industrial strategy without one of the most important economic sectors would make little sense.
There is also a welcome emphasis on the ways in which financial services can grow, not only as a sector in its own right, but also to be better integrated in supporting the growth of other parts of the economy. Some important policy moves have already been announced, such as changes to pension funds aimed at increasing their investment in large infrastructure projects.
In order to meet these ambitions, the strategy is right to note that financial services need to be supported, not only in London but also across the many clusters around the UK. These include, for example, Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol.
There will be more details in the sector plan, released alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Mansion House speech on July 15. At that point, we will be able to assess the measures intended to grapple with two longstanding issues for UK financial services. That is, how does the government bridge the gap between finance and the “real” economy (goods and non-financial services)? And how does it bridge the gap between London and the rest of the UK?
Michael A. Lewis receives funding from AHRC, EPSRC and ESRC.
Bernard Hay is Head of Policy at the Creative PEC, a partnership between Newcastle University and the Royal Society of Arts, which is funded by the UKRI via Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Sarah Hall receives funding from an ESRC Fellowship grant.
Doug Specht and Kamran Mahroof do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
A new Policy Statement has been introduced by Preston City Council to back the use of some Council-owned assets, buildings and land, to be used to support the voluntary and community sectors to deliver greater community benefit and social value.
Preston City Council owns a number of building and land assets across the city, many of which are used to bring in money to support the essential services that the Council provides to residents and businesses.
An extensive review has highlighted that some of these assets are of limited commercial value and can play a much more significant role supporting our voluntary, charities and faith sectors (VCFS) in our communities and local neighbourhoods.
A decision has been made that a number of these assets become community centre assets on a long-term lease. VCFS organisations can benefit from a long-term lease to strengthen their bid applications to funding streams from organisations such as the National Lottery.
Councillor Martyn Rawlinson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources at Preston City Council said:
“Community and voluntary organisations across the city are doing and excellent job of delivery vibrant and essential centres of activity. Had these groups and organisations not stepped in, these vital community facilities would have been closed and lost for good. We want to thank these organisations for the support they give to our community and offer long term support to enable this to continue”
The Council has also made the decision that 11 community sports pitches will also be agreed on a long-term peppercorn rental agreement of 10 years, when any current lease arrangement expire, provided operators can demonstrate that they meet the necessary management and maintenance requirements.
Councillor Valerie Wise, Cabinet Member for Community Wealth Buildingsaid:
“Using assets to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits and to contribute to the development of a sustainable and resilient local economy, is a key priority in Preston Council’s Community Wealth Building strategy.
“This an important move to ensure Council owned buildings and land can remain viable, support and to best serve the community in which they are located to improve the overall health and wellbeing of our residents.”
Other underused Council owned space in the city is also under consideration for VCFS uses for community benefit, subject to business plans and evidence of value for money. Similarly, the Council recognises there are other community organisations not occupying Council-owned properties who are delivering equally valuable services to our communities and the Council will explore ways to continue to support these organisations.
Sunderland marked Armed Forces Day with a flag raising ceremony at City Hall this morning (Friday 27 June), paying tribute to the courage and commitment of service personnel, past and present.
The event, attended by veterans and members of the armed forces, civic leaders, and members of the public, began with a formal welcome from the Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Ehthesham Haque. The Mayor praised the vital role of the armed forces and spoke of the city’s deep gratitude for their sacrifices.
Mayor Councillor Haque said: “Today’s ceremony provides us all with the opportunity to pay tribute to all of those within the armed forces including their families and support organisations. Who continue to make a huge sacrifice and contribution for all of us.”
Speeches followed from Councillor Harry Trueman, Armed Forces Champion at Sunderland City Council. Colonel Christopher Tearney, Deputy Lieutenant for Tyne and Wear, also paid tribute to the enduring values of service, dedication, and unity.
Canon Clare MacLaren, Provost of Sunderland Minster and Mayor’s Chaplain, offered a blessing and led attendees in prayer before the raising of the Armed Forces Day flag.
As part of the celebrations, residents are being invited to a free weekend of family fun at Seaburn Recreational Ground on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June. The Armed Forces Weekend event will feature military displays, live entertainment, and opportunities to meet service personnel—making it an unforgettable celebration for all ages.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging announcements.
2025 base fees, fee modulation policy statement, regulatory position statement and interim strategy available.
In a significant step forward for industry, PackUK has released several publications central to the delivery of the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme today (27 June 2025):
PackUK has published the 2025 base fees for the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme, providing crucial certainty to producers ahead of the first invoices in October 2025.
Following three previous illustrative publications of estimated fees, these confirmed base fees represent a significant milestone in the implementation of the UK’s circular economy transition.
Nearly all fees have reduced compared with the illustrative base fees published in December, with glass down by 20 per cent. The reductions result from high levels of industry compliance with reporting obligations and extensive work across the regulators and PackUK to assure and validate the data provided. The 2025 base fees are calculated using packaging tonnages reported by producers for 2024 and local authority waste management costs. The methodology has been rigorously tested with stakeholders including producers, compliance schemes, and local authorities.
Alongside the confirmed base fees, PackUK has also published the Modulation Policy Statement, which outlines how fees will be adjusted from 2026 onwards to incentivise the use of more recyclable packaging.
The pEPR scheme forms the cornerstone of the UK’s packaging reforms, which the leaders of the UK’s largest waste management companies have said will support 25,000 jobs, stimulate more than £10 billion investment in recycling capability over the next decade and fund improvements to household recycling services across the UK.
PackUK will hold a Base Fees themed webinar on Thursday 10 July 2025 – You can sign-up to register your attendance.
Fee Modulation Policy Statement
PackUK has published its first Producer Fee Modulation Policy Statement for the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme. This policy represents a significant step forward in incentivising the use of environmentally sustainable packaging across the UK.
The new modulation policy establishes a clear three-year framework that will adjust producer fees based on packaging recyclability, as assessed through the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) ratings. Starting from the 2026/27 financial year, the policy will apply escalating modulation factors of 1.2x, 1.6x, and 2.0x over consecutive years.
What this means in practice:
producers of RAM Green-rated (highly recyclable) packaging will benefit from steadily decreasing fees
producers of RAM Red-rated (poorly recyclable) packaging will face progressively higher fees
special provisions apply for medical packaging where regulatory requirements limit recyclability options
This approach maintains the total revenue generated by pEPR fees while creating meaningful financial incentives for producers to switch to more recyclable packaging options. By setting out a three-year plan, the policy provides industry with the certainty needed to make informed investment decisions and operational changes.
The modulation policy directly supports the core principles underlying the pEPR scheme – ‘polluter pays’, rectification at source, and prevention. It ensures that producers creating less environmentally sustainable packaging bear appropriate financial responsibility, while rewarding those making positive choices.
PackUK is committed to further research to potentially incorporate additional environmental sustainability factors in future policy iterations, continuing to drive innovation and improvement in packaging design across the UK.
Regulatory Position Statement
In response to industry feedback regarding the time and resource required to meet their 2025 recyclability assessment obligations, the four nations environmental regulators have published a Regulatory Position Statement (in Wales, a Regulatory Decision) providing additional flexibility for producers during this transition.
This aims to ease the burden while maintaining the commitment to introduce modulated pEPR fees from the 2026–2027 assessment year. While producers must still report tonnages for the first half of 2025 including flexible and rigid plastics separately, their recyclability assessment obligations for this period can be extrapolated from second-half data.
The initial modulation policy statement covers the three years from assessment year 2026/27 until 2028/29. During this period, fee modulation will be initially based on recyclability only through the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM).
Following this and in line with the requirement for a review of modulation after three years, PackUK will research how modulation might incorporate additional sustainability factors, with the possibility of incorporating these into modulation after this period.
PackUK interim strategy
In setting up the pEPR scheme PackUK, as Scheme Administrator, is required to publish a strategy meeting the requirements set out in Paragraph 11 of Schedule 7 to the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024.
