Thank you very much indeed, Mr President, and thank you to our three briefers today. This is an important issue, so thank you for convening the debate.

For the United Kingdom’s part, we welcome the thorough and well evidenced report on the ongoing implementation of UNSCR 2231. We’re aware of the criticism that has been made of the report in some quarters, but we consider the scope and the methodology of the report to be both appropriate and robust. And we offer our thanks to the Secretariat for their continued work to ensure the proper implementation of this important resolution for regional and international peace and security.

Mr President, my intervention like the issue itself comes in two halves: what happens with the JCPoA and what happens in respect of the region and regional stability. With respect to the JCPoA, we join the Secretary-General and my French colleague in regretting the US decision to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and to re-impose US sanctions on Iran. For the United Kingdom’s part, we remain committed to the nuclear deal. It is an essential part of the global non-proliferation architecture and furthermore, the deal is working. As we’ve just heard, the IAEA latest report confirms that Iran continues to comply with its nuclear obligations under the deal, as indeed it has since implementation day. This is consistent with the previous ten IAEA reports and we believe it demonstrates the Iranian commitment to the nuclear deal. We expect this commitment to continue. We expect Iran to continue to abide by her obligations under the deal. In return, the United Kingdom, together with the remaining participants in the deal, will take necessary steps to ensure that Iran continues to receive economic benefits from sanctions relief. We welcome the update on the activities of the Procurement Channel. The UK fully supports and we remain committed to the Procurement Channel process. While the JCPoA remains vital for our national security, and indeed for the stability of the Middle East, it is only one part of the efforts towards long term stability and peace in the region. The United Kingdom shares the Secretary-General’s view that issues not directly related to the nuclear deal should be addressed without prejudice to preserving the agreement. We believe that these issues can most effectively be addressed while the nuclear deal remains in place.

Mr President, I’ll now turn to the second half of today’s debate: the regional picture. I listened very carefully to the briefing given by the Undersecretary-General, in particular, but also by the two other speakers. It is true that the Secretary-General’s latest report contains concerning reports of attempted shipments to Iran of certain dual-use items without the necessary prior approval from the Security Council. We call on the United Nations to investigate these alleged transfers further and to report its findings to this Council.

We also note the Secretary-General’s assessment that ballistic missile technology used by the Houthis in Yemen was transferred from Iran as previously set out in the Yemen Panel of Experts report. And this chimes with our own assessment. The United Kingdom considers these transfers to be in contravention of UNSCRs 2231 and 2216. The proliferation of missile technology is destabilising for the region. It needs to cease. In the interest of Iran, in the interest of regional stability, and in the interest of international peace and security.

And in addition we remain concerned by Iran’s testing of missiles that are designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.

Mr. President, it wasn’t my intention today to talk about the wider Iranian role in the region, but I would just like to echo what my US colleagues said about some of the activities undertaken by Iran in places like Lebanon and like Syria.

Mr President, I’d like to be very clear about the United Kingdom’s position. Iran is an ancient, respected and mature civilized nation. She has legitimate security interests in the region and she deserves a proper place in the global multilateral system. However, the way she pursues and prosecutes these interests is too often destabilising and too often threatening to her neighbours and threatening to others, including those of us in Europe. Supplying missiles for attacks on regional neighbours has no legitimacy. Transferring threatening technology has no legitimacy, nor does importing dual use equipment without the Security Council’s prior approval. And while we recognise Iran’s national security interests, there is no legitimacy or justification for Iran testing missiles that are designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. Furthermore, diverting Iran’s public finances into such adventures retards her own ability to modernise her economy and deliver services to her people.

Mr. President, after 9/11, which struck this city, I worked very closely with the Iranian government. We were on the same side in combating terrorism. It’s a matter of lasting regret that Iran has chosen a different course of action in the intervening years. What I would like to do is to join others in taking the opportunity today to urge Iran to refrain from the destabilising behaviour that the report outlines and that we have talked about today, and in particular, to make a material contribution to the political process in Yemen that the UN is so bravely undertaking.

To conclude, Mr President, the United Kingdom’s position on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is clear. It is a critical agreement that makes the world a safer place. It is vital for our security and we remain committed to it. To that end, the United Kingdom, and we believe our European partners, will continue to work with the remaining parties to the deal to maintain it.

