• A new flagship 18 courtroom legal centre providing world-class legal services in the heart of London given go-ahead
• To be built on the site of Fleetbank House, the court will reinforce the UK’s position as a global legal hub

Developed in partnership with the City of London Corporation and the judiciary, the cutting edge, purpose-built court, which will also deal with business and property work as well as civil cases, will hold 18 modern courtrooms and replace the ageing civil court, Mayor’s and City of London County Court, and City of London Magistrates’ Court. Also included in the court will be a new City of London police station.

A feasibility study to look at whether a court might be built was announced last October, and now the plan has been given the go-ahead. Speaking to members of the senior judiciary at the Mansion House this evening [4 July], the Lord Chancellor, alongside the Lord Mayor, Charles Bowman, and Lord Chief Justice, will reveal that the court will be built on the site of Fleetbank House in the heart of the City.

English law is currently used in 40% of all global corporate arbitrations, and more than 200 foreign law firms currently have offices in the UK. Revenue generated by legal activities in the UK was worth £31.5bn in 2016, and the top 100 UK law firms generated over £22bn in 2016/17. Built next to some of the world’s leading legal, business and technology firms in the heart of legal London, this court will be a sign to the world that the UK remains the global centre for law and finance.

Lord Chancellor David Gauke said:

The flag of English law is flown in countries across the globe, and London already leads the way as the best place to do business and resolve disputes.

This state-of-the-art court is a further message to the world that Britain both prizes business and stands ready to deal with the changing nature of 21st century crime.

The City of London is the world’s financial centre, hosting an unparalleled cluster of financial, professional, and business services. The City’s legal services offer, clustered around the Temples in the West of the Square Mile, which plays host to more than 17,000 solicitors, is a vibrant centre for international law firms serving their clients across the world.

Commenting on the announcement Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation Catherine McGuinness said:

This is a hugely significant step in this project that will give the Square Mile its second iconic courthouse after the Old Bailey.

Our rule of law is one of the many reasons why London is the world’s most innovative, dynamic, and international financial centre, and this new court will add to our many existing strengths.

I’m particularly pleased that this court will have a focus on the legal issues of the future, such as fraud, economic crime, and cyber-crime.

Fleet Street may historically be known for hosting newspapers, but I believe with this iconic project it will be seen as a world leading centre for legal services and justice for decades to come.

The Government is investing £1 billion in reforming and modernising courts and tribunals, which has already delivered:

• A fully paperless system in conjunction with Transport for London – which means thousands of cases involving fare evasion are dealt with more swiftly and effectively.
• An online system which enables court staff to prepare case files and access them digitally in a courtroom during a hearing – saving 68 million pages of paper.
• The ability for those convicted of minor motoring offences to make their initial plea online. Some 1500 pleas are dealt with online every week. Court staff and the police automatically receive the completed online plea form as soon as the defendant has submitted it, reducing delays.

In the civil courts people can now:

• Make a small money claim online – with over 3,000 claims issued in the first month, cases moving through more quickly, and user satisfaction over 80% during the pre-launch pilot.
• Apply for a divorce online – which has cut errors in application forms from 40% to less than 1%, saving people time and trouble during a traumatic time.
• Apply for probate online – which has also cut errors, sped up the process, and has a satisfaction rate of more than 90%.

Notes to editors:

• The timeline for building the new court is subject to finalising funding arrangements and securing planning permission. It is expected to be completed in 2025.
• The proposal for a new court was announced last October by the City of London Corporation, and work on feasibility has now concluded and a location for the court has been set. Funding will be provided by the City of London Corporation and HMCTS.
• The court will replace the civil court, Mayor’s and City of London County Court, and City of London Magistrates’ Court, which are owned by the City Corporation and which HMCTS operate. |* The Employment Appeal Tribunal that is currently at Fleetbank House will move to the Rolls Building.
• The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Downing Street. It is a pleasure to have you all here today as we celebrate our lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.

We meet of course in the middle of Pride season.

Pride in London is this weekend, and I’m glad to say that we have many Pride organisers here today.

Not so long ago, London’s Pride march was one of just a handful of such events, mostly confined to the big cities.

This summer it is one of more than 80 Prides taking place right across the UK, from Aberdeen to Newquay and many places in between.

And for me that, for me, is a sign of a country that has never been more proud of its LGBT people.

I know I’m certainly feeling a great deal of pride here today.

I am proud of the groups and individuals who have done so much for both our LGBT community, for our country and for the world.

Many of you are with us today, and I am particularly pleased to see Peter Tatchell here.

I know we probably don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, Peter, but I respect the lifetime of activism that you have committed in support of LGBT rights – and particularly most recently on the streets of Moscow.

The commitment that you and many other longstanding campaigners has shown, makes us all proud.

