The United Kingdom will take an historic step towards delivering a fairer deal for the UK fishing industry this week by triggering the withdrawal from an arrangement that allowed foreign countries access to UK waters, Environment Secretary Michael Gove confirmed today.

As part of moves to prepare the UK for the opportunities of leaving the European Union, the Government will officially begin withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention.

The London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964 before the UK joined the European Union, allows vessels from five European countries to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UK’s coastline. It sits alongside the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which allows all European vessels access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish each nation can catch.

On Monday the UK will notify the other Member States signed up to the London Fisheries Convention, triggering a two-year withdrawal period – in a similar way to the Article 50 letter which began a two-year withdrawal from the EU.

Securing a fairer deal for the UK fishing industry is a Manifesto pledge and one of the Government’s key objectives for Brexit.

When we leave the EU, we will no longer be bound by the Common Fisheries Policy but without action, restrictions under the historic London Fisheries Convention would still apply. By withdrawing from the London Fisheries Convention we will no longer be bound by the existing access agreements.

Instead we will regain control of fishing access to our waters and become fully responsible for the management of fisheries so we can ensure a fair, sustainable and profitable industry for all our fishermen.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy. It means for the first time in more than fifty years we will be able to decide who can access our waters.

This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union – one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK.

As announced in the Queen’s Speech, the Government will introduce a Fisheries Bill to control access to the UK’s waters and set fishing quotas once we have left the EU. This is supplemented by our decision to leave the London Fisheries Convention.

Working closely with our neighbours, the Government will design a new fishing policy which allows the fishing industry and coastal communities to thrive, in line with our international obligations, as we build a deep and special partnership with the European Union after Brexit.

Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, said:

This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone.

The fisheries sector contributes £1.3 billion to the economy, employing 34,600 people. There were over 6,000 UK fishing vessels in 2015, which landed 708,000 tonnes of fish – worth £775 million.

An estimated 10,000 tonnes of fish, including mackerel and herring, was caught by fishing vessels from the London Fisheries Convention countries France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands in 2015 within 12 nautical miles of the British coast – worth an estimated £17 million.

In the coming months and years, the government will be working with the industry and marine scientists, as well as the devolved administrations, to preserve and increase fish stocks for their long-term sustainability, and secure prosperity for fishermen across the UK when we leave the European Union.

Starting this summer, there will be a period of engagement on the Fisheries Bill with the devolved administrations, fishermen, trade organisations, fish processors and the public to make sure we deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK.

• First meeting of Digital Economy Council chaired by the Culture Secretary
• Council will see Government, academia and tech firms work together
• Aims to help increase value of sector already worth £118 billion a year

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will chair the first meeting of the Digital Economy Council (DEC) on Monday 3rd July. It will bring together some of the most influential voices in the tech sector to stimulate new growth and deliver new jobs in the digital economy.

The Council has been set up to provide a forum for collaboration as Government works with leading industry figures on the implementation of the UK Digital Strategy and the development of a Digital Charter. Its members include TechUK, Google, Facebook, Cisco, Dotforge, Coadec, TV Squared, BT and Apple.

The Digital Strategy includes plans to boost the nation’s digital skills, infrastructure and innovation, and aims to make the UK the best place to invest in tech. It will help to deliver the Government’s ambition to make the UK the best place to start and run a digital business – creating more of the high-skilled, high-paid jobs of the future with the benefits felt in all four corners of the United Kingdom.

The Council will help ensure our tech sector’s enormous potential is fulfilled as we leave the European Union. The UK is already home to more than 200,000 digital businesses supporting more than 1.4 million jobs – with the fastest growing-digital hubs from 2010-14 in Southampton, West Cornwall and Dundee. It will also help break down barriers so every individual and every business can seize the opportunities of digital technology.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:

I’m delighted to be bringing together this powerful group of tech experts, industry leaders and global > innovators to spearhead new growth in our thriving digital economy.

The Digital Economy Council will play a vital part in helping us achieve our aim of making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business with the benefits enjoyed throughout society and in every part of our country.

The Secretary of State will use the first meeting to ask the tech community how Government can better work with them to take advantage of the opportunities and overcome the challenges of digital technology, as well as set out the priorities for the council for year ahead.

This could include looking at new ways to improve small and medium businesses’ digital transformation, how to boost the digital skills pipeline and assessing how the country can better commercialise its world-leading research.

