Decision letter and Inspector’s Report for the demolition of existing buildings:

• existing sports building
• Peel House
• Museum Cottage
• gardeners compound
• Boyer Webb Pavilion
• pavilion next to the athletics track

and the construction of:

• a new sports building over 3 levels (7269 sqm)
• new science building over 3 levels (3675 sqm)
• new landscaping core from existing chapel terrace to the athletics track at the base of hill
• new visitors car parking on Football Lane adjacent to maths and physics school buildings
• rerouting and regrading of private access road
• alterations to landscaping and servicing for dining hall
• relocation of multi-use games area for Moretons Boarding House to south west of dining hall

in accordance with application ref: P/1940/16, dated 20 April 2016.

The agreement – formally known as the United Kingdom-Uzbekistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) – ensures the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan continue to grant each other most-favoured nation (MFN) treatment for trade.

As Uzbekistan is not a member of the World Trade Organization, the legal status secured under the agreement will ensure businesses can continue to trade with confidence.

• the signing of this agreement ensures there is no disruption in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan, and provides the foundation for future cooperation in foreign, political and security matters.
• the agreement maintains existing human rights, democracy and rule of law commitments and delivers certainty for business by securing continued most-favoured nation status for trade.
• the agreement recognises Uzbekistan’s commitment to an ambitious reform agenda and the accomplishments it has secured in political, economic and legal areas.

Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan Tim Torlot signed the agreement with Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov in Tashkent.

Welcoming the signing of the agreement, Foreign Office Minister for Europe Christopher Pincher said:

I’m pleased that the United Kingdom has today signed its first partnership agreement with a Central Asian country, underlining our close ties with Uzbekistan and securing long-term certainty for British businesses and consumers.

This deal highlights our shared ambitions for a broader and deeper political and security relationship and sets out future opportunities for cooperation in diverse areas such as trade, environmental protection and the protection of human rights.

• the United Kingdom – Uzbekistan PCA replicates the effects of the existing EU PCA provisions as far as possible.
• the agreement provides for widespread cooperation in trade and investment, sustainable development, environmental protection and energy as well as human rights and governance.
• this agreement is designed to take effect when the EU-Uzbekistan agreement ceases to apply to the United Kingdom, either following an implementation period or a no-deal Brexit. The agreement will be subject to the domestic parliamentary procedures in both the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan before it is brought into force.

Further information

Published 31 October 2019

Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, is the day traditionally put aside to remember all those who have given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today. On this day, people across the nation pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave service men and women.

Remembrance Sunday will fall on Sunday 10 November in 2019 and the traditional ceremony will commence in the Olšany Commonwealth War Cemetery Prague at 10:50. The ceremony is open to all.

Published 31 October 2019

The UK and Switzerland have completed a transitional agreement to protect existing social security coordination arrangements. This means that UK and Swiss citizens are now safeguarded whatever the circumstances of the UK’s exit from the EU.

The agreement guarantees that existing social security entitlements – including reciprocal healthcare – will continue until the end of December 2020 for both UK and Swiss nationals and for EU citizens who move to, travel to or work in the UK or Switzerland during this period.

This means that these social security rights will be protected for a transitional period between exit day and the end of December 2020 in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal, ensuring that citizens can continue to access vital protections and have their right to do so provided for in law.

UK nationals will have the same social security coordination cover in Switzerland as now between exit day and the end of December 2020. This means, for example, that a UK national who is UK-insured and who goes to Switzerland on holiday after exit will continue to have cover under the European Health Insurance Card scheme. UK nationals will also continue to be subject to only one country’s social security scheme at a time, meaning a worker will only have to pay into one country’s scheme.

This agreement will not suspend or supersede the UK-Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement. UK and Swiss nationals covered by the Citizens’ Rights Agreement will continue to have their rights under that agreement protected after the end of 2020.

It will apply from the day that the United Kingdom exits the European Union and will be published in due course.

Brexit Minister James Duddridge said:

This agreement ensures that UK nationals moving or travelling to Switzerland after we leave, and Swiss nationals moving or travelling to the UK, will have the same social security protections they currently do for a transitional period after exit.

It provides certainty to citizens and their families who wish to move between our two countries after we leave the EU.

Further Information

The UK-Swiss Citizens’ Rights agreement was signed on 25th February 2019 and ensures that UK and Swiss nationals living in each other’s countries at the end of the implementation period will be able to continue enjoying broadly the same rights as they do now. This includes arrangements on residency, access to healthcare, pensions and education, social security coordination and mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

A woman who lied about the existence of a child and blackmailed her victim into paying her large sums has had her sentence increased following an intervention by the Solicitor General, The Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP.

Chelsea Roberts, aged 26, started to ask the victim for money for a child she said they had conceived together. Unbeknownst to the victim, the child never existed.

Roberts initially requested money for an abortion, then for missed and cancelled abortion appointments. The offender then lied about giving birth and claimed that the baby was sick and required healthcare in order to ask the victim for more money. She then proceeded to seek more money which she claimed was for supporting the adoption process and eventually for a funeral, after the offender told the victim their child had died.

Over a period of about a year the victim transferred around £29,000 to Roberts. This comprised all his savings and required him to take out several loans, incurring serious debt. On the occasions when the victim asked for proof, refused to pay or claimed that he was being blackmailed; Roberts threatened to tell his girlfriend and family of their relationship. She also threatened to accuse the victim of rape.

Roberts was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment in the Crown Court at Hull in September this year. Following a referral to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General, on 31 October the sentence was found to be unduly lenient and has been increased to a sentence of 2 years’ imprisonment, suspended for 2 years.

After the hearing the Solicitor General said:

“Roberts’ fictitious and malicious web of lies caused serious emotional and financial harm to the victim. It is therefore right that her sentence be increased to reflect the amount of harm caused.”