As the country rallies to promote our shared values through Hate Crime Awareness Week, the Home Office and the Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government has today (Tuesday 16 October) published an update to the Hate Crime Action Plan.

These new measures include:

• wide-ranging Law Commission review into hate crime – to explore how to make current legislation more effective and consider if there should be additional protected characteristics, such as misogyny and age
• new nationwide public awareness campaign to launch later this autumn designed to educate on what hate crime is
• extending the Home Office Places of Worship Scheme for a further year to support more religious institutions which are vulnerable to hate attacks
• improving police response by offering call handlers specialist training on how to support hate crime victims and revamping the True Vision reporting website
• over £1.5 million of further funding for groups such as the Anne Frank Trust and Kick It Out, which support young people to challenge prejudice and hatred
• anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim roundtables, hosted by ministers, to discuss responses to these issues

The refresh has been designed to address specific concerns across all 5 monitored strands of hate crime:

• race
• religion
• sexual orientation
• transgender identity
• disability

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Hate crime goes directly against the long-standing British values of unity, tolerance and mutual respect – and I am committed to stamping this sickening behaviour out.

Our refreshed action plan sets out how we will tackle the root causes of prejudice and racism, support hate crime victims and ensure offenders face the full force of the law.

The updated plan includes over £1.5 million of new funding for programmes that work with schools and young people to challenge discriminatory beliefs, promote positive discussions and encourage reporting. This includes supporting Kick It Out to challenge attitudes and behaviour in grassroots football and continue its work with Show Racism the Red Card.

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

It is completely unacceptable that anyone should live in fear of intimidation and violence because of their beliefs or the colour of their skin. We must challenge prejudice and intolerance, whenever and wherever it appears in our society.

Alongside publishing our refreshed plan to tackle hate crime, I am pleased to announce further funding of over £1.5 million for projects that challenge the attitudes that underpin racially and religiously motivated crime.

Minister for Faith, Lord Bourne added:

Britain is a proudly tolerant nation, where everyone has the right to live according to their beliefs. Despite this, in recent years we have seen increased reports of religiously motivated hate crime, intolerance and prejudice.

The publication of today’s updated plan reaffirms this government’s belief that there can never be an excuse for hatred towards anyone. Wherever we find it, we will oppose it and challenge it.

As well as extending the Places of Worship Scheme from 3 to 4 years, the Home Office confirmed today that 45 places of worship have been awarded nearly £800,000 in the latest round of funding through the scheme.

This year, grants have been awarded to 9 churches, 22 mosques, 2 Hindu temples and 12 Sikh gurdwaras. Since the scheme launched in 2016, 89 grants worth over £760,000 have been allocated to places of worship across England and Wales.

Minister for Countering Extremism, Baroness Williams said:

While I am proud that the UK continues to be a tolerant country we know that, sadly, there are pockets of people who attempt to intimidate religious communities through violence and abuse just because of their faith.

The Places of Worship Scheme works to ensure religious freedoms are protected and I am pleased this funding can provide further reassurance to others that this government will support them.

The publication outlines the progress made against actions committed to in 2016. Completed actions include launching the Building a Stronger Britain Together programme, funding for organisations across all hate crime strands and carrying out a project with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to challenge hateful attitudes.

Further new commitments from across government and partner organisations in the refresh include the following:

• the Crown Prosecution Service to update its hate crime resource pack for schools – to help teachers engage and equip pupils on issues of hostility and intolerance
• Government Equalities Office to provide further funding for anti-bullying interventions in schools from March 2019 to March 2020
• extending government’s engagement with disabled people – to better understand the nature of those hate crimes and their impacts
• taking forward commitments in this summer’s LGBT Action Plan – including measures to examine the provision of victims services and enhance police training
• the Office for Students will provide over £480,000 of funding for 11 new projects to tackle religion-based hate crime and harassment, as part of its student safeguarding scheme
• the government will be supporting projects that encourage reporting, such as True Vision and Stop Hate UK which will tackle online abuse

The refresh comes ahead of the latest hate crime annual statistics, which are due to be released today.

