When the leaders of the G7 arrive on the golden strand of Carbis Bay, it will be an extraordinary moment for that lovely Cornish resort — and a crucial moment for the world.

This is the first visit by President Biden to the European continent after five months in office. It is the first time that the leaders of the world’s richest and most powerful democracies have had the chance to meet in person since the pandemic began 18 months ago — and it could not come at a better time.

The world needs this meeting. We must be honest: international order and solidarity were badly shaken by COVID. Nations were reduced to beggar my neighbour tactics in the desperate search for PPE, for drugs — and, finally, for vaccines.

At Carbis Bay, we must put those days behind us. This is the moment for the world’s greatest and most technologically advanced democracies to shoulder their responsibilities and to vaccinate the world, because no one can be properly protected until everyone has been protected.

We can already be proud of what we have done. It was the deal done between the British government, Oxford scientists and AstraZeneca that ensured this vaccine is now being distributed at cost around the world. As a direct result, 95 per cent of the vaccines distributed by Covax, the global vaccine alliance, are AstraZeneca — and we intend to go further. At Carbis Bay, the G7 will pledge to distribute vaccines to inoculate the world by the end of next year, with millions coming from surplus UK stocks.

We will begin the framing of a new global treaty on pandemic preparedness so the world is never caught out in the same way again.

And we will go further in strengthening the political and economic ties between us, relaunching the G7 as a means of expressing the values that unite us: openness, freedom, democracy and free trade.

We will be joined by our friends, the leaders of India, South Korea, Australia and South Africa, a Democratic XI, with the UK a competitive and creative player in the centre of the field.

We will work together to tackle the world’s biggest problems, reducing carbon emissions, fighting the loss of biodiversity and getting another 40 million girls into school by 2025.

With the US we will be drawing up a new Atlantic Charter, 80 years after Churchill and Roosevelt agreed the first in 1941 on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales. It is fitting that this week that battleship’s linear successor will provide the backdrop.

President Biden and I will sign a charter that encompasses science, technology and trade and, above all, that underscores our joint commitment to Nato that has been indispensable to our security for decades. The time has come to dispel any sense of gloom and show how Nato is looking ahead to 2030, reinvigorating its plans and doctrines, protecting our allies on Europe’s eastern flank and safeguarding our people in the new domains of space and cyberspace.

Britain has the biggest defence budget in Europe, making us central to this effort. We are contributing more troops than any other country to Nato’s deployment in Poland and the Baltic states. We have committed our nuclear deterrent and our cybercapabilities to the alliance. Britain is doing more to guarantee the security of our continent than any other European power.

Wherever you look — the G7, Nato, the global struggle against COVID — Britain is the “buckle that fastens, the hyphen that joins” everything together, to adopt Walter Bagehot’s phrase. We can do this because of the breadth of our capabilities and friendships.

The UK can at once devise a vaccine against COVID, conduct nearly half of the world’s genomic sequencing of new variants, bring the world’s most powerful leaders to Cornwall, and send an aircraft carrier to the Indo-Pacific.

But we would never wish to go it alone; on the contrary, we are blessed with alliances that help to keep us safe and advance our values. Now we are putting all of this to work for the benefit of the British people and to ensure this country is a force for good.

Singapore, 10 June 2021

The British High Commission and Singapore Restaurant Rescue are joining forces to encourage people to get creative with afternoon tea in support of the struggling F&B industry.

To mark the official birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday 12 June, the two organisations are launching a joint community campaign that celebrates all things food and the role it plays in bringing people together.

To get involved, Singapore residents simply need to make time for an afternoon tea between 12 and 30 June.

The five most stylish and creative teas – whether homemade, purchased from Singapore Restaurant Rescue listed outlets or elsewhere – will win delicious goodies courtesy of the British High Commission Singapore.

To enter, people just need to publicly post pictures of their afternoon tea on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #SGUKJuneTea and tagging @UKinSingapore.

High Commissioner to Singapore, Her Excellency Kara Owen, said:

I know Singapore is a nation of foodies and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the many great links between our two countries than spotlighting food culture.

One of the things I love about afternoon tea is the many forms it can take; it exists in some way in so many different cultures, from the classic sandwiches and scones through to delicious kueh, samosas and curry puffs. It’s like an afternoon celebration of the diversity we cherish and find in both Singapore and the UK.

Charlotte Wilkinson, Co-Founder of the not-for-profit Facebook group Singapore Restaurant Rescue, said:

We created Singapore Restaurant Rescue during last year’s lockdown to help support an already devastated industry which is battling to survive.

A recent survey of our 83,000 members showed that 95% of venues are finding it harder than they were this time last year and 75% of customers are ordering less.

