The government has confirmed it is prepared to intervene to reserve slots at Heathrow for flights to airports in nations and regions around the UK if expansion goes ahead.

Public Service Obligations (PSOs) will be put in place by the UK government to protect routes if required, which would also exempt them from Air Passenger Duty.

It would mark the first time that flights from Heathrow to regional airports have been safeguarded, offering reassurance to people living around the UK that these important links will remain in place.

PSOs already exist to protect flights from one city to another but reserving flights specifically from domestic airports to Heathrow would ensure direct links to the UK’s hub airport, opening up vital connections with the rest of the world.

The news follows confirmation that the government wants about 15% of the new capacity at an expanded Heathrow to be used for domestic flights. And it comes as the government confirms that Scotland can expect to benefit from an extra 100 flights a week to and from Heathrow if a third runway is built.

Extra capacity could not only help secure and expand the number of existing routes to UK nations and regions but also be used for new connections.

Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg said:

“Heathrow is situated in the south-east of England, but the benefits of expansion will be felt throughout the UK.

“About 15% of the new capacity will be used for flights to destinations within the UK or Crown dependencies.

“And now we are going even further by confirming that the UK government will act to protect domestic flights from Heathrow for the first time.”

Routes could also be reserved for specific times to ensure they deliver services for passengers when they most need them, for example early morning flights which will cater for businesses.

Further details about the use of PSOs to protect flights from Heathrow to other specific airports will be set out in the green paper on the Aviation Strategy later this year.

Additional capacity at Heathrow is also expected to encourage competition between airlines, bringing down prices for British passengers.

easyJet and Flybe have already outlined new routes they would expect to serve from an expanded Heathrow. easyJet also earlier this month confirmed that they intend to launch new flights to UK airports and introduce competition on existing routes, lowering fares by up to 30%.

And it is not just passengers that could stand to benefit from a new runway. On an average day Heathrow carries £360 million of freight, making it the UK’s biggest port by value.

Expanding Heathrow would also bring opportunities for more jobs and apprenticeships in addition to the economic boost it could hand businesses and exports. Up to 114,000 local jobs and 5,000 apprenticeships could be created as a result of expansion.

The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will today (21 June) visit Warsaw to strengthen security, defence, and cyber ties with Poland.

Boris Johnson and Gavin Williamson will join Jacek Czaputowicz and Mariusz Błaszczak in Helenow, near Warsaw, as UK-Poland ties go from strength-to-strength.

The joint UK-Poland measures include:

• Strengthening collective defence against cyber-attacks and other threats from hostile actors, sending a clear message that they will not be tolerated.
• Establishing a strategic communications project to support independent media in countries in Eastern Europe, to ensure a wider range of voices in the media, in order to strengthen resilience against disinformation.
• Joint work on improving resilience to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear-related risks.
• Further work to prepare for the signature of the UK-Poland Defence Action Plan which will implement co-operation in a range of military areas.

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

“The UK and Poland are close friends and allies on a range of issues, including security, foreign policy, trade, and culture. This meeting will help to solidify even further a relationship that is growing from strength to strength.

“Both countries take seriously the threats posed to independent media, to cyberspace, and to our collective security. That’s why we will today agree to build on our co-operation in these areas, to counter together hostile threats to our two countries.”

The Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“Poland and the UK face the same intensifying threats to our security, prosperity and way of life. Our two countries are important European and NATO allies – both committed to playing a leading role to keep our nations and continental Europe safe. As we implement the UK-Poland defence treaty our historic partnership grows ever closer to meet the evolving and complex threats that we share.”

The ministers will also look ahead to the upcoming Western Balkans Summit in London on 9-10 July, hosted by the UK with the 2019 edition being hosted by Poland. The Foreign Secretary and Mr Czaputowicz will also agree to hold a joint visit to the Western Balkans in the coming months.

Further information

• government intervened to push through the measures
• offenders will face up to two years in prison with the most serious placed on the sex offenders register

A new law making ‘upskirting’ a specific criminal offence will move a step closer today (21 June 2018), when a Government Bill is introduced in Parliament.

The move was confirmed by the Prime Minister earlier this week, after a government backed Private Members Bill (PMB) did not pass its second reading last Friday (15 June).

Theresa May made clear that the government will get the new law on the statute book, and ministers have acted decisively to bring through the changes as quickly as possible.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer said:

The support for this new law from the public, campaigners, and across parliament shows just how seriously this crime is being taken.

Upskirting is a humiliating and degrading practice. We will ensure this Bill becomes law as soon as possible to protect more victims and properly punish offenders.

It follows the work of campaigner Gina Martin, whose tireless efforts contributed hugely to this action:

Gina Martin on ‘upskirting’ campaign

The highly intrusive practice – colloquially known as ‘upskirting ’ – typically involves offenders taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks.

Currently, this behaviour is being successfully prosecuted under the offence of Outraging Public Decency. However, following concerns that potentially not all instances of ‘upskirting’ are covered by existing criminal law, the government decided to act.

Initially, ministers supported legislation brought forward by Wera Hobhouse MP to create a specific ‘upskirting’ offence. However, that PMB failed to progress in Parliament, following objections raised Sir Christopher Chope MP.

Ministers therefore decided to intervene and adopted the measures as a Government Bill, in order to make sure there will be no delay in getting this new law onto the statute books.

The Government Bill will build on Wera Hobhouse’s proposals, by ensuing that the most serious offenders are placed on the sex offenders register. The new law would bring the punishment for ‘upskirting’ in line with other existing voyeurism offences, and will see offenders face a maximum of 2 years in prison.

The second reading of the Bill is expected to take place before Summer Recess.

