Protect your business from cyber crime

World news story

Be cyber aware: what to do to protect yourself

The British Office in Taipei is aware of instances recently of cyber criminals approaching businesses in Taiwan, using fraudulent email details to pretend to be British Office staff. If in doubt about the legitimacy of any contact, please check if the email details correspond to either those published on our GOV.UK website or contact us via our published email address: info.taipei@fcdo.gov.uk; or telephone +8862 8758 2088, to verify contact from a member of our team if they’re not already a trusted contact.

Please be cautious and report approaches to the Taiwanese authorities if they appear suspicious, particularly before releasing funds, providing private data or allowing access to your business.

Published 12 August 2022

UK’s industrial heartlands boosted by next stage of carbon capture clusters

News story

20 projects have been shortlisted for the next stage of the CCUS clusters process

20 projects shortlisted for next stage of carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) cluster process
projects located in the North East, Humber, North West England and North Wales set to benefit from government funding
CCUS is a key technology in the UK’s transition to net zero, which involves capturing and storing carbon emissions from industrial and power generation processes

20 innovative projects have been shortlisted for the next stage of the CCUS clusters process, representing an important step towards a net zero economy.

The UK has one of the largest potential carbon dioxide storage capacities in Europe, making it one of the most attractive business environments for CCUS technology. This is thanks to an unrivalled asset – the North Sea, which can be used to store captured carbon under the seabed. The UK government’s commitment to support CCUS UK-wide could help to create 50,000 skilled jobs in the UK by 2030.

Today’s shortlist follows the commitment in the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, to deploy CCUS in 2 industrial clusters by the mid-2020s, and a further 2 clusters by 2030. These clusters will support the government’s ambitions to decarbonise industry and put the UK at the forefront of the growing carbon capture market. In November 2021, the HyNet cluster in North West England and North Wales, and the East Coast Cluster in the Teesside and Humber were selected as Track 1 clusters, for deployment by the mid-2020s. These clusters will be the first to be considered for support under the government’s CCUS Programme, which includes the £1 billion CCS Infrastructure Fund (CIF).

The shortlisted projects will now also be considered for government funding support to join one of these clusters, to use carbon capture technology to help decarbonise their businesses.

The 20 projects announced today represent a range of innovative CCUS technologies that will capture carbon emissions, preventing them being released into the atmosphere. Carbon capture technologies offer enormous economic potential for these regions, helping to attract new private investment and support new job opportunities.

Read the full list of shortlisted projects.

CCUS is a key technology for net zero that involves capturing and storing carbon emissions from industrial processes. The government is determined to see the UK become a world-leader in CCUS technology, helping to attract new private capital into the UK to develop new green technologies and drive forward the UK’s green industrial revolution
a CCUS cluster in Track 1 is a carbon dioxide transport and storage network of onshore pipelines, offshore pipelines and an associated offshore storage facility and at least 2 CO2 capture projects
the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution established a commitment to deploy CCUS in a minimum of 2 industrial clusters by the mid-2020s, and 4 by 2030 at the latest. The CCUS cluster sequencing process is how the government plans to meet this commitment
the UK government’s commitment to support CCUS economy-wide could help to create 50,000 jobs in the UK by 2030
today’s announcement is a shortlist of projects that will proceed to the next stage of the process, for consideration for government support under Track 1 of the CCUS cluster sequencing process. It is not the final list of projects that will receive government support, and does not imply availability of funding for any or all of the shortlisted projects
further information on the final confirmed projects for Phase 2 will be shared in due course

Published 12 August 2022

Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith becomes Deputy Chief of the General Staff

Press release

She becomes the first female British Army officer to hold the rank of Lieutenant General and occupy this prestigious role.

Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith has taken up the role of Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS), becoming the first female British Army officer to hold the rank of Lieutenant General and occupy this prestigious role.

The appointment, which was approved by Her Majesty The Queen, was announced in April 2022.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

I am delighted that Sharon Nesmith has taken up her role as Deputy Chief of the General Staff. She brings extensive experience and new ideas to drive the Army’s transformation and deal with emerging threats across the world.

Lieutenant General Nesmith said:

I am deeply honoured to be appointed as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff at such a pivotal time for the British Army. I am excited to be playing my part in leading the Army’s mobilisation to meet today’s threats, and the delivery of our Future Soldier’s bold modernisation agenda.