Selecting an afternoon tea from one of our member venues is a way that people can help give life to the independent restaurant community and to many delivery drivers at the same time.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Notes to Editors

Competition Terms and Conditions

Winners of the competition will be selected by the British High Commission based on how stylish and creative the teas are.

The teas can be homemade, purchased from Singapore Restaurant Rescue listed outlets or elsewhere.

In order to enter the competition, participants must:

• Comply with COVID19 safe management measures
• Be based in Singapore. Minors must seek parental consent before participating in the campaign.
• Ensure photographs of their tea sessions uploaded on social media are set to ‘public’
• Post the pictures between 12-30 June 2021
• Mention #SGUKJuneTea and tag in the British High Commission via the following handles:
• Facebook: @UKinSG
• Twitter: @UKinSingapore
• Instagram: @ukinsingapore

Through participating in the competition, entrants consent to having their images used as part of the UKSG June Tea campaign. The British High Commission bears no responsibility for the public comments or reactions that the participants post might attract.

About Singapore Restaurant Rescue

Singapore Restaurant Rescue was created by Charlotte Wilkinson and Perry Young as a not-for profit initiative to help restaurants stay afloat during the covid-19 circuit breaker in 2020. Its aim is to encourage people to be able to order food directly, avoiding restaurants incurring the fees that many of the food delivery platforms charge. The Facebook Group has since grown to over 83,000 members.

Search Singapore Restaurant Rescue on Facebook.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden will meet in-person for the first time today (Thursday) in Cornwall ahead of the UK’s G7 Summit, which begins on Friday.

The leaders are expected to agree a new ‘Atlantic Charter’, modelled on the historic joint statement made by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 setting out their goals for the post-war world.

The original Atlantic Charter included landmark agreements to promote democracy, free trade and increased opportunity for all. It was one of the greatest triumphs of UK and US relations and did more than any other agreement to shape the world order, leading directly to the creation of the UN and NATO.

The 2021 Atlantic Charter will recognise that, while the world is a very different place to 1941, the values the UK and US share remain the same. Just as our countries worked together to rebuild the world following the Second World War, so too will we apply our combined strength to the enormous challenges facing the planet today – from global defence and security to building back better from coronavirus to stopping climate change.

The new Atlantic Charter will outline eight areas where the Prime Minister and President Biden resolve to work together for the benefit of humanity. Many of these are based around our enduring values, including defending democracy, reaffirming the importance of collective security, and building a fair and sustainable global trading system.

But the Charter will also recognise more recent challenges, such as dealing with the threat posed by cyber attacks, acting urgently on climate change and to protect biodiversity and, of course, supporting the world to bring an end to, and recover from, the coronavirus pandemic.

The principled commitments made in the new Atlantic Charter will be underpinned by a series of new policy priorities expected to be agreed by the Prime Minister and President today.

These include working to open up travel between the UK and US as soon as possible. Many people in the UK and US have been prevented from seeing family and friends for over 400 days as a result of coronavirus travel restrictions. Before the outbreak of coronavirus more than 5 million Brits visited the US and over 4.5 million Americans visited the UK every year – more than any other country.

Today the Prime Minister and President Biden are expected to agree to work to relaunch UK-US travel as soon as possible through a new travel taskforce which will make recommendations on safely reopening international travel.

The taskforce will work to explore options for resuming up UK-US travel and ensure that the UK and US closely share thinking and expertise on international travel policy going forward.

Links between the UK and US are not only crucial for our people, they create and sustain jobs across and throughout our two countries.

In the last month US companies including Liberty Global, Kraft Heinz and Innova Medical Group have announced new investments into the UK worth over £10 billion which will create over 2,000 jobs. During their meeting today the Prime Minister and President will discuss ways of further enhancing our economic relationship, including through a resolution to the civil aircraft dispute.

It’s also expected that the leaders will agree to pursue a landmark bilateral technology agreement to be signed next year. The agreement will start a new era of strategic cooperation by reducing the barriers British tech firms face when trying to work with their US counterparts. By combining our shared expertise in areas like AI and quantum technology, the UK and US have the potential to transform the way we live.

The Prime Minister and President will agree to work together to harness their power to address modern challenges like climate change, fighting cancer and antimicrobial resistance, as well as strengthening our strategic advantage on the international stage as likeminded democracies.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said:

While Churchill and Roosevelt faced the question of how to help the world recover following a devastating war, today we have to reckon with a very different but no less intimidating challenge – how to build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.

And as we do so, cooperation between the UK and US, the closest of partners and the greatest of allies, will be crucial for the future of the world’s stability and prosperity.

The agreements President Biden and I will make today, rooted as they are in our shared values and outlook, will form the foundation of a sustainable global recovery. Eighty years ago the US President and British Prime Minister stood together promising a better future. Today we do the same.

