Chief Guest,

Waheshimiwa,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to this celebration of the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and of the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.

I’d like to thank all my team involved in organising today’s event. In fact you should be grateful for the role they played in overruling me on some of the logistics – particularly what I thought was my rather good suggestion of making it a million shilling package including a helicopter tour of Mount Kenya.

Friends,

Harry and Meghan will be making today the greatest commitment two people can make to each other.
They have decided to use their marriage not just for themselves and their families, but to celebrate the contribution of everyday people to communities in the UK and around the world.

The Royal Couple have invited over 1,000 community and youth leaders to the festivities, alongside 200 charity representatives.

Instead of gifts, they have asked anyone wanting to honour the occasion to give their money or their time to helping others. In particular, they have used their wedding to honour the causes to which they as a couple are deeply committed:

• Supporting children with HIV and AIDS,
• Helping the homeless and those without shelter,
• Empowering the world’s poorest women,
• Supporting Armed Forces families,
• Bringing more children into sport,
• And conservation, both on land, and in our oceans.

Her Majesty the Queen and her family have dedicated their lives to public service. Between them, the family acts as patron or president to 3,000 charitable organisations.

They support and honour a culture of volunteering, of public service, and of working to change the lives of others for the better, both in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth.

As Prince William said earlier this year, such service “nurtures, repairs, builds and sustains our society”. Without the work of charities and volunteers, and of those dedicated to helping others, society would in the Prince’s words “be an empty shell”.

Friends,

I draw inspiration today from the Royal couple’s dedication to public service. And I believe it is a theme of great relevance here in Kenya.

Kenya has spent much of the last year in intense political competition. That has showed the strength and vibrancy of Kenya’s democracy. But it has also brought polarisation and mutual accusation; attacks on Kenya’s institutions; and for some Kenyan families, tragic personal loss.

Kenya’s leaders have now taken the courageous decision to reconcile – to work together and to put their country first.

We welcome and salute that commitment.

And I will continue to call on Kenya’s leaders to pursue reconciliation in the spirit of public service and the greater good.

That means two things in particular.

First, politicians must put the interests of the country, of all Kenyans, before their own ambitions.

Second, a stronger Kenya built on justice can have no place for those who steal from its citizens. Whatever their high rank or station, those who act for private instead of public gain must be held fully to account.

It is the responsibility of all of us to work for positive change in our communities, and our wider society.

So today I would also like to celebrate the contribution of some remarkable individuals here in Kenya.

Among our guests are representatives of organisations who are working to improve lives across this country.

From tackling homelessness, to supporting street children, to helping reduce plastic pollution in our oceans, these are people who have identified a problem, and decided to tackle it. I am proud to be able to welcome them to today’s celebration, and I am sure you will join me in thanking them for the work they are doing in support of their communities.

I’m enormously honoured to count among our guests this afternoon Golda Ayodo, who runs the Golden Girls Foundation. In March this year, Her Majesty the Queen gave Golda the Commonwealth Points of Light award for her outstanding work changing the lives of girls and young women in Western Kenya.

Golda, and our other volunteers here this afternoon, show us how Kenyans from all walks of life and all parts of society can shape and strengthen Kenya, and I hope their examples will serve as an inspiration for others.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is a moment of great promise for this great country of Kenya. The United Kingdom stands with you as Kenya seizes the opportunities ahead.

We do so as a close friend and partner; and as a fellow member of the Commonwealth. We were delighted to welcome HE President Kenyatta to London last month for the Commonwealth Summit, and will work with Kenya as we realise even more of the potential of that great global network.

I want to thank all the sponsors of today’s event.

Chief Guest,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let us join together in celebrating today the marriage of His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms Meghan Markle, and in wishing them a lifetime of happiness together.

Together, we say:

Mungu abariki ndoa yenyu

May God bless your marriage.

I invite you, Ladies and Gentlemen, to join me in three toasts:

The happy couple

His Excellency the President and people of the Republic and Kenya

Her Majesty the Queen.

