Mr President, I would like to start by thanking Special Advisor Karim Khan for his informative update on the recent progress made by the UN Investigative Team. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and welcome the recent appointment of his Iraqi deputy, Dr Salama. The United Kingdom is grateful to them and to their team for the excellent work that they have undertaken so far.

The United Kingdom emphasises the importance of recruiting further Iraqi members of the team as soon as possible. This recruitment, alongside training and development opportunities, will provide an important legacy for Iraq in building capacity and sharing expertise.

Mr President, we welcome the strong and positive engagement of the team with the Government of Iraq, both in Baghdad and here in New York. We are grateful to the Government of Iraq for their continued commitment to and support for UNITAD’s work. This message of commitment was conveyed strongly to the Council during our recent visit to Baghdad from the highest levels of the Government of Iraq. We also welcome the continued collaboration between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government with the team to agree modalities for cooperation. Over the next reporting period, we encourage the team to redouble and prioritise its engagement with the Government of Iraq to ensure the greatest possible use of evidence collected in Iraqi domestic proceedings, including allowing for the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide under domestic law. This would constitute a remarkable step forward for promoting accountability for survivors and the families of Daesh’s victims.

Maintaining and strengthening this close engagement with the Government of Iraq, the International Community, Non-Governmental Organisations and the people of Iraq will be essential over the coming months.

Mr President, less than 12 months after UNITAD received its first budget, the team has made remarkable progress. Over the last six months, they have established a new official headquarters, developed an investigative strategy, conducted excavations in Sinjar, as well as making important progress towards putting in place the necessary systems to ensure evidence is safely stored. We welcome this progress and hope that their digital storage system will be fully up and running by the time of our next briefing. We also look forward to the planned excavation in Mosul, and to the remaining field operation units become fully operational soon.

Mr President, the Council’s recent visit was also an important reminder to us all of the scale of the task ahead for the Government of Iraq in transitioning into a post-conflict environment. Reconciliation, reconstruction and accountability for all survivors of Daesh violence is essential. The enormity of the task ahead for UNITAD in gathering further evidence is also clear. The collection of forensic, physical and biological material from mass grave sites in Iraq is an essential first step for providing closure for the families of their victims. We urge the team to continue to focus on this important task, and to share further details on their investigative strategy as it develops, as well as any challenges that they may face.

The United Kingdom also acknowledges the valuable work the team has undertaken so far in gathering witness testimonies. We urge all UN bodies in Iraq to work collaboratively to ensure they avoid duplication of effort and to mitigate the risks around the potential re-traumatising of victims. In this regard, we urge UNAMI, UNITAD and the UN Iraq Team of Experts to work together to coordinate their efforts and to share best practice and technical expertise.

Mr President, in November 2019, the United Kingdom will be hosting a conference on preventing sexual violence called “Time for Justice: Putting Survivors First.” We hope that all Council members will send senior representatives from their Governments to signify their commitment to PSVI, and to ensuring accountability for the perpetrators and support for survivors, their children and relatives.

When Resolution 2379 was adopted unanimously in September 2017, it demonstrated the Council’s full support for efforts to bring Daesh to justice. Since its inception, when Nadia Murad addressed the Council, survivors and victims have been at the heart of the team’s efforts.

We commend the team’s approach in emphasising there is no hierarchy of victims and the recognition that all Iraqis suffered at the hands of Daesh. Their work will be important in supporting the Government of Iraq and its efforts towards national reconciliation.

The United Kingdom is proud to support the important work of the investigative team and I am pleased to announce today an additional £1 million in funding to the Investigative Team, taking the total contribution from the United Kingdom so far to £2 million.

We thank the growing number of Member States who have also pledged support to the team and we encourage other countries to consider financial and in-kind support to ensure the team can continue with – and accelerate – its valuable work.

Mr President, in concluding, I would like to reiterate the United Kingdom’s full support for the efforts of the Special Adviser and his team. We look forward to the unanimous renewal of the team’s mandate in September.

I thank you, Mr President.

The new kit, which cost over £15,000, consists of a high grade digital SLR camera, night vision monocular and night vision binoculars. It will allow officers to carry out more regular patrols and make night checks for illegal fishing in the Great Ouse and Fenland catchment area more effective.

The technology was funded by Defra’s Water and Environment Improvement Fund, which is used to enhance fisheries and the environment as part of Defra’s 25 Year Environment plan.

Alex Thomson, fisheries enforcement officer for the Environment Agency in East Anglia, said:

The new kit will enhance our detection and surveillance capabilities. Combined with our specialist training and specific powers, the technology will allow us to cover more ground, get better evidence, and work more effectively into and through the hours of darkness.

This is invaluable in detecting and preventing illegal poaching activities, and protecting our valuable coarse fish and eel stocks.

Fisheries officers have the power to arrest and detain, enter lands, stop and search, seize boats, vessels, vehicles and instruments and require the production of fishing licences. Those caught can be given a range of punishments, including fines of up to £2,500.

To report any illegal fishing activity, call our 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

To buy a fishing licence, visit our fishing page

Punishments issued during a day of sentencing at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 26 June 2019 saw 5 anglers fined £220 each.

Each angler was ordered to pay £127.47 in costs and a victim surcharge of £30.

The total amount of fines the 5 must pay came to £1,100, the total costs amounted to £637.35 and the victim surcharge total was £150.