To strengthen UK and US efforts to beat the coronavirus pandemic and prevent any future outbreaks, the two leaders are expected to agree to scale up joint work on genomic sequencing and variant assessments. This includes the UK Health Security Agency’s new Centre for Pandemic Preparedness linking up with its US counterpart, the proposed National Center for Epidemic Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, as part of an integrated global surveillance system.

Discussions between the Prime Minister and President Biden are also expected to cover other areas of bilateral cooperation, including reinforcing their shared commitment to preserve the gains made by Good Friday/Belfast Agreement in Northern Ireland.

The plans they put in place today will also deepen the UK-US links on security and defence. Our countries already have the closest, deepest and most important bilateral security relationship in the world and in future we will more together in new domains like space and cyberspace, including work on tackling online crime and illicit finance.

The 1941 Atlantic Charter was devised at sea on board the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and US heavy cruiser USS Augusta. The modern namesake of HMS Prince of Wales will sail along the coast of Cornwall providing a fitting and auspicious backdrop for the Prime Minister’s meeting with President Biden. The HMS Prince of Wales is one of the UK’s two aircraft carriers and the largest warship ever built in British shipyards.

• UK schools to promote the environment to students ahead of COP26 climate conference in November
• Prime Minister visits school in Cornwall as part of school education pack launch
• Education Pack to encourage student climate leaders to come forward as an inspiration to others

Schools across the UK are being encouraged to start a conversation on climate change with their students, ahead of the UK hosting global climate summit COP26 later this year, as the Together for Our Planet Schools Pack launches today (Thursday 10 June).

The pack, which is hosted on the COP26 website and sent to UK schools, is designed to engage students on climate action, encourage conversations about tackling climate change, and help students learn more about the COP26 summit in Glasgow this year. This will include a guide for running a green assembly, along with ideas like a ‘walk to school’ week and resources that have been created by the likes of WWF and TED Talks to support schools.

Ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit, the Prime Minister will visit a school in Cornwall today to see how schools and students are already playing their part in protecting the environment and learning about the fight against climate change.

As part of the pack, there will also be content focused on identifying the UK’s future student climate leaders, remarkable young people who are already contributing to climate action in many ways including recycling, eating seasonal foods and walking to school. The actions that schools and pupils are taking across the country will help inspire others to follow their lead.

On the launch of pack, the COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma said:

The role of young people in tackling climate change, one of the greatest challenges of our generation, will be crucial.

I am delighted to see this school pack being launched today which will be made available right across the UK so that pupils can bring discussion and debate on the environment directly to their classrooms.

It will be exciting to see young people engage on this pressing issue ahead of COP26.

The Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson said:

When I visit schools around the country, something I’m always struck by is how engaged in environmental issues young people are. Tackling climate change requires action from each of us on an individual and collective basis and this pack helps schools encourage both those things.

I’m excited to see how schools’ climate leaders bring their passion, creativity and intelligence to help us secure a sustainable future.

Matt Larsen-Daw, Education Manager, WWF-UK said:

I’m delighted to be involved in the launch of today’s Together For Our Planet Schools Pack and to have been part of its development.

Young people have the biggest stake in the outcomes of the UN COP in November, and it is vital that they are informed and engaged as this pivotal milestone in the fight against climate change takes place on their doorstep, here in the UK.

This pack can help educators bring COP and the issues it seeks to address to life for their students and the whole school community.

Matt Hipperson, Head Teacher, St Luke’s CEVA Primary School said:

The issue of climate change is probably the most important problem of our age. It is destroying opportunities for large areas of our planet to prosper and live sustainably.

Our most important resource in the struggle against the impact of climate change is our young people who have the bravery to make the changes needed to give the world hope for a sustainable future.

This resource will help our children access trustworthy information, organise their thoughts and work towards the solutions that our planet is crying out for.

• The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 1 – 12 November 2021.

• The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

• The UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire climate action ahead of COP26.

• Specifically, the School’s Pack includes a Green Assembly Guide to help teachers run an assembly that informs children about climate change and empowers them with positive climate action ideas. Additional assets for download include social media explainers about COP26 and climate change/action, as well as usable Zoom backgrounds, social media templates and GIFs to help celebrate COP26 and young climate leaders.

• The pack will be distributed through the Department for Education school database, the Teacher’s Bulletin, and Devolved Administration networks to ensure it reaches as wide a number of pupils as possible. It will also be available to download from the COP26 website.

• The pack can be accessed here

Ofsted’s inspectors visited 32 state and private schools and colleges and spoke to more than 900 children and young people about the prevalence of sexual harassment in their lives and the lives of their peers.

Around 9 in 10 of the girls we spoke to said that sexist name calling and being sent unwanted explicit pictures or videos happened ‘a lot’ or ‘sometimes. Inspectors were also told that boys talk about whose ‘nudes’ they have and share them among themselves like a ‘collection game’, typically on platforms like WhatsApp or Snapchat.