This is an interim strategy, which has been approved by approved by officials from all four nations and devolved ministers in parallel for agreement.
A long-term strategy will be launched later in 2025 to include:
long-term structures and arrangements (imminent appointments of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Strategy Officer)
developments to UK-wide policy objectives over the coming months e.g. work in reuse, the Local Government Outcomes Framework for England
planned appointment of a Producer Responsibility Organisation by March 2026.
Together, these measures mentioned outlined above represent a cornerstone of the government’s wider packaging initiatives, which collectively aim to support 25,000 jobs and stimulate more than £10 billion in recycling infrastructure investment over the next decade.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Speech
WTO General Council February 2025: UK Statements
Statements delivered by Simon Manley, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, 18 – 19 February 2025 at the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
Item 2: Practical Steps to Enhance the Process for the Appointment of Officers to Certain WTO Bodies. Communication from Canada, Chile, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland
Thank you, Chair. The UK adds our congratulations to the new Chairs, and also extends our thanks to you, Chair, in particular, for your work in the General Council. Your leadership and tireless drive, which we can already see this morning, to take forward our work with both good humour and astute steering of the meetings has been hugely appreciated. On this item, the UK does support pragmatic initiatives that can help improve processes for all of us here at the WTO, so we are grateful to the countries who have put this forward. We do support reform by doing, and as this document says, this is reform by doing. It solves issues around the appointment of Chairs, which when they are delayed leads to gaps that effect all of us and the efficiency of the organization. It is practical steps that we should all be able to agree to and the UK supports it.
Item 4: Incorporation of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce into Annex 4 of the WTO Agreement
Thank you, Chair. The UK is disappointed with the objections this morning to the incorporation of the E-commerce agreement as an annex 4 plurilateral. It is even more disappointing to see the failure to reach agreement on an investment facilitation and development on the previous item and I would just like to acknowledge the large number of very eloquent and well-reasoned interventions, especially from developing countries, on how they, like all WTO numbers, stand to benefit from the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA). Both the IFDA and E-commerce agreements are in the category of things the WTO can and should do now, and in good time, before MC14. Speakers this morning, especially from developing countries, have clearly set out the benefits which the E-commerce agreement offers. I’m just going to briefly recap a few. First, that this is the first set of global digital trade rules, in a sector which already by 2020 represented 25% of global trade worth almost 5 trillion USD; it has a key role in global economic growth. It is an agreement which not just increases digital trade and lowers trade barriers, it also enhances trust in an open digital environment. In all these ways it can unlock opportunities for businesses, jobs and their consumers all around the world. It is also an agreement that has been inclusive in its preparation. The vast majority of the 91 countries originally involved in the negotiation are developing countries. It is inclusive in its benefits as so many developing countries have set out. It is not just the delegations in this room who say all of these things, just in the last few weeks. For example, we heard directly from businesses at the World Economic Forum about the benefits of unleashing digital trade for MSMEs, in particular. Then, very importantly, my last point to support the implementation of the agreement includes a multi-avenue support package comprising implementation periods, technical assistance and capacity building.
The UK is committed to continuing our support for various technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives, such as a Digital Access Programme. We are ready to work with all members on the E-commerce agreement to make progress and reach agreement swiftly, hopefully well in advance of MC14.
Item 5: Report by the Chairperson of the Trade Negotiations Committee and Report by the Director General
Thank you for your Report, in particular for reminding us of the measurable benefits traders have brought to economic growth and development and for your commitments driving forward all our work. The UK is ready to cooperate with all members to ensure meaningful progress across all the areas you mentioned in the run up to MC14, including things we can and should agree before MC14. We recognise that, as you said Director General, it is a challenging time for global trade. We are grateful for your efforts. As our Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security said in the UK parliament last week, the UK stands behind your exemplary leadership. We agreed that the WTO is a forum to listen and to discuss differences on trade with a review to resolving them; for calm responses and constructive dialogue as we look ahead to MC14.
As we look ahead to MC14, we support the particular priority to deliver for development. For the UK this includes the things we can and should do before MC14. On the development benefits of IFDA and E-commerce, I refer to the points I and others, including so many developing countries, made this morning. On the fisheries subsidies agreements and, through them, realising SDG target 14.6, we hope both enter into force, and Fish One and adoption of Fish Two could be secured before the UN Ocean Summit in France in June. That these agreements are so close is actually a tribute to the hard work and readiness to listen with compromises by so many in this room. Completing that work will also help us form a clear pathway to MC14, including space to work on agriculture and other important areas already under discussion. On agriculture, our thanks also to outgoing Chair, Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye, for his work. Achieving a breakthrough on agriculture is more essential than ever. We cannot lose time, including to agree a new Chair, and then to work for successive MC14. Director General, thank you again for your leadership. We of course recognise the challenges. Trade is not always straightforward. The UK continues to support the WTO in the multilateral trading system; the benefits for trade for all of us, for growth, for development, are real. We are committed to working with you, with Members, to realise them. Thank you.
Item 9: Follow-up to the WTO Off-Site Retreat on Trade as a Tool for Development and Way Forward. Request from Barbados and South Africa
Thank you, Chair and the Secretariat for giving us a quick readout of the discussions. Already today we have heard several times about the importance of high ambition on development for MC14, and more widely, and the UK fully agrees. We would particularly like to thank South Africa and Barbados for bring in this discussion and helping to set out a path forward and welcome your particular collaboration when we think about what can be achieved. Development is cross cutting in so much of our work, and that is why, for the UK, the best way to maintain short-term momentum is with the early agreement on outcomes that are already in reach. That is why in earlier interventions today we have stressed the development benefits from early conclusion on investment facilitation for development, fisheries and E-commerce. We add to this, the development opportunities around LDC graduation and indeed the opportunities through new accessions to the WTO, that we will hear about tomorrow. Equally, to make a success of this we want to hear ideas, and we urge developing country members in particular to deliver their priority proposals as soon as possible, so that we really can work together to achieve progress in the timeframe of MC14.
Finally, the UK is committed to wider initiatives supporting developing countries, working in partnerships, listening to needs, and with this in mind we note that as the only fund dedicated to LDC trade, the UK wants to ensure that the enhanced integrated framework continues to deliver impact for LDCs. We have just made available this year an additional £100,000 into the interim facility, which brings our total contribution to £1,000,000 and we hope this will help ensure continuity while the future of the fund is discussed. As Members are aware, we hope the EIF taskforce will make its recommendations very soon as a basis for further improvement, meeting the expectations of LDCs and donors. Thank you.
Item 11: WTO Accessions: 2024 Annual Report by the Director General
The UK is closely engaged in this work and supports prospective Members to secure the benefits of the global trading system by progressing their accessions. We particularly note the positive development impact of WTO accession and underline that we are keen to welcome more developing countries, particularly LDCs, to the WTO. We support the strategic focus for 2025 on the accession of Uzbekistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina who have made significant progress. The UK for example recently held constructive bilateral discussions with Uzbekistan to help advance the accession and we encourage all Members to work with Uzbekistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina to support their ambitions for early WTO accession. We also very much welcome Somalia’s first Working Party and Ethiopia’s renewed energy behind their accession as specific examples of LDC interest and with this in mind we would like to reconfirm the UK’s commitment to chairing the Working Party on the accession of Ethiopia, but are also grateful to the Deputy Director General for temporarily standing in the coming meeting. Finally, the UK is a provider of technical support in this area, and we note that the Enhanced Integrated Fund is open to LDCs post accession, so we encourage Timor Leste and Comoros to use the facility where it is helpful.
Item 13: Stocktaking of Work on the Operationalization of paragraph 21 of the MC13 Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration. Communication from Pakistan
Thank you, Chair. We will be brief, but we just wanted to add thanks to Pakistan for bringing this important issue back to the General Council’s attention. Unfortunately, if anything, it is becoming increasingly relevant and urgent, and the UK does see the role of trade in this area. We will publish a full statement but just to acknowledge, in particular, Pakistan’s proactivity and thinking of areas like services, financial services and trade debt and finance work to identify where, as a Membership, we can take things forward and we look forward to continuing to contribute.