She will also express her confidence in the UK’s world-leading digital economy and commit to working with other Digital Economy Council members so technology delivers economic growth and prosperity across the whole of the UK, as we prepare to leave the European Union.

The Council, which will meet quarterly, includes leading UK digital businesses as well as global tech firms and representatives of the broader digital economy.

Jacqueline de Rojas, President of techUK, said:

Tech can be a powerful growth engine of the UK economy post-Brexit. For that to happen there is much that we need to get right. From the Digital Strategy to the proposed new Digital Charter, I’m happy Government is working with tech businesses to ensure that we unlock the next wave of digital growth.

As the President of techUK, I am delighted to serve on the Digital Economy Council to ensure a strong voice for the whole of the tech industry, from the largest employers through to the innovative SMEs and start-ups.

Government will also shortly convene the Digital Economy Advisory Group, which represents a variety of UK tech businesses, to focus on the specific challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a tech business.

Media enquiries – please contact the DCMS News and Communications team on 020 7211 2210 or out of hours on 07699 751153.

The seven pillars of the Digital Strategy are:

1. Connectivity – building world-class digital infrastructure for the UK
2. Digital skills and inclusion – giving everyone access to the digital skills they need
3. The digital sectors – making the UK the best place to start and grow a digital business
4. The wider economy – helping every British business become a digital business
5. A safe and secure cyberspace – making the UK the safest place in the world to live and work online
6. Digital government – maintaining the UK government as a world leader in serving its citizens online
7. Data – unlocking the power of data in the UK economy and improving public confidence in its use

On June 23, The Salamanca Band and the Bugles of The Rifles of the UK Ministry of Defence performed a joint concert with the Honour Guard Unit and the Military Band of the General Staff of the Armenia Ministry of Defence at Freedom Square in Yerevan, Armenia.

The UK and Armenia Ministries of Defence organised the concert as part of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Minister of Defence of the Republic of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations Garen Nazarian and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Armenia Judith Farnworth attended the event.

Ambassador Farnworth mentioned in her opening remarks:

Over the last 25 years the United Kingdom and the Republic of Armenia have developed strong partnerships in a range of areas – political, economic, commercial, cultural, and, of course, defence. The UK is committed to building on these strong foundations by further developing our cooperation for the benefit of Armenia and the United Kingdom.

The Deputy Foreign Minister Garen Nazarian said:

Not incidentally, we are commencing the celebrations with a cultural event. These type of events are aimed at promoting mutual understanding and increasing contacts between our societies.

Mr Nazarian also underlined that the two countries cooperate successfully in the bilateral and multilateral formats, focusing on the challenges threatening the international community and the issues related to addressing them. He expressed hope that the positive dynamics of close cooperation will be maintained through joint efforts and the interstate dialogue will be raised to a qualitatively new level.

The sight of the two military bands drew large crowds of appreciative onlookers who enjoyed the performance of classic and popular British and Armenian tunes.

Besides this concert, the British military band also performed at the Yerevan State Conservatory and during the Queen’s Birthday Party in Armenia.

Visit the British Embassy Yerevan’s Facebook page for more photos of the Salamanca’s performances in Armenia.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister spoke on the phone to the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party Arlene Foster this evening about the UK government’s priority to restore devolved Government to Northern Ireland as soon as possible and our commitment to doing everything we can to work with the parties to reach a successful conclusion.

On the ongoing talks, the Prime Minister said it was encouraging to see discussions continuing and it was important that momentum is maintained so an Executive can be restored and they both agreed that this was in the interest of everyone in Northern Ireland.

In a separate call, the Prime Minister also spoke to Michelle O’Neill this evening:

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister also spoke separately to Sinn Fein leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill this evening about the importance of re-establishing a power-sharing Executive as soon as possible and how the UK government remains steadfast in our commitment to making sure Northern Ireland has the political stability it requires.

They both agreed on the need for the Executive to be restored for the benefit of everyone in Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister recognised that constructive discussions had taken place between the parties and urged them both to come together reach a collective agreement so that devolved Government could be restored in Northern Ireland.

5 men have been convicted for the murder of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov. The investigation has not gone as far as identifying those who ordered the assassination.

The family of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov are still seeking justice for his callous murder. The investigation must continue in order to ensure that all responsible, including those who ordered the assassination, are brought to justice.

Foreign Office spokesperson:

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports Boris Nemtsov’s family in their call for a fuller investigation into who ordered his murder. Responsibility for his murder goes further than those already convicted, and we call on the Russian government to bring the perpetrators to account.

Further information