Notes

• In recent years the government has made tackling sexual abuse and sexual violence a priority, and keeps laws in this area under constant review. After listening carefully to the concerns of victims, stakeholders, and MP’s from across the House, Ministers decided a change in the law is necessary.
• Currently, ‘upskirting’ does not go unpunished in England and Wales, and there have been successful prosecutions under the Outraging Public Decency (OPD) offence. Recent examples of successful prosecutions for ‘upskirting’ under OPD include someone who was convicted in January for taking photos up women’s skirts on trains and on a beach, and a student who was convicted in March for taking photos up women’s skirts in Oxford.
• However, existing criminal law does not necessarily cover every instance of ‘upskirting.’ Creating a specific ‘upskirting’ offence would strengthen the law in this area, as it doesn’t have the same limitations as existing offences. It would also allow this intrusive behaviour to be treated as a sexual offence and, ensure that the most serious offenders are made subject to notification requirements (commonly referred to as the ‘sex offenders register’).
• The Bill would insert a new offence under Section 67 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The changes will cover England and Wales; ‘upskirting’ is already a specific offence in Scotland.
• It would capture instances where the purpose is to obtain sexual gratification or cause humiliation, distress or alarm.
• A summary conviction would carry a sentence of up to one year in prison and/or a fine. And a more serious offence, tried in the Crown Court, would carry a sentence of up to 2 years in prison.
• Follow #UpskirtingBill on social media.

The building blocks to a lifelong passion for engineering could be a step closer for thousands of children across the UK, as LEGO® has announced its support for a national campaign to bring children face to face with engineering experiences and role models.

The Engineers of the Future roadshow will be heading to primary schools across the UK this autumn as part of the government’s Year of Engineering campaign. Led by engineers equipped with LEGO® Education solutions, including LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 and LEGO® Education MINDSTORMS® EV3 , the roadshow aims to inspire children by giving them access to quality hands-on learning experiences and by helping them to discover the exciting opportunities that are possible for all young aspiring engineers.

For many of the children taking part it will also be their first chance to meet engineers face to face, giving them career role models from different backgrounds and helping transform perceptions of what it means to be an engineer.

Minister for the Year of Engineering, Nusrat Ghani, said:

Engineers are at the forefront of technology and infrastructure advances which are shaping all of our lives, from how we communicate and travel to tackling major challenges in healthcare and the environment. But the opportunities of this creative, innovative and hugely important profession are all too often misunderstood and overlooked by young people and their parents.

That’s why I’m thrilled to announce our collaboration with LEGO® as part of the Year of Engineering. LEGO®’s enduring popularity is testament to the curiosity, ingenuity and creativity that make so many children natural engineers, and Engineers of the Future is a chance to build on this – helping young people from all backgrounds discover how these skills could be their passport to a varied, well-paid and exciting career that makes a real difference to the world around them.

Government Year of Engineering Envoy, Steven Metcalfe, said:

I’m delighted to be joining with local schools, LEGO® and the Institution of Engineering and Technology at Sage UK, for this fantastic launch event. The Engineers of the Future roadshow will give school children across the country a unique perspective on the exciting opportunities engineering presents when it hits the road in the autumn. If it’s greeted as enthusiastically when it travels the country as it has been in Newcastle then it should prove a tremendous success and an inspiring introduction to the world of engineering for children across the country.

Supported by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the collaboration will build on FIRST® LEGO® League – a global and UK-wide challenge that sees students take on engineering challenges to tackle global problems, from hydro-electricity to space exploration. Engineers of the Future aims to bring this competition to a wider group of young people, through both the schools roadshow and the Engineers of the Future challenge, a competition that encourages FIRST® LEGO® League teams to share their experience with other local schools and create inspiring films of their projects. The winning teams will get the chance to showcase their inventions and films at a special event in Parliament later this year, aimed at demonstrating the importance of modern engineering skills to MPs.

Camilla Bottke, Head of LEGO® Education After School and Competition, said:

For more than 35 years it has been our mission to inspire and develop all children, equipping them with the right skills to empower them to succeed, whatever their background and whatever their ambition. Our experience shows us the importance of supporting the development of STEM skills in children from an early age. We are delighted to be part of the UK government’s Year of Engineering initiative to further our commitment to developing these important STEM skills in children across the country and leveraging technology to give children the opportunity to become aspiring engineers.

Nigel Fine, Chief Executive of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), said:

The IET is the delivery partner for FIRST® LEGO® League in the UK and Ireland. We are extremely proud to be working with both LEGO® and the government to inspire the engineers of the future.

The need for young people with STEM skills has never been greater and the Year of Engineering provides us with a brilliant platform to showcase the fantastic opportunities available to those who follow a career path into the profession. Working with students at the Engineers of the Future roadshows will be a great reminder of why the IET is working to engineer a better world.

LEGO® is the latest company to announce its support for the Year of Engineering, joining the likes of Apple, Usborne and the BBC along with more than 1,400 other businesses, charities, schools and colleges.

The engineering profession needs 203,000 skilled people each year to 2024, and has an annual shortage of 20,000 graduates. The workforce also faces a major lack of diversity – only 12% of engineers are female and just 6% come from black, Asian or minority ethnic groups. The campaign aims to help change this by giving young people in all corners of the UK the chance to take a closer look at engineering by experiencing it for themselves – from meeting engineering role models in their school to taking part in hands on activities and workshops or engineering open doors events with their families.

This summer the Year of Engineering is inviting children to get curious and creative during the school holidays with The Holiday Makers campaign which encourages them to collect engineering experiences and take part in activities at home for the chance to win prizes and wow their classmates.