Thank you.

• new £200 million Nuclear Sector Deal to secure the UK’s diverse energy mix and drive down the costs of nuclear energy meaning cheaper energy bills for customers
• includes £32 million boost from government and industry to kick-start new advanced manufacturing programme including R&D investment to develop potential world-leading nuclear technologies like advanced modular reactors
• a commitment to increasing gender diversity with a target of 40% women working in the civil nuclear sector by 2030

An ambitious deal with the nuclear sector to ensure that nuclear energy continues to power the UK for years to come through major innovation, cutting-edge technology and ensuring a diverse and highly-skilled workforce, was announced today (28 June 2018) by the Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark as part of the modern Industrial Strategy.

The deal, worth over £200 million, follows the government’s recent announcement that it is to enter into negotiations with Hitachi over the Wylfa Newydd project. The deal will spearhead Britain’s move towards cleaner economic growth, while promoting new opportunities in the sector including a focus on innovation to develop the technology and skills needed to maintain the UK’s position as one of the world’s leading nuclear countries.

It includes a strong commitment to increasing the diversity of the workforce so that more women can take advantage of new dedicated nuclear colleges and national schemes. Currently, the UK’s nuclear industry faces a lack of gender diversity, with only 22% of the nuclear workforce being female, and of this, only 15% being female nuclear engineers. This deal will deliver up to 100,000 jobs overall in nuclear by 2021 and significantly more diverse with a target of 40% women working in the nuclear sector by 2030.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said:

The UK is the home of civil nuclear technology and with this investment in innovation and our commitment to increasing diversity in an already highly-skilled workforce, I want to ensure we remain the world leader.

Nuclear energy not only fuels our power supply, it fuels local jobs, wages, economic prosperity and drives UK innovation. This Sector Deal marks an important moment for the government and industry to work collectively to deliver the modern Industrial Strategy, drive clean growth and ensure civil nuclear remains an important part of the UK’s energy future.

Co-chair of the Nuclear Industry Council Lord Hutton said:

The industry wants nuclear energy to remain competitive against other forms of low-carbon energy – which is why we are committed to working with government to reduce costs across the sector. Today’s funding boost will support this common goal; increasing the UK’s industrial capabilities as well as signalling our global leadership in nuclear to the rest of the world.

Alun Cairns, Secretary of State for Wales, said:

It is particularly apt that we are launching the UK government’s nuclear strategy at Trawsfynydd. This site reflects both the past of our nuclear industry and an exciting future as the potential site for the new generation of small reactors, placing Wales at the centre of a UK arc of the nuclear industry.

Trawsfynydd is ready to be transformed with little upgrade needed to the grid infrastructure. It’s in the right place with the right people and good links to leading academic research institutions in the nuclear sector. The kind of small reactor which could be sited in Trawsfynydd is set to usher in an era of cost-effective power with equipment put together off site and transported to locations like this for relatively easy assembly.

I believe the UK government strategy announced today represents a road map which will drive innovation in the nuclear industry, create jobs and provide a significant boost to the local economy here in North Wales.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said:

British innovation is at the forefront of worldwide advancements in the nuclear sector, and there is clearly a demand for UK goods and services from around the world.

This demand is exactly why we’re putting a strong emphasis on our ambition to secure £2 billion of contracts related to the sector by 2030, both at home and overseas.

As an international economic department, the Department for International Trade will continue to support our innovative businesses who want to access overseas markets with measures such as our award-winning export credit agency, UK Export Finance, our network of global Trade Commissioners and GREAT.gov.uk.

Business and Industry Minister Richard Harrington said:

Innovation will be crucial to the success or our nuclear industry. We want the UK to build on its strength in advanced manufacturing techniques to help position the UK at the forefront of the nuclear technologies of the future.