The review recommends that school and college leaders act on the assumption that sexual harassment is affecting their pupils, and take a whole-school approach to addressing these issues, creating a culture where sexual harassment is not tolerated.

Lack of reporting

We found that children often don’t see the point of challenging or reporting this harmful behaviour because it’s seen as a normal experience. Pupils said adults often don’t realise the prevalence of sexual harassment that occurs both inside and outside school. They spoke of teachers not ‘knowing the reality’ of their lives.

We found that many teachers and leaders consistently underestimate the scale of these problems. They either didn’t identify sexual harassment and sexualised language as significant problems, they didn’t treat them seriously, or they were unaware they were happening. However, school leaders did note that easy access to pornography had set unhealthy expectations of sexual relationships and shaped perceptions of women and girls.

Children told inspectors that they didn’t always want to talk to adults about sexual harassment for a variety of reasons, including concerns about ‘reputational damage’ or being socially ostracised. They also worried about not knowing what would happen next once they reported an incident, and about potential police involvement.

Teaching about relationships and sex

Most children felt that the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they received didn’t give them the information and advice they needed to navigate the reality of their lives. Girls were frustrated that there wasn’t clear teaching of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and many had turned to social media or their peers to educate each other. One female pupil told inspectors, ‘It shouldn’t be our responsibility to educate boys’.

Many teachers said they don’t feel prepared to teach outside their subject specialism, or lack knowledge on topics like consent, healthy relationships and sharing of sexual images. In a few schools, leaders did not value the importance of RSHE. Insufficient time was given to the subject and curriculum planning was very poor.

Partnership working

Local safeguarding partners (LSPs) had varying levels of oversight of the issues for children and young people in their area. Some were working closely with schools to understand children’s experiences. However, a small number told Ofsted that sexual harassment was not a significant problem for schools and colleges in their local area, which isn’t plausible. It was clear that effective joint working between LSPs and all schools and colleges was not happening consistently.

Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said:

This review shocked me. It’s alarming that many children and young people, particularly girls, feel they have to accept sexual harassment as part of growing up. Whether it’s happening at school or in their social life, they simply don’t feel it’s worth reporting.

This is a cultural issue; it’s about attitudes and behaviours becoming normalised, and schools and colleges can’t solve that by themselves. The government needs to look at online bullying and abuse, and the ease with which children can access pornography. But schools and colleges have a key role to play. They can maintain the right culture in their corridors and they can provide RSHE that reflects reality and equips young people with the information they need.

I hope policymakers, teachers, parents and young people will read the report and work together to change attitudes and put a stop to harmful behaviour. Sexual harassment should never be considered normal and it should have no place in our schools and colleges.

Recommendations

Ofsted’s review makes a number of recommendations for schools, colleges and partner agencies, including:

• School and college leaders should develop a culture where all kinds of sexual harassment are recognised and addressed, including with sanctions when appropriate.
• The RSHE curriculum should be carefully sequenced with time allocated for topics that children and young people find difficult, such as consent and sharing explicit images.
• Schools and colleges should provide high-quality training for teachers delivering RSHE.
• Improved engagement between multi-agency safeguarding partners and schools.

The review also makes recommendations for government, including:

• The government should consider the findings of the review as it develops the Online Safety Bill, in order to strengthen online safeguarding controls for children and young people. It should also develop an online hub where schools can access the most up-to-date safeguarding guidance in one place.
• A guide should be developed for children and young people to explain what will happen after they talk to school staff about sexual harassment and abuse.
• The government should launch a communications campaign about sexual harassment and online abuse to help change attitudes, including advice for parents and carers.

The review also identifies areas where Ofsted and the Independent Schools Inspectorate can sharpen practice. Safeguarding is well covered on inspection, but a review of past inspections found that they were sometimes not robust enough on sexual harassment. For example, inspectors did not always record how they followed up with school leaders who failed to share any evidence of past incidents of sexual harassment.

Both inspectorates will be making updates to training, inspection handbooks and inspection practices where necessary, in light of the findings.

Notes to editors

In April, Ofsted was asked by the government to undertake a rapid review of sexual harassment in schools and colleges, after anonymous testimonials of sexual abuse were published on the website ‘Everyone’s Invited’. In the report, we use the Department for Education’s definition of the term ‘sexual harassment’, which includes online abuse.

The review included visits to 32 schools and colleges, where inspectors spoke to over 900 children and young people about the prevalence of sexual harassment, online abuse and sexual violence in their lives and the lives of their peers.

Ofsted also spoke to leaders, teachers, governors, local safeguarding partners, parents and other stakeholders, and considered how inspection and statutory guidance could be strengthened.