Taps, showers, dishwashers and washing machines could all have new water efficiency labels, in a move which will help save consumers over £270 million on bills over 10 years.

The plans, subject to a 12-week consultation launched today (2 September) by the UK Government and Devolved Administrations, will encourage the purchase of more water-efficient products and help customers manage their water and energy bills.

Based on 2019 prices, the label could save £125 million on water bills and £147 million on energy bills over 10 years, as well as 1,200 million litres of water a day – the equivalent of 480 Olympic swimming pools.

Water Minister Steve Double said:

Water is a precious resource. We want to support consumers so they can make savings without having to make significant changes to their daily lives.

These plans will help people to make the right choices to save water and reduce their energy bills.

The proposals aim to introduce a separate water label from the existing energy label for display on toilets, urinals, kitchen sink taps, bathroom basin taps, non-electric shower outlet devices and shower assembly solutions, dishwashers, washing machines and combination washer/dryers.

Hot water use is the second largest use of energy in a home after space heating. Installing a water-efficient showerhead could save an average household (2.3 occupants) 3,762 litres of water, and £17.44 off their combined utility bills per year. A family of four could save 6,468 litres and about £30 off their combined energy and water bill each year.

In 2021 alone, energy efficiency labelling and minimum performance standards led to energy bill savings of £75 for the average dual-fuel household.

David Black, Ofwat CEO, said:

This summer has highlighted the importance of water. Water labelling is a key tool, helping everybody make informed choices that can reduce their water use and bills. 

Managing water demand plays a role in tackling the pressures on our water system, alongside pushing water companies to reduce leakage and looking at new sources and water transfers to increase our future water supply. We support the proposals and look forward to seeing the outcome of this consultation.

Christine McGourty, Water UK Chief Executive, said:

The Government’s proposals on water efficiency labelling are a vital step forward in reducing the amount of water we all use, and will allow customers to make informed decisions as well as save money and energy.

Alongside the work that water companies are already doing to tackle leakage from pipes, and invest in infrastructure, cutting water use will help make our water supply more resilient to the existential challenges of climate change.

The consultation launch follows a commitment from the Environment Secretary last year to introduce a mandatory efficiency label as part of wider plans to safeguard water supplies.

The package includes asking water companies to develop a consistent approach on fixing customer supply pipe leakage and developing a roadmap towards greater water efficiency in new  developments and through retrofits.

These measures, along with the work from water companies to reduce leakage by 50%, will help meet the ambitions set out in the National Framework for Water Resources to reduce personal water consumption to 110 litres per person per day by 2050, compared with the current average of 145 litres.

This year we have witnessed the driest July across England since 1935, and since records began for the East and South East.

We have been clear water companies must take urgent action to fix leaks, and Ofwat has put in place clear financial consequences for companies that underperform on leakage. We also expect water companies to make use of smarter technology to help manage water demand and reduce leaks.

This comes alongside ongoing action to hold companies to account on sewage spills. On Friday 26 August we announced that water companies will face the strictest targets on pollution from sewage ever under a new plan to tackle sewage discharges in our waters.

You can respond to the consultation here.

The UK and the Government of Rwanda have today (Friday 2nd September), announced the appointment of a new panel consisting of eight experts, who will provide independent oversight of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the UK and Rwanda.

The Independent Monitoring Committee is made up of members with a diverse range of expertise, including within the human rights, migration, asylum, international law and business sectors. They will be responsible for reviewing and reporting on the delivery of the partnership, including monitoring the end-to-end operations from the UK to Rwanda.

This will include reviewing and reporting on the implementation of the commitments made in the arrangement between the two governments, outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel said:

Our world-first migration partnership will help to stop dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys being made to the UK, while giving people the opportunity to claim asylum in Rwanda and rebuild their lives.

I am proud to be working with the Rwandan government on this world-leading policy, and our new Monitoring Committee will play a key role in holding both governments to account so we can deliver on our commitments to the British public and save lives.

Rwandan Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Dr. Vincent Biruta, said:

Rwanda looks forward to working with the UK to implement the innovative Migration and Economic Development Partnership, which will offer a safe, secure home for people seeking protection, as well as a chance for migrants to live, work and develop alongside Rwandans.