Item 14: WTO at 30. Statement by the Director General
Thank you. I want to be short. We set out yesterday commitment to the WTO in the multilateral trading system and the opportunities we have at work to benefit all Members. Of course, that includes WTO reform by doing, and we set out our confidence in your leadership, Director General. Like Australia, we encourage further work on this proposal. Thank you.
Humanitarians need safe, sustained and unhindered access to all those in need across Sudan: UK statement at the UN Security Council
Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.
I will make three points.
First, civilians, especially women and girls, are bearing the brunt of this devastating conflict.
They deserve action and accountability.
Last week, a hospital was attacked in West Kordofan, reportedly killing 40 civilians.
The Fact-Finding Mission recently highlighted increasing sexual and gender-based violence.
And the Secretary-General’s latest Children and Armed Conflict report documents appalling cases of abduction, recruitment and violence against children.
Such violations need to be investigated, and perpetrators held accountable.
The United Kingdom calls on both parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, in line with international law and the commitments they made at Jeddah.
Second, Sudan is among the world’s worst humanitarian crises, and among the most dangerous environments for humanitarians.
Just this month, a UN convoy was attacked and five humanitarian workers tragically killed.
In April, the United Kingdom co-hosted the London Sudan Conference, which raised over $1 billion in humanitarian funding.
But without access and security, aid cannot reach those whose lives depend on it.
As the upcoming rainy season brings increased risk of famine and disease, humanitarians must urgently be given the space to operate.
So we support ASG Pobee’s calls for humanitarian pauses. Humanitarians need safe, sustained and unhindered access to all those in need across Sudan.
We call on the parties to provide security guarantees for humanitarians, lift bureaucratic impediments and ensure these steps translate to real access improvements on the ground.
Third, President, there is no military solution to this conflict.
Parallel governing structures and unilateral changes to the constitution will only deepen this crisis.
Progress depends on respect for Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
We welcome continued efforts by the UN, the African Union and countries of the region to advance an inclusive political process.
We underline the importance of engaging with a broad spectrum of Sudanese actors, especially civilians.
The UK will continue to support efforts towards a genuine, civilian-led transition that restores peace, protects Sudan’s sovereignty and lays the foundation for a democratic future.
We look forward to working constructively as a Council to achieve this goal.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Sixth evacuation flight from Israel scheduled for Sunday 29 June
UK evacuation flight from Tel Aviv is due to leave on Sunday 29 June, after which no further flights are currently scheduled as evacuation flights wind down.
UK evacuation flight from Tel Aviv is due to leave on Sunday 29 June, after which no further flights are currently scheduled
evacuation flights are winding down and will end if there is no longer sufficient demand
those who have registered to take a UK government charter flight will be contacted to confirm if they still wish to travel
The last scheduled flight chartered from Tel Aviv by the British Government for British nationals looking to return home is set to depart on Sunday afternoon. Demand is falling and the number of commercial options continues to grow, following the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Iran.
Five flights have now successfully departed Tel Aviv, transporting British nationals back to the UK. A further flight is scheduled for Sunday 29 June, with no additional flights currently scheduled to take place after this.
Evacuation flights will end if there is no longer sufficient demand, so British nationals seeking to travel on Sunday’s flight are encouraged to register via the Register Your Presence portal now, if they have not done so already, to receive further information.
A FCDO spokesperson said:
The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. The Foreign Office is working around the clock to respond to the crisis and support British nationals affected.
The government has organised multiple flights evacuating British nationals and their dependants from Tel Aviv, prioritising the most vulnerable. These flights will end if there is not sufficient demand.
We will keep the situation under review.
Given the low demand observed for government-provided transport for British nationals crossing land borders from Israel into Jordan and Egypt, the UK is no longer providing these onward transport options from the border crossings.
Plans will be kept under constant review, depending on demand and the security situation.
The fire destroyed 41 Scott Street and ongoing demolition work means it is unsafe for residents and businesses nearby to return to their homes and premises.
However, progress on the demolition work allowed residents of 36 Scott Street to return to their homes on Thursday, 26 June.
Councillor Eric Drysdale, deputy leader of Perth and Kinross Council and a ward member for Perth City Centre, said: “The fire at Scott Street was tragic and the consequences will be felt for a long time to come. One person died and others were injured while 55 households were displaced because of it.
“Council staff have been working hard to find accommodation for these people and demolition contractors Reigart have been striving to bring 41 Scott Street down to a safe level that will start allowing people to return to their homes.
“It is great that these efforts mean 15 households are now back in their homes. I am sure they felt a real mix of emotions and that is why the Red Cross had staff on hand to provide support to those who needed it on Thursday.
“I would like, once again, to thank everyone who has been working hard on behalf of those affected by the fire – whether they are frontline workers, partner agencies or the people and businesses who have shown such tremendous generosity and concern.”
Tesco Edinburgh Road donated 15 bags of essential goods to families returning to their homes on Thursday while the Crieff Road branch has also donated vouchers.
A host of other businesses including The Ship Inn and Willows have also made donations, while The Salutation Hotel has been providing accommodation for affected residents since the fire.
A crowdfunder set up by Perth resident Nicola Bell has raised nearly £6,000. She will work with Perth and Kinross Council to distribute any funds raised.
On Wednesday, Perth and Kinross Council agreed to provide an emergency £250,000 funding to support residents and businesses. The Scottish Government has agreed to open the Bellwin Scheme, which provides emergency funding to local authorities.
Reigart Contracts Ltd have been working on the demolition of 41 Scott Street since the fire. The company has previously been responsible for dismantling damaged parts of the Mackintosh building after the Glasgow School of Art was damaged by fire.
A spokesperson for the firm said: “We’re pleased to report that as of Thursday, June 26 2025, residents of 36 Scott Street have returned safely to their homes. This follows two weeks of continuous demolition and safety works in conjunction with G3 Consulting Engineers and Perth and Kinross Council.
“Our operatives will continue working on Saturday (and will return on Monday (30/06/2025) where the works to the South Street elevation will be our main focus.”
Perth and Kinross also hosted two drop-in sessions, on Tuesday and Friday, at its offices at 2 High Street for those affected by the fire this week.
Friday’s event was supported by Pete Wishart MP and John Swinney MSP and had a focus on insurance.
Electricity demand in the PJM Interconnection and ISO New England (two regional grid operators covering the Northeast United States) reached multiyear highs on June 23 and June 24, respectively. Electricity demand increased significantly due to a heat wave that affected most of the Eastern United States this week.
PJM Interconnection Electricity load in the PJM Interconnection, the largest wholesale electricity market in the country, peaked at 160,560 megawatts (MW) on Monday, June 23, between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. according to data from our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. The load on the grid surpassed PJM’s seasonal peak load forecast of 154,000 MW but remained below the record load of 165,563 MW in 2006 (PJM has expanded numerous times, and this data point is based on PJM’s current footprint). PJM’s footprint includes 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Real-time wholesale electricity prices on June 23 peaked at $1,334 per megawatthour (MWh) at 7:00 p.m. according to PJM, compared with peak prices of $52/MWh on June 16.
At peak load on June 23, 44% of PJM’s generation came from natural gas, 20% from nuclear, 19% from coal, and 6% from solar. The remaining generation came from a mix of hydro, wind, petroleum, and other generation. Petroleum generation, which is generally the most expensive form and therefore only used to meet large demand loads, was three times greater compared with the same hour the day prior.
ISO-New England (ISO-NE)
As the hot weather moved eastward, demand peaked the following day in ISO-NE—the integrated grid operating in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Peak demand on Tuesday, June 24, between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. eastern time was 25,898 MW, according to the data in our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. ISO-NE reported that Tuesday’s evening peak electricity demand was the highest level seen in the region since 2013.
Real-time wholesale electricity prices on June 24 peaked at $1,110/MWh at 6:00 p.m. according to preliminary data from ISO-NE, compared with peak prices of $65/MWh the previous week on June 17.