The Sector Deal will also see:

• the unlocking of growth opportunities in the nuclear supply chain through joint government and industry support for smaller companies in the UK to access higher value contracts and new markets
• the strengthening of pioneering research with the potential for global impact with a national fusion technology platform at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Science Centre in Culham in Oxfordshire supported by government funding of £86 million.
• up to £44 million for research and development funding to support the development of advanced modular reactors
• a dynamic new partnership with Welsh Government to develop a £40 million thermal hydraulics facility in North Wales as part of the Nuclear Innovation Programme to support the design and development of advanced nuclear technologies
• a firm commitment from industry to reduce the cost of new nuclear build projects by 30% by 2030, and the cost of decommissioning old nuclear sites by 20% by 2030
• a new review to look at ways to accelerate the clean-up of nuclear ‘legacy’ sites (where there was previous nuclear activity) doing this safely whilst providing value for money to the taxpayer
• a significant reduction in the high costs associated with the sector through investment in new world-class technology, meaning nuclear energy can be produced in a more cost-effective way, and cheaper bills and peace of mind for energy customers
• the emerging findings of the Expert Finance Working Group’s analysis of small modular reactors; the independent group’s analysis suggest that the UK is well placed to develop first of a kind small reactor projects, and that the characteristics of small modular reactors could attract private investment.

Nuclear energy has been powering the UK for over 60 years, with a world-leading record for safety, and today generates around 20% of our electricity, helping us to move away from our reliance on dirty coal.

The UK will also be driving forward cutting-edge small and advanced modular reactors as part of this deal. Smaller reactors using trusted light-water technology coupled with advanced modular manufacturing offer the potential for lower-cost nuclear power stations complementing the industry’s existing plans for larger scale new nuclear power stations.

1. We have some really interesting bespoke case studies who are very willing to talk to media about their experiences working in the nuclear sector – including families working together in the industry, businesses involved in the local supply chains, and young EDF engineers. If you would like to arrange an interview please contact Marjorie Barnes, External Communications Manager, EDF on 07515 295488, or EDF Energy press office 01452 652233.

2. This is the fifth Sector Deal to be launched following the publication of the UK’s landmark Industrial Strategy last November. The deal will play an important role in building a Britain fit for the future through a stronger economy, supporting all parts of the UK. Through this we will help businesses to create better, higher-paying jobs – setting a path for Britain to lead in the high-tech, highly-skilled industries of the future.

3. As a result of the deal, the nuclear industry will cut costs of new nuclear power stations by 30% by 2030, while cutting the cost of decommissioning old nuclear sites by up to a fifth – all essential to future-proofing this crucial part of the energy sector.

4. The most recent UK energy figures show that nuclear provides more than 20% of our low-carbon, reliable, baseload electricity.

5. According to recent research for the Nuclear Industry Association by Oxford Economics the nuclear industry contributes £12.4 billion to the UK economy and provides long-term employment for 87,000 people across the civil and defence sectors.

6. The Nuclear Sector Deal builds on the historical partnership between the government and industry that has helped the UK become one of the leading nuclear countries in the world. The future success of the industry is central to achieving the Clean Growth Grand Challenge set out in the Industrial Strategy; to maximise the advantages for UK industries of the global shift to cleaner forms of economic growth. The UK nuclear sector, with its historical strength and skilled workforce across the country, is extremely well-placed to capture this opportunity.

7. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are part of the advanced nuclear technology sector which covers a range of new innovations under development. SMRs are smaller than conventional nuclear power station reactors and are designed so that much of the plant can be built in a factory and transported to site for construction. They usually fall into 2 categories – either water-cooled reactors similar to existing nuclear power station reactors but on a smaller scale, or advanced modular reactors which use new cooling systems or fuels and potentially offer a reduction in costs. The UK government is providing more than £40 million in funding to encourage companies to provide detailed plans for reactors.

8. Find out more about the UK government’s support for advanced nuclear technology.

9. Read Greg Clark’s statement on Hitachi.

10. The breakdown of the £200 million funding is as follows:

Up to £56 million for R&D for advanced modular reactors

• up to £4 million in Phase 1 will support around 8 reactor vendors to carry out detailed technical and commercial feasibility studies; up to £40 million of further funding could then support 3 to 4 vendors to accelerate the development of their designs in Phase 2, subject to a value for money re-approval process with the Treasury
• up to a further £5 million may also be made available to regulators to support this
• up to £7 million of funding to regulators to build the capability and capacity needed to assess and license small and novel reactor designs, as announced in the Clean Growth Strategy

£86 million for a National Fusion Technology Platform at Culham in Oxfordshire

£32 million for an advanced manufacturing and construction programme

• up to £20 million (subject to a rigorous business case) from government
• initial commitment of £12 million from industry

£30 million for a new national supply chain programme

• up to £10 million from government (subject to business case)
• £20 million from industry (£10 million from reactor vendors, UK supply chain companies and overseas markets; and £10 million as contributions-in-kind)

Thank you very much Mr President, and thank you to Staffan De Mistura and to John Ging for their briefings. And once again can I, through them, thank their teams on the ground who are doing good work in very difficult circumstances.