I am also proud of the progress this Government has made on LGBT issues, from introducing equal marriage to changing the law so that people who were unjustly convicted of things that should never have been a crime can receive the pardon they deserve.

And I am proud to be Prime Minister of a country that, thanks to your hard work over many years, is consistently ranked among the most LGBT-friendly anywhere in the world.

So there is a great deal to celebrate today, a great deal that we can be proud of.

And that includes pride in how much, and how profoundly, attitudes have changed.

30 years ago, in a room that overlooks this garden, the government of the day took the decision to support the introduction of Section 28.

It wasn’t a complex piece of legislation – the core elements of the clause totalled fewer than 40 words.

But, by silencing supportive voices and emboldening bigots, the devastation it wrought on a generation was immeasurable.

It should never have been passed.

My party – and I myself – should have voted to remove it from the statute book much sooner.

I’m glad that it’s now gone.

And, today, I am proud to be an ally of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people everywhere.

That is why I stood up at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in March and condemned the colonial-era laws that still criminalise gay people in dozens of nations around the world.

It is why, as Home Secretary, I was proud to sponsor the legislation that created equal marriage.

And that is why, when I say that I want to make the United Kingdom a country that works for everyone, I really do mean everyone – regardless of who you love, or how you identify.

Now, I know that equality before the law does not mean equality in everyday life.

I know that, even in 2018, many LGBT people still have to deal with discrimination, hatred, even violence.

And I’m determined to do something about it.

Last year as you will probably know, we launched the first National LGBT Survey.

More than 100,000 people responded, making it the largest survey of its kind anywhere in the world, and it provided an unparalleled insight into the experience of LGBT people in all kinds of communities right across the UK.

The results contain much to be proud of.

Most gay and lesbian people told us they felt comfortable living in the UK.

Many people who were born overseas told us that they chose to settle here because of our strong record on LGBT rights.

And the majority of LGBT people – almost 60 per cent – feel able to be open about their sexuality or gender identity at work.

That’s all good news.

But some of the findings made for more difficult reading.

Two in five LGBT people said that in the past 12 months they had experienced verbal or physical abuse because of their sexuality or gender identity – and most said it happens so often they do not bother to report it.

LGBT people find it harder to access the healthcare they need.

So-called “conversion therapy” continues to be touted.

And nearly two-thirds of LGBT people avoid holding hands with same-sex partners for fear of a negative reaction.

That really struck me.

Because, for heterosexual couples, holding hands is such a simple, normal gesture that we take it entirely for granted.

That so many people fear the consequences of merely holding hands shows that a society in which we are all treated equally and fairly is still some way off.

That is why, earlier today, the Government published an LGBT Action Plan, setting out some of the ways in which we are going to help us all get there.

We are going to appoint a national adviser on health inequalities, so that specific needs of LGBT people are at the heart of the National Health Service.

We will continue our investment in programmes to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools, protecting LGBT students and making acceptance and understanding the default.

We are going to bring forward proposals to end the disgusting practice of conversion therapy, which has no place in modern Britain.

And today we have opened a consultation on reform of the Gender Recognition Act.

I know this is a subject that has generated a great deal of commentary.

But few people, reading the accounts of trans people in our survey, would disagree that making the gender recognition process less bureaucratic and less intrusive is a humane and just thing to do.

A country that works for everyone is a country where nobody faces bigotry or violence because of who they are.

A country where nobody feels they have to hide their sexuality or gender identity.

Where hatred is consigned to history, tolerance becomes acceptance and the young LGBT people here with us today can grow up free from the fear and discrimination faced by so many who came before them.

That will be a country in which all of us – gay, straight, bi, trans, or however you identify– can take pride.

And I am proud to be working with you to make it a reality.

Lord Ahmad has today been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

The role, which supports the Prime Minister’s commitment to religious tolerance in the UK, will allow Lord Ahmad to demonstrate the country’s commitment to religious freedom by promoting inter-faith respect and dialogue internationally.

Lord Ahmad, who is also Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, will promote the UK’s firm stance on religious tolerance abroad, helping to tackle religious discrimination in countries where minority faith groups face persecution.

The appointment underscores the Prime Minister’s commitment to tackling religious prejudice in all its forms and follows the government’s recent announcement of a further £1 million funding for places of worship that have been subjected to hate crime attacks.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Religious discrimination blights the lives of millions of people across the globe and leads to conflict and instability. Both here and abroad, individuals are being denied the basic right of being able to practise their faith free of fear.

Tolerance for those of different faiths is fundamental to our values, and is an issue I know is already of great importance to Lord Ahmad, who is constantly looking for fresh ways to promote religious liberty in his role as Minister for Human Rights at the Foreign Office.

I look forward to supporting him in this new role as he works with faith groups and governments across the world to raise understanding of religious persecution and what we can do to eliminate it.