Top businesses across the UK have today announced significant pledges worth hundreds of millions of pounds to tackle climate change, marking the government’s first ever Green GB & NI Week.

Around 30 of the UK’s largest companies, from financial services to high street retailers, have unveiled plans to help cut emissions, from installing solar panels on office roofs to provide power for thousands of homes, to overhauling fleets of diesel trucks.

The UK is already a world leader when it comes to tackling climate change, cutting emissions by more than 40% since 1990 – more than any other G7 country on a per person basis – whilst growing the economy. Through the modern Industrial Strategy, the government will continue to maximise the advantages for UK industry from the global shift to clean growth by leading the world in the development, manufacture and use of low carbon technologies and services. The number of ‘green collar’ job opportunities could reach 2 million by 2030 as part of this drive.

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry said:

Governments cannot confront this unprecedented global challenge alone.

We need businesses around the world to step up to the mark and today our largest companies are leading the way, making significant pledges worth millions to cut emissions while continuing to grow the green economy.

Today I’m calling on all businesses, from family farms in Herefordshire to banks in the Square Mile, to take action to mark our first ever Green GB Week. Whether it’s getting rid of plastic cups or installing solar panels – everyone business can play their part.

Other significant pledges announced today (in alphabetical order):

• Admiral Group will get 100% of its future controlled energy contracts from green sources, all water cups will be changed from plastic to paper and all hot food cartons will be recyclable and biodegradable in all on-site canteens
• Amazon announced that it has signed a deal to power its UK buildings with 100% renewable energy as well as planning to deploy up to 20MW of large-scale rooftop solar systems on 10 of its fulfilment centres in the UK over the coming 18 months, generating the equivalent amount of electricity required to power over 4,500 UK homes
• Barratt Homes will reduce construction waste intensity by 20% per annum (tonnes per 100m2) by 2025 and they will procure renewable energy for 100% of non-landlord supplied offices by the end of October 2018
• Coca-Cola London Eye will light up green to signal the start of Green GB Week and its support for the mission
• Deloitte has already targeted the highest sustainability standards in their new London headquarters – and they pledge to apply the same principles to all future UK office fit-outs
• EDF Energy, the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity and the biggest supplier of electricity by volume in Great Britain, have committed to electrifying their own fleet, currently around 1,500 vehicles, by 2030, double the objective set by the government by that same deadline and saving up to 6.2 metric tonnes of CO2 a year as a result
• Hargreaves Lansdown will save hundreds and thousands of pieces of paper by transferring more investments and pensions between providers online
• HSBC UK Pensions Scheme will invest £250 million into the UK’s thriving renewable energy infrastructure, investing in solar parks and wind farms around the country
• John Lewis Partnership will revolutionise its 500-strong fleet of John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners delivery trucks, turning their current diesel lorries into bio-methane clean machines by 2028 cutting emissions by over 80% and saving more than 49,000 tonnes of CO2 every year – equivalent to the carbon footprint of just over 6,000 UK households
• KPMG will replace all single-use plastic cups in every hot drinks dispenser with compostable or paper cups
• Lidl and Tesco have launched their brand new zero-deforestation soy policies – setting out how zero-deforestation commitments will be implemented by 2025 – almost half of all tropical deforestation since 2000 was driven by global soft commodities like soy and palm oil

It comes just days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a report warning about the devastating effects of global warming. The government responded yesterday (Monday 15 October) by seeking advice from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) about setting a date for achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, it is committed to growing a clean, green economy in which both business and the environment can thrive.

Today, companies in the low-carbon heating sector will announce significant further investment in the industry, with companies including Engie, Vattenfall, SSE and Metropolitan committing more than £320 million of investment to stimulate growth in low carbon heating schemes for towns and cities across the UK, matching government funding.

Russell Picot, Chair of the Trustee Board, HSBC Bank Pension Trust (UK) Limited, said:

Renewable energy infrastructure can provide attractive risk adjusted returns for investors seeking predictable cash flows derived from real assets over the long term. The investment characteristics of inflation linked assets such as these are well suited to provide the income required to meet our long-term pension liabilities.