Mr President, as there was some positive news on the political front, and as we don’t often have positive news on the political front, I’d like to kick off by talking about that. We are very grateful to you, Staffan, for your leadership in everything you’ve done to drive the political process forward. I think the recent meetings of the Astana group and the small group in Geneva underline the centrality and primacy of the UN Geneva process and I agree with the French Ambassador completely about the UN being the best placed to decide how to take a constitutional committee forward and to ensure that Syrians from the full range of political perspectives and civil society are represented on the constitutional committee. It was very welcome to hear what Staffan had to say about women’s participation in particular and thank you for referring to the 30 percent minimum that we have put in our letter with our Peruvian and Swedish colleagues. When I was posted to the UN in Geneva, I actually met some of these Syrian women, and they are very impressive, they are energetic, they are secular in the main and they have a contribution to make. So that’s extremely good to hear.

I think the committee does represent an important step forward in the political process, but as well as addressing fundamental constitutional questions, we would also believe, Mr President, that the process needs to make real progress towards creating a calm, safe and neutral environment. And this will ultimately be essential if there are ever to be free and fair elections. We believe that we should be building on emerging areas of common ground between key international actors, and for our part, we the United Kingdom remain committed to supporting the political process and a pragmatic political settlement that brings an end to the conflict and also ensures regional stability. But we do worry, Mr President, that things like the recent Law 10 cast some doubt on the Syrian authorities’ willingness to engage meaningfully, and I would be very grateful to hear an assurance from the Syrian Ambassador when he speaks about the commitment to the political process.

Mr President, I said that the political process had made some positive steps forward recently and as the two previous speakers have pointed out, that cannot be said at all of the situation on the ground – what Staffan calls “battlefield developments” – and humanitarian access. We too remain deeply concerned by the escalating attacks by Syrian forces backed by Russian airstrikes against the de-escalation area in southwest Syria. I completely endorse what the American and French Representatives said about the risks to life inherent in that, but also the significant risk it poses to regional stability and security. The attacks are in flagrant violation of the de-escalation agreement that was reached between Presidents Trump and Putin in November. This is disappointing for very many reasons, but not least because it casts doubt on the willingness of Russia to abide by her international commitments. And I join France and America in urging Russia to uphold the commitments under this agreement and ensure that the Syrian government abides by the ceasefire so that we can avert a further humanitarian crisis and so we can make a contribution to regional stability.

Turning to humanitarian access, we too welcome the UN Secretary-General’s thorough report. And it is clear that the geographical space for cross-border operations has shrunk, particularly in the southeast of Idlib. And as areas have transitioned to the control of the government of Syria, if I have understood correctly, humanitarian access has decreased. Actually, the reverse ought to be true. The fact that the areas have come under the control of the Syrian authorities ought to make humanitarian access easier and more comprehensive, so again, I would be very grateful if the Syrian Ambassador and perhaps the Russian Ambassador can address some of this in their remarks because I would really like to understand why it is so difficult to get humanitarian access in. We talked about this in our last round of consultations and it still isn’t clear to me why there is an erratic pattern of some UN personnel being allowed in but not others, some convoys being allowed through, but not others. So I really hope the Council can have some more information about that so we can make some proper decisions about how best we can contribute to the situation on the ground. And in that respect I would just like to recall that there are still 2 million Syrians living in hard to reach locations across the country, and “hard to reach” makes it sound like you’ve got to forge rivers or climb mountains. It’s not that sort of “hard to reach,” as far as I understand, it’s an access point. So we’re back to this point of needing to understand why access is quite so difficult.

I would also just like to echo what John said about the attacks on health facilities. These also are unjustifiable. They are outlawed under international law. We call on them to stop. It is not right that aid workers suffer in this way. It’s not right that the people of Syria should be denied the opportunity to access medical facilities.