Photos for the event can be viewed here

Ambitious new plans set out by the Prime Minister today will see around 22,000 fewer people dying from cancer each year by 2033.

Speaking in Macclesfield, the Prime Minister will use a speech to challenge the NHS, Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector and health charities to use data and AI to transform the diagnosis of chronic diseases.

The plans will see at least 50,000 people each year diagnosed at an early stage of prostate, ovarian, lung or bowel cancer – people who would have otherwise been diagnosed at a later and more deadly stage.

This would be done through using emerging technologies to cross reference people’s genetics, habits and medical records with national data to spot those at an early stage of cancer – empowering doctors to make referrals to an oncologist earlier and even ahead of clear symptoms developing.

The Prime Minister is expected to say:

Late diagnosis of otherwise treatable illnesses is one of the biggest causes of avoidable deaths.

And the development of smart technologies to analyse great quantities of data quickly and with a higher degree of accuracy than is possible by human beings opens up a whole new field of medical research and gives us a new weapon in our armoury in the fight against disease.

Achieving this mission will not only save thousands of lives. It will incubate a whole new industry around AI-in-healthcare, creating high-skilled science jobs across the country, drawing on existing centres of excellence in places like Edinburgh, Oxford and Leeds – and helping to grow new ones.

Sir Harpal Kumar, CEO of Cancer Research said:

Earlier detection and diagnosis could fundamentally transform outcomes for people with cancer, as well as saving the NHS money. The Government’s mission to revolutionise healthcare using the power of artificial intelligence is pioneering. Advances in detection technologies depend on the intelligent use of data and have the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives every year. We need to ensure we have the right infrastructure, embedded in our health system, to make this possible.

During the visit he will represent the UK at G20 summit, on Monday 21 May, and hold bilateral meetings with President Mauricio Macri and Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie.

Speaking on arrival in Argentina Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

The relationship between the UK and Argentina has come a long way over the past few years and this visit will be an opportunity to build on and enhance ever closer co-operation on trade, investment, cultural ties, tackling corruption and organised crime, and increasing links in science and technology.

As the UK leaves the European Union, my message is that the UK is open for business. I look forward to a new chapter in our relationship, and booming trade prospects, after the UK leaves the European Union.

In the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary to Argentina in 22 years, Mr Johnson joined Foreign Minister Faurie, Defence Minister Agaud and Security Minister Bullrich at a ceremony at the ‘Monument to the Fallen’. Mr Johnson laid a wreath in honour of those who died on both sides of the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony Foreign Secretary Johnson said:

It is an honour to join Foreign Minister Faurie today, and to lay a wreath at the Monument to the Fallen, commemorating all those who died in the Falkland Islands conflict.

On Monday (21 May) Mr Johnson will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, a summit for 19 countries and the European Union, which will focus on the themes of “Multilateralism and Global Governance” and “Action for a Fair and Sustainable Development”.

Notes to Editors

1. The G20 is made up of 19 countries and the European Union. The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Spain is a permanent invited guest to G20 meetings.
2. This year Argentina has also invited Chile, the Netherlands, Jamaica (representing the CARICOM), Rwanda (representing the African Union), Senegal (representing NEPAD) and Singapore (representing ASEAN) to attend.
3. For further information on the G20 – https://www.g20.org/en

In the first visit of a British Foreign Secretary to Peru in over 50 years, Mr. Johnson joined Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra and other high level Peruvian officials on a visit to Iquitos, located in the Amazon. The Peruvian Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio accompanied Mr Johnson to an animal rescue centre to see animals rescued as part of crackdown on the illegal wildlife trade. The two foreign ministers also signed a treaty on the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications, facilitating greater exchange of people and opportunities for students from both the UK and Peru.

The Foreign Secretary invited Peru to become a partner at then London 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London taking place in October this year.