The members of the Monitoring Committee are experienced and highly committed individuals who will ensure that the programme is delivered to high standards and becomes a sustainable solution to the global imbalance in human capital opportunities, a major factor that is driving irregular and dangerous migration.

The Monitoring Committee will highlight any areas of concern immediately to the co-chairs of the Joint Committee, a panel of senior officials from both governments.

It includes experts from around the world, who have a wealth of experience across migration policy, international law and academia.

Members appointed by the UK Government

Harish Salve QC

Harish Salve is internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading legal counsels, who formerly served as Solicitor General of India and is a senior advocate at the Indian Bar. He is an experienced and senior immigration lawyer whose practice includes public international law and human rights. A highly experienced senior lawyer; he has built a global reputation for international commercial arbitration and litigation. His practice also encompasses public international law and human rights.

Karina Kielbinska

Karina Kielbinska is an international business management and marketing expert with a wealth of experience across the private and public sector. Most recently she served as Chair of the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre, which plays a crucial role in giving independent oversight of prisons and places of immigration detention, to ensure the conditions and humane treatment of people in detention. Previously she has worked as a global marketing director for GlaxoSmithKline and held marketing director roles at Cadbury both in the UK and Australia.

Morten Lisborg

Morten Lisborg is a Danish independent migration and policy advisor with over 20 years’ experience across the sector in various roles. He has worked with migration and refugee issues for numerous agencies and organizations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and in Europe. Morten has published several reports and articles on challenges related to the current European asylum system and provides policy advice to Danish political parties. In 2020 Morten was appointed as a member of the Danish Council for Development Policy.

Alexander Downer

Alexander Downer is an immigration expert currently serving as Executive Chair at the International School for Government, King’s College London. He was appointed in February 2022 to lead a wide-ranging, independent review of Border Force to assess its structure, powers, funding and priorities to ensure it can keep pace with rapidly evolving threats and continue to protect the border.

Members appointed by the Rwandan Government

Diko Mukete

Diko Mukete is the Vice Chair of the Board of Rwanda Finance Limited. He is on the Management Board of the African Legal Support Facility in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. He is an experienced economist and lawyer with a 25 year career at the African Development Bank (AfDB), where he led several successful economic and financial policy dialogues with governments across Africa. He is a Barrister-at-Law of Gray’s Inn, London, and a member of the Cameroon Bar Association.

Julien Kavaruganda

Julien Kavaruganda is founder and senior partner of K-Solutions & Partners, a corporate law firm in Kigali in Rwanda, and an experienced lawyer who has held various leadership posts in regional bar associations. He practiced at the Brussels Bar Association in Belgium, before joining the Rwanda Bar Association where he is the immediate past president. He is also Vice Chairman of the Kigali International Arbitration Centre, and on the Board of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association.

John P Sendanyoye

John P Sendanyoye is a retired senior official of the International Labour Organization (ILO), where he headed the Service Sectors Team and previously served as Regional Programming Officer for Africa and Asia and the Pacific in Cote d’Ivoire and Thailand respectively. He has vast experienced in international labour activities including global dialogue on the impact of financial crisis on workers, and has published numerous papers and articles related to his work in ILO.

Marie Sylvie Kawera

Marie Sylvie Kawera has been a commissioner of Rwanda’s National Commission for Human Rights since 2017, where she is actively involved in the monitoring, evaluation and investigation of diverse human rights issues. Previously, she has been a lawyer and adviser to civil society organizations and political parties.

The candidates were chosen following a rigorous selection process led by the Joint Committee. Appointments were jointly agreed by the co-chairs of the Joint Committee.

Further information

Terms of Reference and full member bios for the Monitoring Committee

Terms of Reference and Summary of Notes for the Joint Committee

UK-RW Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

Factsheet: Migration and Economic Development Partnership

Good afternoon everyone

Thank you, David and Don, for your warm welcome and to the Australian British Chamber of Commerce for inviting me to speak today.

I want to acknowledge the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains and pay respect to their elders past, present and emerging.

It’s great to be here in Adelaide, the final stop on my Australia and New Zealand trade tour.

This great city doesn’t just regularly top lists of the most liveable and friendly places on the planet…

It’s also known for its progressive spirit.

This is, the city where the Aboriginal flag was flown for the first time – just over the road in Victoria Square.

