UK aid has matched pound-for-pound the first £2 million of public donations, boosting the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) appeal response to £6 million.

Welcoming the kindness of the UK public, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

The incredible generosity of the British public on behalf of those left suffering and bereaved in Indonesia is truly heart-warming. Your contributions will make a genuine difference to people who need it most.

Through Aid Match we give the British public the ability to help directly to support people in desperate need by matching your donations pound-for-pound, your generosity has meant an additional £2 million being added to this vital appeal.

This comes on top of the support already being provided by the UK government in response to the crisis.

Sir Stephen will take over from Sir Craig Mackey, who is due to retire from policing in December.

The Home Secretary made his recommendation to Her Majesty the Queen following an open competition and with regard to the recommendation of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commissioner.

Sir Stephen was interviewed for the post by a panel chaired by the MPS Commissioner. The panel also included the Mayor of London, who is responsible for oversight of policing in the capital.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said:

The role of Deputy Commissioner is one of the most challenging in policing, so I am delighted that someone with the experience and expertise of Sir Stephen House is taking up the task.

Sir Stephen has demonstrated his leadership qualities, he is the right choice to help steer the country’s biggest force – particularly in its work tackling violent crime in the capital.

I would also like to thank Sir Craig Mackey for his dedication and unstinting service to policing. His career has been truly distinguished and I wish him all the best in his retirement.

Sir Stephen has worked in policing for almost 40 years. He served as the Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police before taking over as the first Chief Constable of Police Scotland in 2012.

Sir Stephen is currently an Assistant Commissioner of the MPS.

MPS Commissioner Cressida Dick said:

The role of Deputy Commissioner requires the ability to lead this huge and complex organisation through ongoing significant change whilst ensuring we are tackling the challenges of keeping the capital safe. London needs someone with a proven and extensive track record operating at this level and the passion to make a real difference. The Deputy Commissioner is also a highly influential role in nationwide police leadership.

Steve combines both immense operational and leadership expertise and experience with a passion for policing and for London. I am confident he will be a superb Deputy Commissioner, and look forward to working with him in his new role. He will be a worthy successor to Craig who has been a brilliant deputy for the past seven years.

I believe this appointment will mean we have an exceptionally strong management board team to give the Met the support and clear direction needed, and to give London the service it deserves.

Valdek Hetman (61), from Ilkeston, Nottinghamshire, received the maximum ban possible and was joined at Derby Crown Court on Monday 1 October by his accomplice Brendon Doherty, who received a 5-year directorship disqualification for assisting him to carry out his offences.

At an earlier hearing on 28 September at Derby Crown Court, Valdek Hetman also received a 6 months’ prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £750 costs. Brendon Doherty was ordered to pay a £600 fine.

The court heard that Valdek Hetman was made bankrupt for 12 months in July 2014, having been petitioned by a supplies company for unpaid bills.

And two years later, he accepted a disqualification undertaking that prevented Valdek Hetman from running companies for 10 years in July 2016 for his role in the liquidation of Abbey Constructions Midlands Limited.

However, despite agreeing to be disqualified and having a range of restrictions placed upon him, Valdek Hetman continued to run companies in direct contravention of the disqualification undertaking he had personally signed.

Following complaints to the Insolvency Service, investigators found proof that Valdek Hetman had been running two companies: Abbey Construction Group (East Midlands) Limited and Abbey Construction East Midlands Limited.

Furthermore, Abbey Construction (East Midlands) Limited had been made subject to compulsory liquidation in March 2015 and the name was banned from being used again. However, Hetman and Doherty committed a further offence when they traded using the name Abbey Construction East Midlands Limited, which was deemed similar to the banned name and allowed them to benefit from the association.

When interviewed by the Insolvency Service, the construction boss said he did not accept the facts given in the disqualification he had personally accepted in 2016.

Valdek Hetman also claimed that he worked as a contracts manager and Brendon Doherty (36) from Nottingham was the real boss and the listed director of Abbey Construction Group (East Midlands) Limited and Abbey Construction East Midlands Limited.

Arwel Jones, Director of Criminal Enforcement for the Insolvency Service, said:

We were able to demonstrate in spite of Valdek Hetman’s assertions, he was clearly running those companies, while his accomplice Brendon Doherty knew exactly was going when he played Hetman’s front-man.

Our actions should serve as a warning that running a company while serving a ban is a serious offence that will land you in further trouble.

On 4 September 2018 both defendants appeared at Derby Crown Court. Valdek Hetman pleaded guilty to two counts of managing a company while disqualified and one count of managing a business known by a prohibited name.

Brendon Doherty was pleaded guilty to one count of assisting Valdek Hetman to act in the management of companies.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

The Joint Working Group, which takes place on Sunday, will focus on the UK and Oman’s partnership on areas such as trade, education and tourism. It will also be an opportunity to discuss regional issues such as the conflicts in Yemen and Syria, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The Minister’s visit also coincides with the Saif Sareea military exercise, which will see Royal Navy ships, Royal Air Force Typhoons and British Army troops train alongside Omani forces in their largest joint exercise for 17 years.

While in Oman, Minister Burt will have the opportunity to see other areas of UK-Omani cooperation in practice. These include a venture between the UK Premier League and the Oman Football Association whereby UK Football Coaches from Bournemouth FC have travelled to Oman to train Omani football coaches. Minister Burt will also attend a roundtable with female alumni of UK universities now working in Oman to improve access to education.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Minister Burt said:

Cooperation between the UK and Oman continues to go from strength to strength. My visit this week is an opportunity to see some tangible examples of that cooperation – from the 5,500 UK troops involved in the joint UK-Oman military exercise, to British football coaches training their Omani counterparts.

Oman remains a lynchpin of relations in the Middle East region, and as ever I value their expertise on Yemen, Syria and wider Gulf issues. The 14th Joint Working Group between our countries is a chance to discuss these areas and build on the positive investment, trade and tourism relationship between the UK and Oman.