New England’s electricity grid depended on a combination of oil-fired power plants, electricity imports from Canada, and increased natural gas power production to meet peak demand this week. At peak load on Tuesday, 47% of ISO-NE generation came from natural gas, 12% from imports, 13% from nuclear, 12% from petroleum, 1% from coal, and 4% from renewable sources including wind, batteries, and solar. The last remaining coal-fired plant in the region, the Merrimack facility in New Hampshire, supplied 280 MWh on average to the grid on Tuesday. The Merrimack facility is typically only used when demand is high.
Principal contributors: Lindsay Aramayo, Kimberly Peterson
Ahead of Armed Forces Day (28th June) , the Lord Mayor of Westminster raised the Armed Forces flag above City Hall. Joined by serving personnel, veterans and their families, he paid tribute to their sacrifices and the tireless work they do in the UK and abroad.
Speaking at a reception following the flag raising, The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg said:
In raising the flag for Armed Forces Day, it is a chance to honour those serving, our veterans and all their families who keep us safe.
To serve or have served in the armed forces, be it the Army, the Navy, or the RAF is to live a life of sacrifice. So that is why the Armed Forces Covenant is so important to uphold. It ensures they receive the support and care they deserve, both during and after their service.
He also re-affirmed Westminster City Council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant, resigned in 2023, outlines principles which ensure the fair treatment of those who serve and have served in the Armed Forces and their families. The Covenant aims to prevent the Armed Forces community from facing disadvantage and also to ensure special considerations are given where needed, such as in cases of injury or mobilisation.
More information about the council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant on our website.
Young people in Plymouth are being urged to take part in a Big Community Conversation, where they’ll have the chance to shape the future of their city.
Hosted in partnership with the Youth Parliament, the event will focus on how local government reorganisation could affect the things that matter most to young people – from jobs and housing to transport, health services, and places to hang out.
This isn’t just a meeting – it’s a chance for 12 to 18-year-olds to speak directly to decision-makers about the kind of city they want to grow up in.
Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Plymouth City Council, said: “This is about the future of the city for our young people. The decisions being made now will shape the Plymouth that young people will hopefully continue to live, work and grow up in for years to come.
“Whether it’s about having a job they love, being able to afford their own place, or just having better access to transport and facilities or and more fun things to do – we want to hear from young people about what they think matters.
“Local government reorganisation might sound complicated, but at its heart, it’s about how we build a better city – and young people need to be part of that conversation.”
The event will take place from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in the Council Chamber, Council House, Armada Way. It’s open to all young people living within the Plymouth aged 12-18 years old.
Building Plymouth has officially relaunched its flagship Adopt a School programme which connects local construction businesses with schools across the city.
The programme aims to inspire young people to explore careers in construction and the built environment, while strengthening the pipeline of future talent for the industry.
The relaunch was celebrated at the Building Plymouth members meeting on 25 June, hosted by Foot Anstey.
Councillor Sally Cresswell, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships at Plymouth City Council said: “Given the growth and investment in Plymouth, it is absolutely crucial that our children and young people are fully aware of the fantastic career pathways available in construction.
“I’d like to thank local construction companies for ‘adopting’ our schools and creating these new strategic relationships to improve awareness and engagement.”
Emily Waterfield from Brook Green Centre for Learning, Councillor Sally Cresswell and Andy Veasey, Managing Director of Drew and Co
Through the Adopt a School programme, each participating school is matched with a named construction professional who acts as a key contact and ambassador. These ambassadors provide tailored support to schools, including careers talks, site visits, mentoring, and curriculum-linked activities.
The initiative is coordinated by Building Plymouth’s 5E’s Group, which streamlines engagement and shares best practice across the network.
Sam Morcumb, Chair of the 5E’s Group and Business Development and Bid Manager at BuildX (SW), commented: “Our ambassadors don’t just build structures, they lay the foundation for future talent. This is game-changing work that gives young people access to real-world experiences and opportunities they might never have imagined.”
The programme already boasts a strong list of confirmed partnerships, including:
AECOM with Lipson Cooperative Academy
Balfour Beatty with UTC Plymouth
Drew and Co with Brook Green Centre for Learning
Obedair Construction with St Boniface Catholic College.
Schools have welcomed the initiative with enthusiasm. Emily Waterfield, Work Based Learning Coordinator at Brook Green Centre for Learning, said:
“We’re delighted to be partnered with Drew & Co. This collaboration will help introduce our students to careers in mechanical and electrical engineering, supported by real-life experiences that enhance our STEM curriculum.”
Rachael Hudson of St Boniface’s Catholic College added: “Obedair has already made a huge impact by setting up an alternative provision within our school, giving students vital hands-on experience in a variety of trades.”
Building Plymouth is calling on more construction businesses and schools to get involved, helping to expand the reach and impact of this transformative programme.
For more information or to get involved, please contact [email protected].
The Box was delighted to welcome Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery to Plymouth yesterday, to celebrate the unveiling of a new blue commemorative plaque honouring Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (1793-1865). The plaque is located at Hillside Court, Plympton St Mary – the site of the pioneering Victorian art scholar and first director of the National Gallery’s former home ‘Hillside’.
The Box is currently working in partnership with the National Gallery to deliver The Triumph of Art, a nationwide project by artist Jeremy Deller, commissioned by the National Gallery as part of NG200, its Bicentenary celebrations.
Sir Charles Eastlake has been described as ‘the alpha and omega’ of the Victorian art world. Born in Plymouth on 17 November 1793, he became one of the most influential figures 19th-century British culture, serving as:
First Director of the National Gallery (1855-1865), transforming its collecting practices, conservation methods, and display standards
Seventh President of the Royal Academy (1855-1865), following in the footsteps of fellow Devonian Sir Joshua Reynolds
Secretary of the Fine Arts Commission (1841), overseeing the decoration of the new Houses of Parliament
Distinguished art scholar, whose 1847 work “Materials for A History of Oil Painting” remains influential today
The site where the plaque has been installed holds special significance as Eastlake inherited the property ‘Hillside’ (originally named ‘St Mary’s Hill’) from his brother in 1845. According to his wife, despite his demanding official duties, Eastlake devoted considerable attention to improving and ornamenting the property, incorporating Italian design features and personally tending to the gardens with his standing order to ‘plant more hollyhocks.’
Eastlake’s local roots run deep. He was baptised at Plymouth’s Minster church of St Andrew and attended Plympton Grammar School (where Sir Joshua Reynolds also studied). His artistic talents were first nurtured at Plymouth Grammar School under the Revd Dr John Bidlake, a prominent author, artist and educator.
Sir Gabriele Finaldi paid tribute to Eastlake’s legacy: “Sir Charles Eastlake’s transformative leadership established the foundational principles that continue to guide the National Gallery 200 years on today. His pioneering approach to collecting, conservation and scholarship created enduring standards for museum practice worldwide. It’s especially appropriate that we commemorate his legacy here in Devon, where his distinguished career began, and where The Box exemplifies the same commitment to accessibility and excellence that defined Eastlake’s tenure.
“We are also delighted to collaborate with The Box on The Triumph of Art project, which exemplifies our commitment to fostering meaningful regional partnerships that ensure our national collection reaches communities throughout the UK. This collaboration is particularly significant as we mark our bicentenary year, reinforcing our dedication to connecting all parts of Britain with their shared cultural heritage and underscoring the essential role that outstanding regional institutions play in our ongoing mission to make the nation’s artistic heritage available to the widest possible audience.”
Victoria Pomery OBE, CEO of The Box, said: “We are thrilled to honour Sir Charles Eastlake’s remarkable legacy here in Plymouth, where his extraordinary journey from local student to international art world leader began. His story perfectly embodies our mission to celebrate Plymouth’s pivotal role in shaping British culture while making world-class art accessible to all. From Reynolds to Eastlake to the present day, today’s plaque unveiling not only commemorates one man’s extraordinary achievements but also reinforces Plymouth’s position as a city that has always understood the transformative power of art and culture.
