31 March 2017

The co-leaders of the Greens, Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley, delivered a ‘special message’ to young people at their Spring Conference today saying that they offer a party interested in ‘moving forward, not turning the clocks back’. [1]

Speaking to their conference in Liverpool the co-leaders – elected last Autumn – promised action against an ‘extreme Brexit’, opposition to tuition fees and action to bring ‘private rents under control’.

Caroline Lucas said:

“Whether you voted Leave or Remain, you need a Party that will stand up with consistency, integrity and conviction for your rights. For young people in particular, let down by Brexit, the Green message is one of a more hopeful alternative. Young people deserve a Party that will say loudly and clearly: freedom of movement is your right, tuition fees must be scrapped and private rents brought under control. So today we have this message for young people in Britain. If you want a Party interested in moving forwards, not turning the clock back. A Party that’s honest about the challenges we face and brave enough to build a better, more hopeful country. Then come and join us – the Green Party.”

The Green Party – who are currently fighting hard in the Manchester Gorton after coming second there in the General Election – are aiming to appeal to young voters who are disappointed with Labour’s stance on Brexit – and who won’t trust the Lib Dems after their years in coalition.

Lucas said the Greens are ‘a political movement that redistributes both money and power. One that redefines the relationship between work and life. One that embraces the future.  Pioneering and forward facing. A future better balanced between what we own and how we experience life – and tipped towards what genuinely makes us happier.’

She went on to say that her party ‘is exploring policies like a 3 day weekend, and fair pay. Local banks for the public good. People powered renewable energy. Reclaiming houses as homes, not financial assets. Education as a universal right not a commodity.  Proudly defending and sharing the benefits of free movement.’

Speaking after the triggering of Article 50 this week, and the publication of the Great Repeal Bill White Paper, Jonathan Bartley said the Greens are the only party to truly understand environmental protection.

He said:

“In the story of our future, the environment must be centre stage. It has to be. And we are the only Party that truly understands that. That’s why the Green Party is demanding a new Environmental Protection Act. One that takes everything good about EU law and goes even further.”

Notes:

1. FULL SPEECH HERE.

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New innovative video game developers will see their drawing board dreams take a step closer to reality as Culture and the Digital Economy Minister Matt Hancock announced the third round of winners of the UK Games Fund at the launch of the London Games Festival.

Fifteen projects including mobile, PC, console and VR games across the UK have been selected in the third round of funding and will now receive grants to develop their prototypes. Recognising that many small businesses lack the capital to help develop their ideas and attract private investment, the Fund invites businesses to apply for grants to take current projects and make them into working prototype games.

Aimed at helping creative young businesses get concepts off the drawing board and into production, the £4 million UK Games fund was set up to further growth, nurture talent and provide additional support to the sector which is recognised globally for its creativity and skill.

Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock said:

I am proud of our global reputation for excellence in games development and hope this cash boost helps these projects become the leading games of tomorrow.

Video games, and the wider creative industries, are at the heart of our work on developing a new industrial strategy, and we will continue to do all we can to help build on the success of the sector and promote it as a major economic and cultural force.

To date, the UK Games Fund has awarded 55 grants, with many of these supported projects going on to secure further funding, creative development and publishing opportunities as a result of this investment. Now worth £87 billion to the economy, the creative industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories. The Fund forms part of a package of measures government has introduced to boost working capital for the sector including the UK’s video games tax relief which supports home-grown studios and attracts inward investment.

The newly published Digital Strategy highlights how the UK Games Fund helps create the right conditions for the UK games development industry as part of the government’s plan to ensure that the benefits of digital are felt by every business and individual across the country.

Paul Durrant, Managing Director, UK Games Talent and Finance CIC said:

Interest in the UK Games Fund has continued at exceptionally high level, reflecting the potential of this sector to continue to contribute to future economic growth. This broad regional spread of talent shows how young games development businesses continue to have potential contribute to productivity increases across the UK.

Third round winners subject to final due diligence and contract include:

• Fourth State Ltd (Ipswich)
• Stormcloud Games Limited (Dundee)
• Bitmap Bureau Ltd, (Southampton)
• Robot House Games Ltd (Waterlooville)
• Quite Fresh Ltd (Brighton)
• Dumpling Design Ltd (Sheffield)
• Crash Lab Ltd (Nottingham)
• Third Kind Games Limited (Leamington Spa)
• Lost Forest Games Ltd (Horsham)
• Rogue Sun Ltd (Guildford)
• Biome Collective (Dundee)
• Vorpal Games Ltd (Manchester)
• The Chinese Room (Brighton)
• Ruffian Games Ltd (Dundee).