Speaking ahead of his visit Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

I am delighted to be the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Peru in over 50 years. I look forward to meeting President Vizcarra to strengthen our relationship and discuss areas that we both care passionately about, such as protecting the biodiversity of the Amazon, as well as underlining the opportunities for British business in South America.

Peru is already taking important steps on tackling the illegal wildlife trade and I look forward to building on this work together at the summit in London in October this year.

The Foreign Secretary also visited a remote community on an island in the Amazon River to see first-hand the education challenges in Peru, where 34% of rural girls are illiterate and will also launch a UK-funded solar energy project that is providing energy for the school and its 140 pupils using British lithium battery technology.

The Foreign Secretary also travelled to Peru’s capital Lima, to visit the site of the Lima 2019 Pan American and ParaPan American Games, the world’s fourth largest sporting event in the world.

The UK is already providing Peru with technical support and knowledge sharing to help deliver the Pan Am and Para Pan American Games, the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics is widely recognised as an example of international best practice.

The UK will be providing £177 million for a Sustainable Infrastructure Programme, developed by BEIS (Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy) and delivered by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to encourage further carbon reduction in Peru and three other Latin American countries.

During the visit the Foreign Secretary and President Vizcarra discussed how to build on the success of this partnership and make the UK’s world class expertise available to accelerate a much wider range of infrastructure projects in Peru.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

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In 2016, Alan Yeomans, then of Shedley Manor, Yeavley, was sentenced to 6 and a half years imprisonment for offences including money laundering, bankruptcy offences, and cultivation of cannabis.

At the sentencing hearing at Derby Crown Court, HHJ Shant QC described Mr Yeomans as a liar who had become involved in drug dealing.

Mr Yeomans then faced confiscation proceedings at Derby Crown Court, brought by the Insolvency Service.
On 17 May 2018, HHJ Bennett made a confiscation order against Mr Yeomans, which deprives him of £650,000, being the proceeds of his crimes. If Mr Yeomans fails to pay his confiscation order he faces a further prison sentence of 66 months.

The court recognised that Yeomans, aged 63, had obtained £1 million benefit from his various criminal activities. The assets held by Mr Yeomans included his home, Shedley Manor, as well as Rolex watches and valuable works of art and antiques.

Shedley Manor is a property built by Mr Yeomans and concealed in a barn in the Derbyshire countryside.

Alan Yeomans’ prison sentence followed his conviction in 2016, on charges of failing to disclose to the Official Receiver that he owned antiques and oil paintings worth £83,250, acting in the management of three Derbyshire companies, Shearstud Limited, Easy Tools Limited and B Clarke Limited and money laundering.

At his trial, he pleaded guilty to these offences plus being involved in the production of cannabis and possession of illegal CS gas canisters which were found during the search.

Mr Yeomans continues to serve his prison sentence and will now lose his home and much of his property seized from “Shedley Manor” during the investigation.

Glenn Wicks, the officer in charge of the investigation, commented:

He has been made bankrupt twice and the second bankruptcy was extended by the Official Receiver.

The Insolvency Service has made this man pay for his crimes. He is serving a prison sentence and we have now taken action to ensure that he has not profited from his crimes.

Notes to editors

Alan Yeomans is a two-time bankrupt, having been made bankrupt in 1993 and 2009.His date of birth is November 1954.

Following an Insolvency Service investigation, Mr Yeomans signed a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU) in 2010, for six years.

In 2016, Mr Yeomans received a lengthy prison sentence for a number of crimes ranging from fraud in companies to being involved in the illegal growth of cannabis.

Alan Yeomans, then of Shedley Manor, Yeavely, Derbyshire was charged with failing to disclose to the Official Receiver that he owned antiques and oil paintings worth £83,250, acting in the management of three Derbyshire companies, Shearstud Limited, Easy Tools Limited and B Clarke Limited and money laundering. He pleaded guilty to these offences plus being involved in the production of cannabis and possession of illegal CS gas canisters which were found during the search.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

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

Further information about the work of the Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team is available

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

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