“Our partnership with the National Gallery on The Triumph of Art project also demonstrates the power of collaboration in bringing nationally significant stories back to their roots. Eastlake’s vision of accessible, excellently curated collections continues to inspire our work today, and it’s particularly meaningful that we can share this celebration with Sir Gabriele Finaldi during the National Gallery’s bicentenary year. We look forward to continuing our partnership in the future and sharing more of these important stories with communities.”
The National Gallery and The Box have enjoyed several collaborations over the years, including an exhibition exploring Eastlake’s early artistic training in Plymouth and his future career as the first director of the National Gallery in 2012, curated by Susanna Avery-Quash. The Box’s collection also holds a batch of Eastlake correspondence, donated by the family of David Robertson, Eastlake’s biographer and the title deeds for Steer’s Park, a property in Plympton that Eastlake purchased from the Earl of Morley.
Eastlake’s family contributed significantly to Plymouth’s cultural life. His father George helped establish the Proprietary Library (now located on St Barnabas Terrace), one of Plymouth’s oldest historic institutions, founded in 1810, and the family also supported aspiring artists including J.M.W. Turner, who stayed with them during his painting expeditions to Devon.
Eastlake was previously honoured with the Freedom of the City in 1832 and a former road in the city centre called Eastlake Walk. Eastlake Street near the Drake Circus shopping centre still remains while another plaque dedicated to him can be found near the site of the old Plympton Grammar School, George Lane, Plympton St Maurice.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Florian Steig, DPhil Student, Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford
In the Danish TV drama Families Like Ours, one melancholic line from high-school student Laura captures the emotional toll of climate displacement: “Soon we will vanish like bubbles in a creek.” This seven-part series imagines a near future in which Denmark is being evacuated due to rising sea levels – a government-mandated relocation of an entire population.
The series challenges the fantasy that wealthy western countries are immune to the far-reaching effects of climate change. Rather than focusing on catastrophic storylines, Families Like Ours portrays the mundane, bureaucratic and affective aspects of relocating a population in anticipation of a creeping crisis: the scramble for visas, the fractures that appear between families, and the inequalities in social and economic capital that shape people’s chances for a new life.
Yet, the idea that Denmark could soon get submerged is not grounded in science. More worryingly, the narrative of the unavoidable uninhabitability of entire nations and millions of international migrants flooding Europe is misleading, dangerous, and sidelines deeply political questions about adaptation to sea level rise that should be dealt with now.
The trailer for Families Like Ours.
Sea levels are rising by a few millimetres a year. That pace is accelerating. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that, by 2100, sea levels could rise by up to one metre on average. Beyond 2100, sea levels could rise by several metres, although these long-term scenarios are highly uncertain.
Even in extreme scenarios, these developments would unfold over several decades and centuries. It’s unlikely that permanent submergence of large areas of land will make Denmark uninhabitable.
Still, sea level rise poses a serious risk to the livelihoods of millions of people living in coastal zones. In the UK, many homes in Norfolk and Fairbourne, Wales, are already at risk from coastal erosion, for instance.
These changes are subtle. They do not warrant the evacuation of an entire nation, but degrade coastal livelihoods over time. Houses in high-risk areas like these may become uninsurable, devalued or too risky to live in. This will force people to move.
In addition, sea level rise makes coastal flooding more likely. In European high-income countries, including Denmark, rising waters already threaten coastal communities. Without adaptation, hundreds of thousands of homes in cities such as Copenhagen could be at risk.
The danger of mass migration narratives
However, depicting climate change as a driver of uncontrolled mass migration is misleading. Sea level rise will contribute to coastal migration, and state-led relocation is already a reality especially in Africa and Asia. But climate migration predominantly occurs within countries or regions. International migration from climate change impacts is the exception, not the norm.
To capture these complexities, some researchers prefer the term “climate mobility”. Mobility can be forced or voluntary, permanent or temporary, even seasonal. Some communities and people resist relocation plans and stay put.
Families Like Ours reinforces longstanding narratives that frame certain parts of the world as destined to become uninhabitable. Even UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a “mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale” due to sea level rise.
Scientists have warned that creative storylines highlighting the “uninhabitability” of low-lying countries and regions, such as the Pacific, are not helpful. The mass migration narrative can be used by governments to justify extreme protectionist action and sideline urgent adaptation debates.
States are not helpless in the face of sea level rise and submergence is not inevitable. As geographer Carol Farbotko and colleagues suggest, “habitability is mediated by human actions and is not a direct consequence of environmental change”. People often develop their own ways of living with rising waters, resisting narratives of submergence. State-led adaptation is possible, but depends on finance, which is unequally distributed.
People’s migration decisions can seldomly be attributed to just climate impact. A community’s capacity to respond hinges on social, political, economic and demographic factors. Adaptation measures are costly. This raises deeply political questions over who gets to be protected, who is left behind, and how managed retreat can benefit the most affected people and places in a fair way. We need to overcome mass migration myths and start a serious and justice-focused debate about the future of our shorelines.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland
Statement by TUV MLA for North Antrim Timothy Gaston:
“I welcome today’s decision by the Public Prosecution Service to bring prosecutions following the police investigation into the alleged deletion of emails at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
“The integrity of Freedom of Information processes is essential to public trust in local government. If officials or others interfered with those processes, there must be consequences.
“This case has taken years to come to this point after the Raid On The Braid back in October 21. I will follow proceedings closely.”
Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)
BOSTON – This week, a federal judge in Boston ordered restitution in the amount of $1,510,300 to be paid to the survivors victimized by Jermall Anderson who sex trafficked seven women over the span of four years.
On March 12, 2025, Anderson, 45, of Tewksbury, Mass. was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sex trafficking women throughout New England, New York and New Jersey. In November 2024, Anderson pleaded guilty to seven counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; one count of coercion and enticement; and one count of interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution. He was indicted in August 2023 along with two co-conspirators.
In today’s order, the Court awarded the following restitution amounts directly payable to each of the seven separate survivors, based upon their testimony and other information regarding Anderson’s sex trafficking operation:
Survivor 1: $508,000
Survivor 2: $40,000
Survivor 3: $91,300
Survivor 4: $252,000
Survivor 5: $264,000
Survivor 6: $10,000
Survivor 7: $345,000
From 2012 through 2016, Anderson, along with his co-conspirators, used physical violence, threats and the giving and withholding of heroin and cocaine to force seven different women to prostitute on their behalf. Anderson and his co-conspirators targeted vulnerable victims, specifically those struggling from drug addiction, homelessness and lack of economic resources. Anderson recruited women struggling with drug addiction directly from detox and drug rehabilitation facilities and forced and coerced them into providing commercial sex for his financial benefit.
Under federal criminal code, 18 USC § 1593, victims of sex trafficking offenses are entitled to restitution for losses associated with the criminal offense. The United States Attorney’s Office is charged with the enforcement of court-imposed restitution orders or judgments. Collection will continue for 20 years after a defendant has completed any period of incarceration or until restitution is paid in full.
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the HSI Office in New Haven, Conn., the Lynn and Tewksbury Police Departments (Mass.) and the Hampden (Conn.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Luca Stroppa, Postdoctoral Fellow on the project “Early Diagnosis – Handling Knowing”, University of St Andrews
The current heel-prick test checks for nine rare genetic conditions,antibydni/Shutterstock
By 2030, every baby born in the UK could have their entire genome sequenced under a new NHS initiative to “predict and prevent illness”. This would dramatically expand the current heel-prick test, which checks for nine rare genetic conditions, into a far more extensive screen of hundreds of potential risks.
On the surface, the idea sounds like an obvious win for public health: spot problems early, intervene sooner and save lives. But genetic testing on this scale carries real risks, especially if the results are misunderstood or poorly communicated.
The new plan builds on a recent NHS pilot study that sequenced the genomes of 100,000 newborns in England to identify more than 200 genetic conditions. However, these tests don’t provide clear cut answers. They don’t offer a diagnosis or certainty, just an estimate of risk.