Raised in Northumberland, Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith commissioned into the Royal Corps of Signals in 1992, spending the majority of her early years serving in Germany, the Balkans and Iraq. Whilst in command she has been responsible for providing information and communication services, command support and capability development, in support of formation headquarters up to and including the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and the UK Joint Force Headquarters. Higher command appointments were the 1st (United Kingdom) Signal Brigade and General Officer Commander the Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command.

Staff appointments have been focussed on capability development, resource planning and personnel. She has completed the Higher Command and Staff Course and is a graduate of the Major Projects Leadership Academy. She has served as Colonel Capability Plans in the Army Headquarters, the Head of Manning as a Brigadier, and the Director of Personnel as a Major General. She has also been the Senior Responsible Officer for the Armed Forces Recruiting Programme. She became the Deputy Chief of the General Staff in August 2022.

General Nesmith is the Master of Signals, a Colonel Commandant for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and a Vice President for Army Football and Army Rugby.

Published 12 August 2022

New National Trail status awarded for popular Coast to Coast route

The Coast to Coast route stretching from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hoods Bay in the North York Moors National Park will become a new National Trail, it was announced today (Friday 12 August).

Natural England will work alongside partners to improve the popular route, with £5.6 million committed to upgrade the 197-mile path. This includes funding set aside to develop a community engagement programme, and maximise economic and health benefits for local people and businesses.

Today’s announcement, which delivers on a Government commitment to develop the route, will also ensure long-term support for the National Trail.

There are significant benefits to the Coast to Coast becoming a part of the internationally recognised National Trails family, including meeting the National Trail Quality Standards with investment to ensure:

The path is made more accessible for people of different abilities. This could include measures to remove stiles and using accessible gates where possible
High quality signage, waymarking, path surfaces and infrastructure are provided consistently across the whole route
Circular paths and link routes are developed to make the trail more accessible for those interested in taking shorter walks
The route is well promoted including being featured on the Visit Britain and National Trail’s website to create new opportunities for international and domestic tourism
Work with local businesses to ensure they are aware of the potential economic opportunities of the route
A long term commitment to funding to help the local authorities maintain the path

Natural England will work alongside the Lake District, North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks as well as Cumbria and North Yorkshire County Councils to improve the path. Enhancements will be undertaken over three years with the upgraded path expected to open in 2025. It is intended that the new National Trail will closely follow the existing route.

Lord Benyon, Minister for Rural Affairs, said:

The Coast to Coast route passes through some of our most spectacular countryside, villages and natural habitats so I’m delighted to approve these plans and deliver on our manifesto commitment to develop the route into a new National Trail.

With over £5 million of new funding to upgrade the path, local business and communities will be able to secure real benefits from the sustainable tourism this route offers. I look forward to seeing the route go from strength to strength and leave a lasting legacy across the North of England.

Marian Spain, Chief Executive of Natural England, said:

The way we will now develop the Coast to Coast into a National Trail is a turning point for national trail development as it will be the first national trail where delivery of the social and economic benefits for users and communities will be built in from the start.

Once established the Coast to Coast National Trail will allow many different types of users, with a range of abilities and backgrounds, to connect with nature on this iconic walking route whilst also bringing the benefits of tourism and other business to communities along the trail.

Those who live nearby but may not currently access the countryside on their doorsteps will also have the chance to use the Trail for local and longer circular walks. Natural England looks forward to working hard with our partners to make this vision a reality within the next 3 years.

With seven towns within 5 km of the route: Cleator Moor, Egremont, Kirkby Stephen, Northallerton, Richmond, Whitby and Whitehaven, as well as seaside fishing villages, investment in the path will promote levelling up through improved health, wellbeing and public access opportunities for local communities close by.

A programme of work to boost the economic and social benefits for local areas will help ensure local businesses are aware of new opportunities from further developing tour guiding services, to improved accommodation and hospitality.

Natural England will also work with local communities and local authorities boost access to nature for all abilities. This will include working with disabled user groups and developing circular paths: to make more of the route accessible for shorter day or part-day circular walks/ rides, these could start in towns and villages or car parks, shops or pubs.

Julia Bradbury said:

I’m so pleased that this well-trodden route is to become an official national trail.

Having walked the walk (and talked the talk!), and promoted its virtues on TV and in print, I know exactly why it is one of the great Alfred Wainwright’s most popular routes. Taking in the magical Lake District, to the heights of the peaks and the rolling landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales and Moors – it is just stunning.