The PM’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

In too many parts of the world, religious minorities are persecuted, discriminated against and treated as second class citizens. As a man of faith, I feel this very keenly.

Freedom of Religion or Belief is a human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It must be respected. People from all faiths or none should be free to practise as they wish. This respect is key to global stability, and is in all our interests.

I am delighted to have been appointed as the PM’s Special Envoy. I shall use the UK Government’s global network to reach across religious divides, seek the elimination of discrimination on the basis of religion or belief and bring different communities together.

The IPA, which supports the delivery of a range of large government projects, has published its latest annual report on the government’s most important major projects, reporting that 26 have been successfully completed this year.

Projects delivered range from transformation and ICT programmes which modernise the civil service and make public services more efficient, to infrastructure and construction projects and military capability programmes, which grow our economy, improve productivity and defend the nation.

These include:

• Childhood Flu Immunisation programme – reducing the risk of flu in vaccinated children by 66%.
• Airseeker project – three new military surveillance and intelligence aircrafts that support air and ground forces.
• Francis Crick Institute – the biggest biomedical research facility under a single roof in Europe.
• Government’s role in setting up the Thames Tideway Tunnel – a major new sewer to protect the River Thames and create 4,000 new jobs.
• Hinkley Point C enabling project – securing private investment into a new nuclear plant so construction can begin.
• Hosting Services Refresh programme – a major refresh of the Department for Work and Pensions’ IT system, enabling improved digital services for 22 million people.

The IPA’s Annual Report provides a snapshot of how all GMPP projects were progressing as of September 2017.

The GMPP is a continually evolving portfolio of the government’s most complex and high risk projects and it regularly changes to reflect government policy priorities. The current portfolio includes 133 major projects with a whole life cost of £423 billion, spread across 16 government departments.

Over half of this year’s 26 completed projects received a Green or Amber Green Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) – the IPA’s rating of a project’s chance of success at a specific point in time. By taking the right steps following reviews and managing challenges effectively, DCAs are often improved and a project’s likelihood of delivery is increased.

The IPA supports the delivery of government projects by helping to set them up for success, building delivery capability in departments and managing more than 200 independent assurance reviews of projects each year.

Cabinet Office Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden MP said:

“We are focused on building a Britain that is fit for the future and this report shows just how much we have achieved. All of these projects will improve the way we deliver public services in this country.

“Project delivery is at the heart of all government activity as it is the main way we implement our most important policy priorities. Getting these projects right is essential to build a country that works for everyone.”

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick MP said:

“We are investing record amounts in crucial national infrastructure projects that are the foundation of our economy and will boost productivity.

“It’s exciting to see this investment translate into real projects on the ground that will have a long-lasting impact for the public.”

IPA Chief Executive, Tony Meggs said:

“The collective size and scope of these projects is impressive. It takes years of hard work from the cadre of world class project delivery professionals in government to deliver projects of this scale and complexity.”

“The current portfolio of government major projects remains a broad and ambitious one. It is vital that we continue to help create the right environment for their successful delivery.”

The initiative was instigated by key industry stakeholders and is set to be rolled out from 2019.

Activity will take place over the next few months to undertake due diligence and develop a target operating model for the new service. That detailed work will enable a final decision on whether to proceed with the collaboration to be taken in the autumn.

This development follows the announcement from Defra in April about the go-ahead of the service, providing the foundation for some of the best farm-to-fork traceability in the world. The heads of agreement was signed during a visit to AHDB’s Stoneleigh Park headquarters by Farming Minister George Eustice.

Key stakeholders, represented by the Traceability Design User Group (TDUG), have been involved in developing the vision and design principles and determining how all parties can work together.

The new service will add value for the livestock sectors, as well as providing a statutory service that will better protect against disease and bolster trade negotiations.

AHDB Chief Executive Jane King said:

AHDB is in a unique position to be able to lead the collaboration between government and industry in order to deliver a future traceability service which is truly transformational.

By working closely with industry through TDUG we will ensure that the needs of the user are at the heart of the developing service, resulting in a system that delivers for farmers and processors across the livestock sectors.

As we prepare to leave the EU, a robust service delivering farm-to-fork traceability is fundamentally important to the future health of livestock farming in this country. Being able to evidence our world-leading production standards for quality meat and livestock products will continue to set us apart from our competitors.

Farming Minister George Eustice said:

We have been clear from the start that we need government and industry to work together in providing this service, which is why I am pleased to see this next stage of delivery underway.

The service will be instrumental in improving traceability and ensuring we continue to provide some of the best meat and livestock products in the world.

John Cross, independent chair of TDUG, said:

It is essential that the service is delivered in partnership with industry. It must underpin on-farm productivity and enable better management of risks to animal health in order to connect our supply chain, help us to evidence our high standards of production and protect and access markets both at home and internationally.