A genetic result might suggest a child has a higher (or lower) probability of developing a certain disease later in life. But risk is not prediction. If parents, or even clinicians, misinterpret that nuance, the consequences could be serious.
Some families may come to see a child flagged as “at risk” as a patient-in-waiting. In extreme cases, they may treat a probability as a certainty; assuming, for instance, that a child “has the gene” and will inevitably become ill. That assumption could reshape how children are raised, how they’re treated and how they could see themselves.
When testing is indiscriminate and communication unclear, the fallout can be wide ranging. Children identified as “high risk” may undergo years of monitoring, unnecessary medical appointments, or even treatment for diseases they never develop. In some cases, this leads to physical harms, from unnecessary medications to procedures with side effects. In others, the damage is psychological: shaping a child’s identity around an anticipated future of illness. These psychological effects can be lasting. Being told you’re likely to develop a condition like dementia may influence how a person plans their life, even if that illness never materialises.
False positives
There are also broader issues with applying this kind of screening to everyone. Risk based testing works best when it’s targeted; for example, among those with symptoms or a strong family history. But in the general population, where most people are healthy, false positives can far outnumber accurate results. Even well designed tests can produce misleading outcomes when applied at scale.
This is a well-known statistical effect, discussed during the COVID pandemic. In populations where a disease is rare, even highly accurate tests produce more false positives than true ones. If DNA screening is rolled out universally, many families will be told their child is at risk when they are not. These false positives can lead to a cascade of further tests, stress and unnecessary clinical interventions; all of which consume time and resources and may cause real harm.
This issue already affects adult testing. For example, Alzheimer’s tests that measure early changes in the brain work well in memory clinics, where patients already show symptoms. But when these same tests are used on the general population, where most people are healthy, they produce false positives in up to two-thirds of cases. If genetic screening in newborns is rolled out in the same way, it could lead to similar problems: mislabelling healthy children as sick, and causing unnecessary worry and follow-up tests.
So what’s the solution? It’s not to abandon genetic testing altogether – far from it. When used carefully, genomic data can offer real benefits, particularly for patients with symptoms or in research settings. But if we’re going to roll this out to every newborn, the surrounding infrastructure needs to be robust.
That includes:
Clear, consistent communication: Risk scores must be explained in ways that emphasise uncertainty, not oversold as definitive predictions.
Support for parents: For consent to be truly informed, parents need help understanding that a genetic flag is not a diagnosis – and that many people with elevated risk never go on to develop the condition.
Training for clinicians: Many doctors still lack the tools to interpret and explain genetic information accurately and responsibly.
A national network of genetic counsellors Genetic counsellors are essential for supporting families through testing and interpretation. But current numbers in the UK fall far short of what universal newborn screening would require.
Genomic data holds great promise. But using it as a blanket tool for all newborns demands caution, clarity, and investment in communication and care. Without these safeguards, we risk turning healthy babies into patients-in-waiting.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Wimbledon is all about strawberries and cream (and of course tennis). The club itself describes strawberries and cream as “a true icon of The Championships”.
While a meal at one of the club’s restaurants can set you back £130 or more, a bowl of the iconic dish is a modest £2.70 (up from £2.50 in 2024 – the first price rise in 15 years). In 2024 visitors munched their way through nearly 2 million berries.
Strawberries and cream has a long association with Wimbledon. Even before lawn tennis was added to its activities, the All England Croquet Club (now the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club) was serving strawberries and cream to visitors. They would have expected no less. Across Victorian Britain, strawberries and cream was a staple of garden parties of all sorts. Private affairs, political fundraisers and county cricket matches all typically served the dish.
Alongside string bands and games of lawn tennis, strawberries and cream were among the pleasures that Victorians expected to encounter at a fête or garden party. As a result, one statistician wrote in the Dundee Evening Telegraph in 1889, Londoners alone consumed 12 million berries a day over the summer. At that rate, he explained, if strawberries were available year-round, Britons would spend 24 times more on strawberries than on missionary work, and twice as much as on education.
Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.
But of course strawberries and cream were not available year-round. They were a delightful treat of the summer and the delicate berries did not last. Victorian newspapers, such as the Illustrated London News, complained that even the fruits on sale in London were a sad, squashed travesty of those eaten in the countryside, to say nothing of London’s cream, which might have been watered down.
Wimbledon’s lawn tennis championships were held in late June or early July – in the midst, in other words, of strawberry season.
Eating strawberries and cream had long been a distinctly seasonal pleasure. Seventeenth-century menu plans for elegant banquets offered strawberries, either with cream or steeped (rather deliciously, and I recommend you try this) in rose water, white wine, and sugar – as a suitable dish for the month of June.
They were, in the view of the 17th-century gardener John Parkinson, “a cooling and pleasant dish in the hot summer season”. They were, in short, a summer food. That was still the case in the 1870s, when the Wimbledon tennis championship was established.
This changed dramatically with the invention of mechanical refrigeration. From the late 19th century, new technologies enabled the global movement of chilled and frozen foods across vast oceans and spaces.
Domestic ice-boxes and refrigerators followed. These modern devices were hailed as freeing us from the tyranny of seasons. As the Ladies Home Journal magazine proclaimed triumphantly in 1929: “Refrigeration wipes out seasons and distances … We grow perishable products in the regions best suited to them instead of being forced to stick close to the large markets.” Eating seasonally, or locally, was a tiresome constraint and it was liberating to be able to enjoy foods at whatever time of year we desired.
As a result, points out historian Susan Friedberg, our concept of “freshness” was transformed. Consumers “stopped expecting fresh food to be just-picked or just-caught or just-killed. Instead, they expected to find and keep it in the refrigerator.”
Today, when we can buy strawberries year round, we have largely lost the excitement that used to accompany advent of the strawberry season. Colour supplements and supermarket magazines do their best to drum up some enthusiasm for British strawberries, but we are far from the days when poets could rhapsodise about dairy maids “dreaming of their strawberries and cream” in the month of May.
Strawberries and cream, once a “rare service” enjoyed in the short months from late April to early July, are now a season-less staple, available virtually year round from the global networks of commercial growers who supply Britain’s food. The special buzz about Wimbledon’s iconic dish of strawberries and cream is a glimpse into an earlier time, and reminds us that it was not always so.
Rebecca Earle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Portrait of a young boy with a paletta and a ball, late 16th century, artist unknown.Wiki Commons/Canva
In 1570, a Frenchman was arrested for smuggling clandestine correspondence between France and England. A passing comment in his interrogation document reveals that he also happened to be carrying a leather bag “in which there were three or four dozen balls of wool for playing tennis”.
The French term used was jeu de paume. This sport was played with the hand (palm), often gloved, rather than a racquet. This developed into the game that in English we usually refer to as “real tennis” (a different beast to the lawn tennis played at Wimbledon).
The interrogator believed that this cheap merchandise was simply a ruse for the man’s true purpose of communicating with Huguenot exiles. I have written a book, Huguenot Networks, based on this interrogation document, which will be published by Cambridge University Press later this year. But, as a historian, I was intrigued by both the number and makeup of the goods he was transporting. The wool, if wrapped tightly, could certainly have made these balls bouncy.
Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.
By chance, I encountered similar objects in a small display in the Palazzo Te in Mantua in Italy. These balls had apparently been retrieved from the palace roof and several others had come from a nearby church. They were variously made of leather, cloth and string rather than wool, probably stuffed with earth or animal hair. Just like the handmade “real tennis” balls of today, they were harder and more variable in size than regular tennis balls, and usually not so colourful, although sometimes having a simple painted design on the outside.
Today, “real tennis” is known as the “sport of kings”, praised for testing agility and athletic prowess. The most famous court in England is at Hampton Court, but many others survive in the UK. For instance, there is one down the road from where I work at the University of Warwick, at Moreton Morrell in Warwickshire.