Through our website – The Outdoor Guide – we are passionate about encouraging more people to explore our countryside, connecting body with mind and feeling the benefits of nature. I hope that this improved path and more local routes will inspire everyone to get walking and enjoy it in all its glory!

Eric Robson OBE DL, Chairman, The Wainwright Society:

The designation of Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk as a National Trail has long been one of the Society’s ambitions. The Walk is one of the country’s most popular long-distance routes, and helps support businesses and jobs from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay, including in some of the north’s most sparsely populated rural communities. We very much welcome, therefore, the news that the route will become a new National Trail. This is the start, of course, of bringing the project to successful fruition. But this is a very exciting and important step and we look forward to working with partners along the route to establish the C2C Walk as one of the UK’s great National Trails. As Alfred Wainwright said of the walk he devised: “Surely there cannot be a finer itinerary for a long-distance walk!

The upgrade to National Trail status will see the route recorded on Ordnance Survey maps in its entirety for the first time. The route was first devised by Alfred Wainwright, a renowned fell walker and author, with his guidebook to the route published in 1973. The route immediately gained a strong following, becoming one of the UK’s most popular long-distance walks.

Today, the long-distance route noted by Wainwright for its scenic beauty passes through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors crossing through three National Parks and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The path remains popular with walkers and international tourists and is currently walked in its entirety by around 6,000 people every year, generating approximately £7 million for the local economy, despite its unofficial status.

On the Coast to Coast path walkers can traverse through high fells, heather moorland and heath. The route also encompasses some of England’s richest history – from iron age hillforts to medieval castles and the village of Ingleby Cross, which is thought to date back to the 10th century.

Natural England has worked closely with the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park authorities and Cumbria and North Yorkshire County Councils to develop proposals and secure approval for the National Trail.

Natural England and partners will begin to engage with local communities as work begins on the path. It is estimated that work will be completed by 2025.

Natural England proposed the trail under section 51 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and approval is made on behalf of the Environment Secretary under section 52 of the Act.

While 85% of the existing route is a public right of way or on land with existing legal access rights there are some locations where changes to the existing rights of way or new paths are needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the trail. Natural England will now begin to discuss the proposals to create:

9.7 miles of new public footpath
9 miles of new public bridleway
5 miles of realignment of existing rights of way

Calling on Russia to return full control of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities to their rightful sovereign owner: UK statement to UN Security Council

Thank you President, and thank you to Director-General Grossi for briefing us once again on the situation in Ukraine.

The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the ongoing impacts of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and, in the context of today’s meeting, its effects on nuclear safety.

The Council discussed Russia’s reckless actions at the Ukrainian nuclear facilities, including the Chernobyl nuclear site and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at the start of the invasion.

On 3 March, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution calling for Russia to cease all actions against and at all nuclear facilities in Ukraine, so that the competent Ukrainian authorities could regain full control and ensure their safe and secure operation, and the IAEA could resume their important safeguards verification activities.

Now, over five months later, Russia’s control of the Zaporizhzhia Plant continues. The competent Ukrainian authorities and IAEA inspectors are still prevented from properly carrying out their essential duties.

As IAEA Director General Grossi has said, Russia’s actions have violated almost all of his seven pillars of nuclear safety and security. Russia’s actions are contrary to the principles of the Convention of Nuclear Safety and other international nuclear safety conventions, and put at jeopardy the safety of millions who would be affected by a nuclear incident in Ukraine.

In light of this, and despite Russia’s continued lies and obfuscation in this chamber about its brutal and irresponsible assault on Ukraine, we should be clear. It is Russia’s continued invasion and military presence that is putting the plant at risk and thereby endangering the local population, the wider region and the entire international community.

President,

We welcome Director General Grossi’s efforts to strengthen nuclear safety and security in Ukraine in challenging circumstances, and the tireless, heroic efforts of the Ukrainian nuclear facilities staff, despite the immense pressure they are under.

We reiterate our call for IAEA inspectors to be permitted access to all nuclear facilities in Ukraine to address nuclear safety, security and safeguard concerns, in a manner that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty over its territory and infrastructure.

In this regard, we note with appreciation Foreign Minister Kuleba’s letter to Mr Grossi and the Secretary-General on this issue.

And we once again call on Russia immediately to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, and return full control of all Ukraine’s nuclear facilities to their rightful sovereign owner to ensure their safe and secure operation.