The UK Games Fund is managed by UK Games Talent and Finance Community Interest Company. Businesses can apply for the fourth round of funding later this year.

Read Matt Hancock’s speech at the London Games Festival

In October 2015 Government launched the £4 million UK Games Fund to help boost the development of the UK’s video games sector. Key features of the Fund include:

• Grants of up to £25,000 to help new and young games development businesses create working prototype games.

• Talent development initiatives – this includes competitions for students and graduate teams to create and showcase new games, and mentoring for businesses and individuals.

• The Fund has received more than 500 applications from young businesses since the initiative launched in 2015.

In the build up to the Battle of Passchendaele commemorations, MOD’s Defence Business Services (DBS) will, for the first time, be displaying a complete set of World War 1 service records relating to a Passchendaele veteran. The display forms the centrepiece of the MOD DBS Records exhibition at this year’s Who Do You Think You Are? Live event at the NEC Birmingham from 6 to 8 April 2017.

World War 1 service records, Crown Copyright

World War 1 service records, Crown Copyright

The MOD archives, managed by DBS, holds the records for service personnel discharged after 1921 and around 500,000 of these individuals will have seen service in World War 1. As part of the centenary anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, DBS will be looking into one soldier’s story, Company Sergeant Major John Brandie.

World War 1 service records, Crown Copyright

The son of a farm worker, John Brandie was born in Aberdeen on 1 July 1890. He enlisted into the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders in 1908, having previously worked as a Town Carter. Having survived the Battle of Passchendaele and the First World War, he became a Postal Worker and subsequently a Commercial Clerk. John Brandie died in Aberdeen on 22 Dec 1954.

World War 1 service records, Crown Copyright

John Brandie’s service record will be on display on the MOD DBS stand at the Who Do You Think You Are? Live event with experts on hand from DBS to interpret the information they contain. This faciniating documentation will provide a real insight into what life was like during that time.

World War 1 service records, Crown Copyright

The Who Do You Think You Are? Live event takes place between the 6 and 8 April at the NEC, Birmingham. For more see www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com.

Countries, territories and organisations invited by Department for International Trade Defence and Security Organisation (DIT DSO) to attend Security and Policing 2017.

The government is launching the Personal Support Package, which includes £330 million of additional employment support over 4 years for people who due to an illness or disability are unable to work at the moment, but may be able to in the future.

This will also include:

• 300 new Disability Employment Advisers in jobcentres across the country
• a one-to-one health and work conversation with a Jobcentre Plus Work Coach to help raise confidence in managing a health condition, when appropriate
• the introduction, from the summer, of a new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Claimant Commitment for disabled people or those with a health condition who are out of work, setting out the support the Jobcentre will provide and what is expected of claimants
• personalised support provided to new ESA claimants placed in the work- related activity group, and new claimants of Universal Credit’s equivalent group, to help them move closer to the jobs market and, when they are ready, into work

Other welfare reforms also come into effect in April to further help those who can work get back into work, while ensuring support is in place for those who need it. These include the more generous Universal Credit taper, starting on 10 April, which will mean claimants keep more of their earnings as they build up their work hours.

The other changes were all announced in the summer 2015 Budget and have been legislated.

From 1 April

Delivering on the government’s commitment to remove automatic entitlement to housing support for 18 to 21-year-olds for new claims to full service Universal Credit. This means that young people will no longer be able to choose to leave home and claim housing support straight away, and young people on benefits will have to face the same housing decisions as young people in work. Those who are in work, or have been in work for the previous six months, and vulnerable people including young care leavers, those with dependent children and those in temporary accommodation, are exempt.

From 3 April

New claimants to ESA who are placed in the work-related activity group and new claimants to Universal Credit placed in the limited capability for work group will get the same rate as the job-seeking equivalent in both benefits to reduce barriers against starting to prepare for work and focus support on those who need it the most.

In order to ensure parents have the best chance of returning to work after having children, those in receipt of Universal Credit will be expected to prepare for employment when their youngest child turns 2 and to look for work when their youngest child turns 3. Under Universal Credit, parents in work can claim up to 85% of their childcare costs back.

From 6 April

Child Tax Credits and the child element of Universal Credit will be limited to 2 children, so benefit recipients face the same family planning decisions as those who support themselves solely through work.

The higher rate of child element for the first child in Universal Credit and the family element in tax credits will also be removed for claims where the eldest child is born on or after this date.

Also coming into effect on April 6 is the Bereavement Support Payment, which widens help so that more bereaved people get the support they need. It will replace Bereavement Allowance, Widowed Parent’s Allowance and the Bereavement Payment for those who lose a spouse or civil partner on or after this date.

Media enquiries for this press release – 0203 267 5112

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