In the 16th century, real tennis attracted gamblers, meaning it became a later target for Puritans. Anne Boleyn is said to have placed a wager on a match she was watching on the day of her arrest. And Henry VIII, fittingly, supposedly played a match on the day Boleyn was executed.
And if there is any doubt about how dangerous tennis could be, several royal deaths in France are attributed to it. King Louis X of France was a keen player of jeu de paume. He was the first ruler to order enclosed indoor courts to be constructed. This later became popular across Europe.
In June 1316, after a particularly exhausting game, Louis X is said to have drunk a large quantity of chilled wine and soon afterwards died – probably of pleurisy, although there was some suspicion of poisoning.
Likewise, in August 1536, the death of the 18-year-old dauphin, eldest son of Francis I, was blamed on his Italian secretary, the Count of Montecuccoli, who had brought him a glass of cold water after a match. The count was subsequently executed despite a post-mortem suggesting that the prince had died of natural causes.
By the 16th century, there were two courts at the Louvre and many more around the city of Paris as well as at other royal residences. Ambassadors’ accounts describe frequent games between high-ranking courtiers and the king which could sometimes result in injury, especially if struck by one of the hard balls.
Our man carrying many tennis balls in 1570 had probably spotted a lucrative opportunity in response to rising demand. The French game had become increasingly popular in England under the Tudors.
By the Tudor period, no self-respecting European court was without its own purpose-built tennis courts where monarchs and their entourages tested their prowess and skill. They often did so before ambassadors, who could report back to their own rulers, making it a truly competitive international sport.
Thankfully, today’s game has far fewer dangers – there’s no risk of being hit by a ball full of earth or the fear of mortal retribution after beating an exhausted high-ranking opponent.
This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Penny Roberts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Speech
UN Human Rights Council 59: UK Statement on Myanmar
UK Statement for the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report and oral update of the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar. Delivered by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.
Thank you, High Commissioner, Special Rapporteur and all speakers for your update.
As you and others have noted, the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on 28 March has compounded an already dire humanitarian crisis. Over 22 million people across the country are now in need of assistance, many forced to flee across borders in search of safety.
The deliberate blocking of humanitarian access to areas outside military control during the earthquake was unacceptable. The UK provided £25 million through local delivery partners capable of overcoming access restrictions and reaching the most vulnerable.
The conflict in Rakhine State continues, driving mass displacement and humanitarian crisis, impacting all communities. Reports of human rights abuses and violations continue to emerge, including of arbitrary detention and forced recruitment. Since 2017, the UK has provided over £108 million to support communities in Rakhine with humanitarian aid.
The military’s airstrikes continue across the country targeting civilian infrastructure including schools and hospitals; this must stop. All parties must protect civilians.
Meanwhile, courageous journalists and activists continue to document human rights abuses and violations in Myanmar. The UK supports organisations like Myanmar Witness to collect independent, verifiable data, for future prosecution.
High Commissioner,
What more can the international community do to support accountability mechanisms to achieve justice for the people of Myanmar?
Twenty-five years ago, “The Perfect Storm” roared into movie theaters. The disaster flick, starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, was a riveting, fictionalized account of commercial swordfishing in New England and a crew who went down in a violent storm.
The anniversary of the film’s release, on June 30, 2000, provides an opportunity to reflect on the real-life changes to New England’s commercial fishing industry.
Fishing was once more open to all
In the true story behind the movie, six men lost their lives in late October 1991 when the commercial swordfishing vessel Andrea Gail disappeared in a fierce storm in the North Atlantic as it was headed home to Gloucester, Massachusetts.
At the time, and until very recently, almost all commercial fisheries were open access, meaning there were no restrictions on who could fish.
There were permit requirements and regulations about where, when and how you could fish, but anyone with the means to purchase a boat and associated permits, gear, bait and fuel could enter the fishery. Eight regional councils established under a 1976 federal law to manage fisheries around the U.S. determined how many fish could be harvested prior to the start of each fishing season.
Fishing has been an integral part of coastal New England culture since its towns were established. In this 1899 photo, a New England community weighs and packs mackerel. Charles Stevenson/Freshwater and Marine Image Bank
Fishing started when the season opened and continued until the catch limit was reached. In some fisheries, this resulted in a “race to the fish” or a “derby,” where vessels competed aggressively to harvest the available catch in short amounts of time. The limit could be reached in a single day, as happened in the Pacific halibut fishery in the late 1980s.
As populations declined, managers responded by cutting catch limits to allow more fish to survive and reproduce. Fishing seasons were shortened, as it took less time for the fleets to harvest the allowed catch. It became increasingly hard for fishermen to catch enough fish to earn a living.
Saving fisheries changed the industry
In the early 2000s, as these economic and environmental challenges grew, fisheries managers started limiting access. Instead of allowing anyone to fish, only vessels or individuals meeting certain eligibility requirements would have the right to fish.
The most common method of limiting access in the U.S. is through limited entry permits, initially awarded to individuals or vessels based on previous participation or success in the fishery. Another approach is to assign individual harvest quotas or “catch shares” to permit holders, limiting how much each boat can bring in.
Today, limited access is common, and there are positive signs that the management change is helping achieve the law’s environmental goal of preventing overfishing. Since 2000, the populations of 50 major fishing stocks have been rebuilt, meaning they have recovered to a level that can once again support fishing.
Forty fish stocks are currently being managed under rebuilding plans that limit catch to allow the stock to grow, including Atlantic cod, which has struggled to recover due to a complex combination of factors, including climatic changes.
The lingering effect on communities today
While many fish stocks have recovered, the effort came at an economic cost to many individual fishermen. The limited-access Northeast groundfish fishery, which includes Atlantic cod, haddock and flounder, shed nearly 800 crew positions between 2007 and 2015.
The loss of jobs and revenue from fishing impacts individual family income and relationships, strains other businesses in fishing communities, and affects those communities’ overall identity and resilience, as illustrated by a recent economic snapshot of the Alaska seafood industry.
When original limited-access permit holders leave the business – for economic, personal or other reasons – their permits are either terminated or sold to other eligible permit holders, leading to fewer active vessels in the fleet. As a result, the number of vessels fishing for groundfish has declined from 719 in 2007 to 194 in 2023, meaning fewer jobs.
A fisherman unloads a portion of his catch for the day of 300 pounds of groundfish, including flounder, in January 2006 in Gloucester, Mass. AP Photo/Lisa Poole
Because of their scarcity, limited-access permits can cost upward of US$500,000, which is often beyond the financial means of a small businesses or a young person seeking to enter the industry. The high prices may also lead retiring fishermen to sell their permits, as opposed to passing them along with the vessels to the next generation.
These economic forces have significantly altered the fishing industry, leading to more corporate and investor ownership, rather than the family-owned operations that were more common in the Andrea Gail’s time.
Similar to the experience of small family farms, fishing captains and crews are being pushed into corporate arrangements that reduce their autonomy and revenues.
Consolidation can threaten the future of entire fleets, as New Bedford, Massachusetts, saw when Blue Harvest Fisheries, backed by a private equity firm, bought up vessels and other assets and then declared bankruptcy a few years later, leaving a smaller fleet and some local business and fishermen unpaid for their work. A company with local connections bought eight vessels from Blue Harvest along with 48 state and federal permits the company held.
New challenges and unchanging risks
While there are signs of recovery for New England’s fisheries, challenges continue.
Warming water temperatures have shifted the distribution of some species, affecting where and when fish are harvested. For example, lobsters have moved north toward Canada. When vessels need to travel farther to find fish, that increases fuel and supply costs and time away from home.
Fisheries managers will need to continue to adapt to keep New England’s fisheries healthy and productive.
One thing that, unfortunately, hasn’t changed is the dangerous nature of the occupation. Between 2000 and 2019, 414 fishermen died in 245 disasters.
Stephanie Otts receives funding from the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program through the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previous support for fisheries management legal research provided by The Nature Conservancy.
R100 delivers more than 27,000 faster, ultra-reliable connections in a year.