And speaking as a female politician, it’s thought provoking to reflect that South Australia was among the first places in the world to give women the vote, back in 1894.

Today, South Australia has gained a formidable reputation for both complex industry and creative forward thinking:

Alongside the food and drink produced by your agricultural sector and sold around the world…

You are growing an extraordinary naval engineering and advanced manufacturing sector; I have been able to catch up with some great UK businesses welcomed here, from BAE systems working on your next generation of frigates, to MacTaggart Scott and Babcock, focused on providing critical technology and long-term support to your Navy.

The dynamic combination of industry, research, and entrepreneurs, is making new Adelaide districts like Lot 14 and Tonsley, hotbeds for the cyber security, quantum computing and renewable energy sectors…

South Australia isn’t just meeting the challenges of the modern, globalised world, it’s embracing them.

So, it was great that in January our Foreign Secretary and the South Australian Premier cemented our partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding.

Over the last four days, I have seen for myself that the bonds connecting the UK with Australia are stronger than ever.

We, of course have the historical, cultural, sporting and linguistic ties that have linked our nations over the centuries…

And the visitors we each welcome every year from one another’s countries –are now back on the rise following Covid-19.

We also have a shared perspective on the world:

Our joint belief in the values of democracy, free and fair trade, and the rules-based international order.

We welcome Australia’s ongoing commitment to a free, stable and open Indo-Pacific region, based on the rule of law, human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Right now, close to home for us, we are feeling those shared values threatened in Europe by Putin’s illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

War on European soil, with an aggressor challenging the democratic and sovereign rights of a country, a neighbour, to exist.

In times like these, deep and longstanding friendships like the one we have with Australia, are more important than ever.

Together, we show the world that we stand up for liberty, that we will fight back against tyranny and we will defend, for our citizens, the shared values on which our societies are built.

And those values are at the heart of how we are using the power of free trade to reinforce the UK and Australia’s enduring partnership.

Our commercial relationship is, of course, already flourishing…

Last year, we did over £14 billion worth of business with one another.

British design and engineering will be integral to the new Qantas direct flights between Sydney and London.  With Rolls-Royce engines manufactured in Bristol, and Airbus aircraft wings made in North Wales, soon to be powering even closer links between our countries…

While Clare Valley Riesling and Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon are firm favourites in UK supermarkets.

Almost every day there’s another example of a new investment or commercial deal between our nations.

But our trading partnership is about much more than the simple exchange of goods and services – excellent though these are!

Our mutual trade is a powerful means of addressing some of the biggest issues of the day… working together in multilateral fora such as the G20, the OECD and with the like-minded World Trade Organization members that make up the Ottawa Group.

Just a few months ago at the WTO, we collaborated on the global response to the food security crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine, along with a series of other major challenges.

Don and I are both very much focused on building this close and productive relationship.

Right now, we’re working closely on the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership.

The UK is aiming to accede by the end of this year, and joining CPTPP is a demonstration of our foreign policy focus aligning with the global economic tilt towards the Indo-Pacific.

For the UK, the benefits of membership are compelling: Access to a high standards, free trade area – a powerful trade bloc, growing at pace which we look forward to joining.

As a like-minded friend to Australia and other CPTPP nations – we will bring a new, strong and persuasive voice to the partnership… and unrelentingly make the case for upholding our values, protecting high standards and increasing collaboration on joint priorities.

e are, of course, also furthering our bilateral relationship through the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which we signed a few months ago.

When the deal was first discussed, Prime Minister Boris Johnson famously said Australia would give us Tim Tams, while we would give you Penguin Bars.

I’ve no doubt that the fierce debate on the delights of UK versus Australian confectionery and Marmite versus Vegemite will, much like our conversations around cricket, continue long into the future…

(I’m a Marmite girl, sorry!)

But this agreement is a win-win for businesses in both our countries.

Together we have achieved a world class, comprehensive and modern deal.

It won’t just end tariffs on goods and slash red tape for businesses. It will open opportunities for our citizens to live and work in each other’s countries.

The FTA will allow us to enhance regulatory financial services cooperation, keep our digital markets open and boost collaboration.