So in sum, Mr President, I think there are three things that the United Kingdom wishes to call for today. We would like to hear directly from the Syrians and the Russians about their sincerity in engaging in a political process. We would like to hear about the southern de-escalation zone and what can be done to restore the ceasefire and grant humanitarian access. And we would like to hear about the Syrian government’s policies and practices that are creating obstacles to vulnerable displaced people receiving services, receiving food and aid, returning home, and rebuilding their lives.

Thank you Mr President.

From today (27 June) an expert panel will begin accepting applications from senior clinicians to prescribe cannabis-based medicines.

Announced in Parliament last week by the Policing Minister, the panel will be led by the Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride.

The panel, who will meet for the first time this week, will assess individual applications for the prescription of cannabis-based products based upon set criteria to ensure the treatment is safe. These applications must be made by senior clinicians who are on the General Medical Council’s register with an active licence to practice.

The process has been designed to be swift and accessible. Once the panel has made its recommendation to Ministers, it will be for the Home Office or the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to determine whether to issue a licence and any application can expect to receive a final decision within two to four weeks.

The Government is also committed to reviewing the fees paid for licences that are awarded as a result of the advice of the expert panel.

Policing Minister, Nick Hurd said:

I completely sympathise with the families who have been facing desperate situations to find treatment and we have taken action, creating an expert panel to review individual medicinal cannabis licence applications.

Clinicians must be at the heart of the process to provide the reassurance that prescribing unlicensed and potentially untested products is in the best interests of the patient.

I look forward to receiving the expert panel’s recommendations in the knowledge that these families will be prescribed the most appropriate course of treatment, firmly based on medical evidence. We have been clear that we will continue to push hard against any unnecessary bureaucracy in the system.

Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland Dr Michael McBride said:

The establishment of this Panel means that applications from patients’ doctors to prescribe, supply and provide access to cannabis-related medicines can now be considered and endorsed on the basis of best clinical practice in order to ensure safe and appropriate care for patients.

The Government also committed today to urgently reviewing the fees paid for licences that are awarded as a result of the advice of the expert panel. In the meantime, for applications for a licence made by the NHS, neither individual patients nor their families will be asked to make any financial contribution towards the cost of any licence that may be issued.

Last week the Home Secretary also announced a two-part review looking at the scheduling of cannabis, which will be carried out by Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies and the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs. The expert panel is an interim measure whilst the review is ongoing.

The Home Secretary received part one of the review today [27 June] and will commission part two from the ACMD within the next few days. If this review identifies significant medicinal and therapeutic benefits, then the intention would be to reschedule medicinal cannabis and related products for therapeutic use.

Notes to editors:

Clinical applications can be made on GOV.UK.

Applications must be made by senior clinicians who are on the General Medical Council’s relevant specialist register with an active licence to practice

The panel will assess applications against several criteria. They are:

• Whether there is evidence from a patient’s own case that they have benefited from a cannabis-based medicine; or,
• Whether there is evidence from existing clinical trials which indicate that a patient will benefit from a cannabis-based medicine; or,
• Whether the clinician considers there is an otherwise unmet special clinical need that could be addressed through use of a cannabis-based medicine by the patient.

This afternoon the Prime Minister held a bilateral meeting with His Highness the Aga Khan.

She congratulated him on his longstanding leadership of the Ismaili community and on his visit to the UK as part of his Diamond Jubilee tour.

The Prime Minister thanked His Highness the Aga Khan for his foundation’s activities around the world to improve understanding of Islam as a peaceful and tolerant religion. She also thanked him for his support of the UK government’s agendas on integration and improving understanding of Muslim cultures.

The Prime Minister welcomed the educational and cultural contribution to the UK made by the Aga Khan’s institutions, demonstrated by the new Aga Khan Centre in King’s Cross. She also commended the vital work being done between the Department for International Development and the Aga Khan Foundation to deliver girls’ educational programmes in Central Asia, Tanzania and Afghanistan.

Finally, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the UK government’s commitment to freedom of religion or belief as a fundamental right, and confirmed her interest in working with His Highness the Aga Khan and other faith leaders to promote better respect, collaboration and tolerance between religious communities internationally.