Justin Laney, Partner & General Manager of Central Transport, John Lewis Partnership, said:

We have been pioneering the adoption of long-distance biomethane trucks in the UK and scaling this up to our entire heavy truck fleet will deliver significant environmental and operational benefits. 5 biomethane trucks produce the same emissions as one diesel lorry and they are also much quieter, helping reduce not only greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution but also noise pollution in our cities.

Renewables have become a mainstream, cheap power source for the UK, generating 30% of our electricity a year. Half of this comes from wind alone, which powers more than 14 million homes annually, reducing the UK’s carbon emissions by over 25 million tonnes a year.

During this year, the UK has generated record levels of solar and offshore wind, went 3 days without using coal for electricity generation, launched its nuclear sector deal and set a target of all new cars and vans being effectively zero emission by 2040. And today’s significant boost shows that more and more businesses are now seizing the opportunities presented by this ‘clean-growth’ revolution.

It follows pledges made earlier this month as part of Green GB Week, including:

• energy giant SSE committed to reducing the carbon intensity of electricity generated by a further 50% by 2030 based on 2018 levels – 75% down on 2016 levels
• Kingfisher, which owns B&Q and Screwfix, will help their customers cut water and energy use in their homes by 50% by 2025
• Marks & Spencer has pledged to make all of their packaging widely recyclable by 2022

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy today announced up to £7 million funding to encourage smaller businesses to scale up energy efficiency projects to be launched in spring 2019.

Through the modern Industrial Strategy, the government is building an economy that works for everyone:

• backing businesses to create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK
• boosting productivity
• investing in skills, industries and infrastructure for the future

For further information about each of the individual pledges, photos, case studies and spokespeople, please contact the press offices below:

Government has launched a pledge wall in association with edie.net showcasing a growing list of sustainable business commitments.

The Clean Growth Grand Challenge is at the heart of the modern Industrial Strategy.

The Government has announced a review to deliver fair funding for farmers in all four parts of the UK when we leave the EU.

The Secretary of State announced today that an independent advisory panel will look at what factors should determine the distribution of agriculture funding between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in this Parliament.

This will consider each country’s individual circumstances, including environmental, agricultural and socio-economic factors. Farm numbers and farm sizes will also be taken into account to make sure all parts of the UK are treated fairly.

The review, led by Lord Bew of Donegore, will provide recommendations for how the annual amount of convergence funding is fairly split between the four countries in the remainder of this Parliament once the UK has left the Common Agricultural Policy. It will be informed by previous allocations but will not revisit these decisions or redistribute money that has already been committed.

Lord Bew was Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life for five years and has contributed to a number of Bills, reviews and reports since his appointment as a non-party-political peer by the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission in February 2007. He will be joined by an experienced panel made up of representatives from each part of the UK. Lord Curry of Kirkhale, Jim Walker, Rebecca Williams and Leo O’Reilly have been appointed to the panel to represent England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.

The government is also committing that it will not simply apply the Barnett formula to changes in Defra funding beyond this Parliament. This means that farmers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will not just be allocated funding according to the population size of each nation, which are in each case significantly smaller than England.

The Government has already confirmed that overall funding for UK farm support will be protected in cash terms to the end of the Parliament in 2022, providing more certainty than any other EU member state.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

This important review, led by Lord Bew, will explore how we can deliver funding for farmers that supports the individual needs of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We are committed to making sure that future funding is fairly allocated, and are also confirming that the Government won’t simply apply the Barnett formula to Defra’s funding beyond this parliament.

Meanwhile our funding commitment up until the end of the Parliament gives more certainty for UK farmers than any other EU member state. Lord Bew said:

“I’m very pleased to be chairing this review to explore an issue that is important to so many in the agriculture sector. I am anxious to consult widely and I look forward to getting started as soon as my fellow panel members have been appointed.”

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

This review will establish fair funding arrangements for our vital Welsh farming industry. With the UK Government committing to do away with a Barnett model for agricultural funding, farmers in every part of Wales can look forward to greater future financial protection.

Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell said:

The UK Government is committed to delivering fair funding for farmers and has already guaranteed the same cash total for farm support in all parts of the UK until 2022. This review is an opportunity to ensure the challenges Scotland’s unique landscape brings are fully recognised in future farm support allocations.

Under the present arrangements, Scotland receives twice as much money for farming support than might be expected were the Barnett formula alone to be used. The commitment that future agriculture funding will not simply be Barnettised should be welcomed across the board.

This reinforces our commitment to Scottish farmers and I urge the Scottish Government to stop keeping them in the dark about its plans for the future of agriculture in Scotland.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, said:

The farming industry is one of Northern Ireland’s most significant employers, making a vital contribution to economic growth.

We welcome this important review into ensuring a fair allocation of funding for farmers across Northern Ireland and the whole of the United Kingdom.

The review will conclude prior to the 2019 Spending Review with the aim of informing future funding decisions. The Terms of Reference can be read in full on gov.uk.

The panel will be engaging with the devolved administrations and stakeholders across the UK throughout the course of the review. If you wish to get in touch with the review secretariat, you can do so at intra-UK-allocations-review@defra.gov.uk

The UK is providing a major new UK aid package to help screen, prevent and tackle malnutrition in Yemen, Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt announced today.

The UN estimates that 17.8 million people do not have reliable access to food across Yemen, including 1.8 million children who are acutely malnourished.

Today’s UK aid package will screen 2.2 million children under the age of five for malnutrition and provide urgent treatment for 70,000 of the most vulnerable children.

UK aid will also:

• provide treatment to 3.2 million children suffering from childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, measles and chickenpox;
• enable 818,000 people to access water and sanitation which will help to prevent diseases from spreading; and help to prevent anaemia in 500,000 children by supporting iron and folic acid supplementation (nearly 90% of under-fives in Yemen are anaemic);
• scale up mobile health teams to provide care to the most vulnerable that might otherwise be unable to access health services.

Speaking on UN World Food Day, Minister Burt said:

The UK is extremely concerned at the deepening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, including recent reports of the growing risk of famine to millions of Yemenis who do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Children are suffering the most and are 12 times more likely to die from diseases. Today’s UK aid package will help identify cases of malnourishment earlier and provide life-saving care for those most in need.

We continue to call on all parties to this conflict to support the UN Special Envoy’s peace talks to find a political solution, which is the only way to bring the humanitarian crisis to an end.

UK aid is also supporting the World Food Programme (WFP) to support over 800,000 Yemenis with food vouchers for one month.

The UK has been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Yemeni crisis. It has consistently been one of the largest donors to the crisis and has helped secure vital access for food, fuel and medicine.

Last year UK aid support to UNICEF helped to successfully treat over 166,000 children for severe acute malnutrition and 1.4 million children for common illnesses.

Meritxell Relaño, UNICEF Representative in Yemen, said:

The United Kingdom, through its Department for International Development (DFID), is a key partner of UNICEF work in Yemen. Since 2016, DFID, along with other donors, has supported the humanitarian response in Yemen, particularly in the health and nutrition sectors, providing rapid response to disease outbreaks and helping vulnerable children and their mothers to access food.

Just yesterday, the United Nations warned that 13 million people in Yemen are on the brink of famine.

This renewed commitment from DFID comes at a time when we need support from our partners more than ever, to provide more than 2.5 million malnourished children with the urgent assistance they need to survive.

 Notes to editors

• Today’s UK aid package of a £96.5 million programme will fund UNICEF to tackle malnutrition in Yemen over three years. This is a multi-year commitment, and some of today’s funding is from the £170 million announced on 3 April 2018 in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen for this financial year (2018/2019).
• The £170 million UK funding announced in April 2018 brought the total UK bilateral support to Yemen to over £570 million since the conflict began in 2015.
• As well as supporting the frontline delivery of medical care and assistance, UK aid will also strengthen health systems in Yemen by providing expertise to public health authorities to improve policies and strengthen the monitoring of malnutrition to enable officials to make better-informed decisions.
• Minister Burt chaired a side-event at the United Nations General Assembly last month to issue a Call to Action to the UN, NGOs and donors to tackle malnutrition in Yemen more comprehensively.