I’ve no doubt that the deal’s focus on technology and innovation is going to be an amazing springboard for businesses, both in the UK and across Australia…

And firms here in Adelaide like Fivecast…the digital intelligence start-up that is now one of South Australia’s hotly tipped companies and which is expanding into the UK, will be at the heart of that success!

Our Free Trade Agreement also sets out our mutual commitment to answering the big questions around labour standards, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and clean energy to tackle the impacts of climate change.

As hosts of COP 26 last year in Glasgow, the UK set out our determination to help the world tackle the threats of climate change, not only by walking the walk at home with our 10-point plan, but also a sour number one foreign policy priority.

Our FTA opens the door to close collaboration between us as we both move to low carbon economies, to share our experiences, from the political to technical, from financial frameworks to challenging technologies.

A great example of this cooperation is, Wrightbus, a Northern Ireland-based business, providing hydrogen fuel cell powertrain technology to manufacturer called Volgren – so that you can develop zero emissions buses at pace, here in Australia.

Our Free Trade Agreement marks the start of a golden age of commerce between our countries.

A new door opened for our entrepreneurs and businesses to easily share goods, ideas, their people’s talents and innovations.

The UK is focused on ratifying the agreement as soon as possible.

The reason I have to head home tomorrow is because I’ll be presenting the enabling legislation for the FTA to the House of Commons on Tuesday – the next stage towards implementing this legislation, so our firms and citizens can start to enjoy its benefits.

I know your government is focused on moving ahead at pace too.

It is important to remember, that all the hours we’ve spent around the virtual negotiating tables will mean very little, if the Agreement’s benefits are not fully realised.

And I am the first to say that we shouldn’t expect busy companies to wade through 32 chapters and technical legal language either.

So, for the UK, an important next step will be spell out to our businesses, in practical terms, how they can harness the deal to grow.

We’ve already started this work and we’re liaising with our Australian partners on this process.

Fostering closer trade ties with Australia has a strategic, as well as an economic dimension.

Last year your leaders decided to start a new chapter in your naval defence journey, by rolling in a new closer relationship with the UK and the USA.

This new trilateral defence partnership is committed to the preserve of security and stability in the Indo Pacific.

Our AUKUS partnership will be a 50 year bond, starting with us working with Australia to start your requisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

I am personally committed to ensuring that the whole ecosystem…which is required to build, upskill and maintain our own UK submarine enterprise will be right alongside you, our Australian friends and allies, as you start on this complex and technically demanding defence commitment.

This will span everything from construction, to creating a nuclear engineering skills ecosystem, to training of your sailors, to the through-life, maintenance, support and decommissioning of your AUKUS submarines. This is an extraordinary journey you are embarking on

As well as the initial part of the journey the actual building of the submarines, AUKUS – is a deep strategic partnership – and reflection our mutual trust and long-term cooperation:

Through shared training of your and our submariners, to collaborating on our plans and sharing expertise – we will cement our nations’ geopolitical ties and better position ourselves to meet future challenges together.

The UK and Australia are continually exploring new opportunities to work, trade and invest together.

In fact, name pretty much any field and there’s an exciting joint project underway:

Last year, we launched the Space Bridge, which will open new trade, investment, research and collaboration opportunities for our respective space sectors.

In July, we signed a deal to allow British raw milk cheesemakers to sell their produce to Australia for the first time.

While a few days ago, in Sydney, I launched our Net Zero Innovation Handbook, which has been developed by our Digital Trade Network.

The handbook aims to highlight to Australian businesses, some of the exciting opportunities unlocked by UK companies on their net zero journeys.

It’s really valuable reading, so if you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to have a look.

Ladies and Gentlemen

I hope I have given you a sense of the scale of our joint ambition today.

I am very much focused on developing future trade and investment opportunities that will allow our relationship to flourish. I know Don is doing the same.

So one last thought:

Trade brings our nations closer, our businesses grow stronger and our citizens enjoy the rewards.

And from everything I’ve seen on this trip I know our businesses do want us to work more closely together…

So that we can build both our economic strength, and with it greater security…

…whether that’s through providing the clean energy that will power our homes and businesses, or by assuring safe international waters that enable the world’s shipping to move goods around the world.

We’ve achieved so much together already but we can look forward with anticipation that for our countries, there is a genuinely exciting future ahead…

Through our renewed and revitalised trading relationship that will bring immense benefits to us all.

Thank you