Those found guilty of offences were:

• Andrei Ngrei, 27, of Gulliver Close, Kempston, Bedford, was caught fishing during the close season and without a licence on the River Great Ouse at Bedford on 24 March
• Ciprian Crimu, 33, of Alexandra Avenue, Harrow, was caught fishing during the close season and without a licence on the River Great Ouse at Bedford on 24 March
• Chris Biggs, 52, of The Rye, Eaton Bray, was caught fishing without a licence on 7 February 7 at Grand Union Canal, Three Locks, Soulbury, and then failed to provide his address when asked by the bailiff
• Vladas Lekutis, 49, of Earls Street, Thetford, was caught fishing during the close season and without a licence on the Little Ouse River, Redmere, Littleport, on 17 March
• Algiradas Paulaskis, 54, Earls Street, Thetford, was caught fishing during the close season and without a licence on the Little Ouse River, Redmere, Littleport, on 17 March

None of the defendants attended court on the day and the charges were proven in their absence and the fines imposed.

Environment Agency Fisheries Team Leader Ian Hirst said:

It’s a crime to fish without a valid licence and offenders can be fined up to £2,500, have their fishing equipment seized and be banned from fishing. Our enforcement officers inspect rod licences throughout East Anglia and could turn up at any time.

These cases show that anyone found fishing illegally or fails to provide their name and address to an officer carrying out their duties may face prosecution and a fine.

The money raised through the sales of rod licences is re-invested and enables us to enhance and improve all fisheries for anglers, including rivers. Our officers routinely undertake licence checks and we urge anyone with information about illegal fishing activities to contact us.

Illegal fishing should be reported to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Prime Minister Theresa May outlined the government’s commitment to the UK’s automotive sector and called for the UK to stay at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of electric vehicles at a roundtable held at Downing Street today (Monday 15 July).

Speaking at the meeting attended by chief executives, senior leaders and experts in the car and energy industries, she emphasised that this can only be done through a strong partnership between the industry and government.

The meeting is part of wider action from government to support the automotive industry, and the Prime Minister confirmed today that Jaguar Land Rover will receive a £500 million loan guarantee from government export credit agency UK Export Finance. This will support the company’s design and manufacture of the next generation of electric vehicles and its export activities.

The representatives discussed with the Prime Minister that as well as having long term consistent incentives and the right charging infrastructure in place to drive up demand for electric vehicles, the UK should build on its strengths in the development of next generation battery technology.

The UK has already made a major commitment to becoming a world leader in the industry through its £274 million investment in the Faraday Institute and earlier investments through the Automotive Propulsion Centre. Attendees spoke about how best to build on this and work more closely together to develop the next generation of battery technology, including by supporting small businesses in the electrified supply chain and the building of a Gigafactory – a large-scale battery technology factory for electric vehicles.

Attendees also agreed to establish a Green Mobility Transition Board which for the first time will formally bring together government, industry and environmental groups to coordinate efforts to speed up the adoption of ultra low emission vehicles while making progress on our ambitions to tackle climate change and further improve air quality. The Prime Minister’s Industrial, Manufacturing and Infrastructure Business Council will work closely with representatives across the relevant sectors to scope out the exact terms of reference and members over the coming weeks.

The Prime Minister also set out a number of new commitments aimed at making electric vehicles more convenient than ever before to own, which were welcomed by attendees including:

• making England the first place in the world where every new-build home will be fitted with an electric car chargepoint, under a consultation launched today
• bringing forward plans to regulate chargepoints so that they use ‘smart’ technology which will send signals to electric vehicles to charge them at different times of the day, encouraging off-peak charging to keep costs down for consumers and helping prepare the energy system for mass uptake of electric vehicles
• all new rapid and higher powered chargepoints to provide ‘pay as you go’ debit or credit card payment options by spring 2020 – ending the current wide variety of payment systems which is a source of frustration for drivers

The Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s ambition for better access to rapid chargepoints by 2030, following her recent announcement that the Office of Low Emission Vehicles will undertake a review to develop a vision for a core network of rapid chargepoints along England’s key roadways. This would allow drivers to access them in a range of locations across the road network, including through and around cities.

Today’s meeting builds on sessions attended by government and industry in recent weeks which saw representatives discuss how to increase demand and infrastructure for electric vehicles and capitalise on the UK’s strengths in the development of battery, motor and power electronics technology.

Notes to editors

Alongside the Prime Minister Theresa May, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, attendees at today’s roundtable included representatives from:

• AGM
• Advanced Propulsion Centre
• Aston Martin
• Bentley
• BMW
• BP
• BYD
• Ecotricity
• Ford
• Innovate UK
• Jaguar Land Rover
• McLaren
• National Grid
• Nissan
• Podpoint
• Shell
• SMMT
• Tesla
• Toyota
• UK Power Networks
• Vauxhall

The VMD wishes to make companies aware that fenbendazole is no longer permitted for use in pigeons under Schedule 6 (Exemptions for small pet animals) of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) 2013.

With effect from 15 July 2019

• Fenbendazole products which have pigeons as the only target species: Manufacture must cease
• Fenbendazole products which have pigeons as a target species, plus additional target species: Pigeons must no longer be included as a target species in the product literature

The VMD has become aware of peer-reviewed published literature indicating that fenbendazole has a low margin of safety in pigeons. Overdose is likely to result in a low white blood cell count (leukopaenia, heteropaenia and bone marrow hypoplasia), damage to the rapidly dividing cells of the crop and small intestinal epithelium and, ultimately, death.

Because of the narrow margin of safety and severe consequences associated with overdose, the VMD has concluded that fenbendazole must only be used in pigeons under the direction of a veterinary surgeon and should therefore no longer be exempt from the provisions of the VMR under Schedule 6.

The VMD refers to paragraph 4 of Schedule 6 of the VMR, which states ‘The Secretary of State may suspend or revoke the approval (or limit it to a smaller number of species) if it is demonstrated that the substance requires veterinary control’.

If you have concerns regarding your pigeon health then please contact your vet for advice.