The Scottish Government has surpassed it’s commitment to deliver gigabit-capable broadband connections to 20,000 homes and businesses last year.
A record 27,000 premises were equipped with faster broadband in 2024-25 through the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% (R100) programme, exceeding a Programme for Government commitment by more than a third.
Connections have been made right across the country, from the Killantringan Lighthouse in Dumfries and Galloway to Stornoway in the Western Isles and Baltasound on Shetland.
The R100 contracts, being delivered by Openreach, have now enabled more than 80,000 faster broadband connections across the country, with 80% of all R100 contract build to take place in rural areas.
Business Minister Richard Lochhead visited Loch Katrine in the Trossachs to hear how access to faster broadband speeds is helping transform opportunities for local businesses.
He said:
“Fast, reliable broadband is a fundamental building block for economic growth. The Scottish Government’s R100 programme is one of the most ambitious and complex digital infrastructure programmes in Europe, rolling out connections in some of the most challenging locations in the country to help businesses and communities prosper.
“Despite telecommunications being reserved to the UK Government, our commitment to the R100 programme illustrates this government’s commitment to delivering the digital connectivity people and businesses need to succeed.
“Exceeding our 2024-25 delivery target was helped by record Scottish Government funding and an ongoing partnership with Openreach maximising the opportunities to deliver fast broadband to even more homes and businesses.”
CEO and Lead Trustee of the Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust, James Fraser said:
”The impact of the introduction of fibre cable connections at Loch Katrine has been transformative for many aspects of our core business and our tenants. With an increasing trend to digital bookings for cruises, eco lodges, cycle hire and meals out, having high speed digital connections is critical to the success of our business and other businesses on the lochside.
“Previously our digital speeds were very poor leading to customer dissatisfaction, loss of bookings and customer complaints, particularly from guests staying overnight in our eco lodges or in campervans in our car parks. With the higher speeds now available there has been a marked improvement in digital services with increased customer satisfaction levels.”
Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland, Robert Thorburn, said:
“It’s brilliant to see businesses like the Steamship Sir Walter Scott benefitting from full fibre. We’re committed to making sure that the hardest-to-reach homes and businesses in Scotland are connected to the latest generation of broadband technology, giving them access to the same fast, reliable services available in our cities.
“While building new full fibre networks in rural areas throws up many challenges, our engineers have the skills and experience to overcome these and deserve an enormous amount of credit for their work. We’re proud of the role we’ve played, working alongside the Scottish Government, in hitting this significant milestone – but we know that our work isn’t done yet, and we’ll continue to connect communities across the country.”
Background
The commitment to connect over 20,000 premises to gigabit capable broadband in areas of market failure by March 2025, through delivery of three regional, multi-year contracts with Openreach is set out in the Programme for Government 2024-25: Serving Scotland
Originally conceived as a superfast broadband programme, R100 is now providing a gigabit-capable connection – a speed more than 30 times faster than superfast broadband – in around 99% of cases. Building to some of the hardest-to-reach parts of Scotland, a total of 78,000 connections have enabled access to faster broadband as a result of the R100 contracts.
West End LIVE returned to Trafalgar Square for its 20th anniversary on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June, drawing thousands of theatre lovers to the heart of Westminster to enjoy world-class musical performances.
Organised by Westminster City Council in partnership with the Society of London Theatre, West End LIVE has grown over two decades to become Europe’s largest free musical theatre festival. Over the weekend, 70,000 people attended and there have been 1.46 million views on the YouTube videos from the event.
This year’s line-up featured over 60 performances with a mix of beloved classics and recent hits, delivering an unforgettable showcase of the most iconic songs across all West End musicals. A special performance celebrating two decades of West End LIVE took centre stage on Sunday afternoon with memorable songs from musicals of the last 20 years, some of which are no longer running in West End.
For the first time, working alongside our power provider, Film and TV Services, the entire event was powered by 100% green energy using grid-supplied electricity, Battery Energy Storage Systems, and state-of-the-art Stage V backup generators.
This year, we also made improvements to our pre-allocated accessibility viewing area and worked with Nimbus Disability to provide guests with greater clarity on the documentation they needed.
In addition to showcasing the very best of the West End to visitors from across the world, the event was a community celebration and attended by guests from community organisations across Westminster in line with our aim of increasing cultural access for local residents.
Cllr Ryan Jude, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Climate, Ecology and Culture, said:
“West End LIVE is one of the highlights of Westminster’s cultural calendar, and it was fantastic to see Trafalgar Square filled with so much energy, talent, and thousands of theatre lovers.
“This year, we’re especially proud that the event was powered by 100% green energy, reflecting our commitment to creating a Fairer Environment by reducing the carbon footprint of large-scale cultural events.
“Through our partnership with the Society of London Theatre, the impact of West End LIVE reaches far beyond a single weekend. Working together, we’re proud to be increasing access to cultural opportunities for residents and young people in Westminster. West End LIVE is a wonderful example of how we are ensuring everyone has the chance to experience the amazing cultural opportunities we have on offer in our city.”
Emma De Souza, Executive Director (Audiences & Commercial) at Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre, said:
“Our 20th West End LIVE was truly memorable, welcoming so many brilliant shows to the stage from the West End and beyond. International stage and screen celebrities such as Corbin Bleu, Kevin McHale, Keala Settle, Vanessa Williams and Rachel Zegler took to the stage, alongside some of our best-loved West End and Broadway stars including Carrie Hope Fletcher, Lee Mead, Andy Nyman, Orfeh and Marisha Wallace, and an abundance of home-grown talent including acclaimed singer Fleur East.
“This event would not be possible without the unique relationship we have forged with Westminster City Council over the past 20 years, and we are very grateful to them, to all of the shows involved, and to our sponsors for their ongoing support.”
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is set to strengthen its commitment to improving outdoor sports facilities as it approves the latest version of its Playing Pitch Strategy.
The updated strategy will be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday 24 June and sets out where sports provision across the city currently meets demand, alongside where improvements are needed.
The council will continue to work closely with national governing bodies, Sport England, local clubs and schools to deliver improvements.
The strategy focuses on making the most of existing facilities, investing in those that need attention, and creating new ones where they are needed.
This work supports the council’s wider aim to improve people’s physical and mental health and help communities connect through sport and physical activity.
Key recommendations include:
Protecting existing sports facilities
Improving the quality of facilities, especially those that are overused or in poor condition
Working with schools and others to open up more spaces for community use
Helping clubs secure long-term access to the places they play
Exploring opportunities to transfer suitable sites to clubs to manage
Upgrading changing rooms and other support facilities, especially to support mixed-gender use
Adding more sports lighting to increase access and extend playing times
Using funding from new housing developments to improve sports provision
Maintaining strong partnerships to help secure funding and deliver the improvements
Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Playing sports has so many benefits for our physical and mental health and it also fosters a sense of community by connecting with residents through the power of sport.
“That is why it is so important that the city’s outdoor facilities are fit for purpose and available to use, which is why we are looking at measures to ensure they are continually improved.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Speech
UN Human Rights Council 59: UK Statement for the Special Rapporteur on Burundi
UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Burundi. Delivered by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.
Thank you, Mr. President.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his timely update and again recognise the ongoing importance of his mandate. We reiterate our call on Burundi to grant him full access to the country.
Mr President, the UK welcomes the peaceful conduct of Burundi’s recent legislative elections, as reported by the African Union observer mission.
However, we are concerned by reports of serious irregularities, including voter intimidation, duplicate and fraudulent registrations and the early opening of polling stations without the presence of officials. Opposition parties must be allowed to engage meaningfully in democratic processes.
We call on the government of Burundi to address these issues transparently, to enable the people of Burundi to fully exercise their civil and political rights.
We also remain deeply concerned by ongoing restrictions on human rights defenders and journalists. We urge Burundi to take further steps to protect civic space, and to ensure inclusive governance and political pluralism.
Special Rapporteur,
How can the international community best support Burundi in strengthening its existing democratic processes?
