The Prime Minister will take part in live classroom link-up with schoolchildren in Kenya today (13 May 2021) to urge world leaders to invest in education, supporting the UK’s ambition to get 40 million more girls into school in the next five years.

He will visit a school in the UK with Julia Gillard, former Australian PM and Chair of the Global Partnership for Education, and speak to President Uhuru Kenyatta at a school in Nairobi as part of the Connecting Classrooms programme.

It comes as the UK announces £55 million for a new programme to drive crucial research into education reforms, turbocharging efforts to get girls into school and learning. The What Works Hub for Global Education will advise governments across Africa and Asia on the most impactful and cost-effective ways to reform school systems and support female enrolment.

Improving girls’ access to education is a key part of the UK’s G7 Presidency and is at the heart of global efforts to build back better from the pandemic. Investing in education helps lift communities out of poverty and protects girls from early marriage and forced labour.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Supporting girls to get 12 years of quality education is one of the smartest investments we can make as the world recovers from Covid-19. Otherwise we risk creating a lost pandemic generation.

Across the world there is a vast untapped resource – girls whose education has been cut short or denied altogether, who could be leading efforts to pull their communities out of poverty.

I’m going to be working throughout the UK’s G7 presidency to ensure leaders invest in those girls and boost children’s life chances around the world.

Today’s visit comes ahead of the joint UK-Kenya Global Education Summit in London in July, which aims to raise $5 billion over the next five years for the vital work of GPE.

Julia Gillard, Chair of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), said:

COVID-19 has worsened the global education crisis and hit children in lower-income countries the hardest, with life-changing consequences for millions.

Now, we are at a decisive junction. When the world builds back from the pandemic, ensuring that every girl and boy has the opportunity for a quality education is the single best investment we can make for a more sustainable, peaceful and resilient future.

The Global Education Summit this July, co-hosted by the United Kingdom and Kenya, is a critical opportunity to fully fund the Global Partnership for Education and help transform education systems to make them more equitable and effective.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused an unprecedented global learning crisis, with 1.6 billion children out of education around the world at the height of school closures. It has also compounded the obstacles to schooling that girls already face, including poverty, gender-based violence and child marriage.

President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta said:

Protecting domestic education budgets and ensuring that we do not lose education momentum because of the COVID-19 pandemic will enable us to create more prosperous and resilient economies.

We need to make smart investments in education technology to help close the digital divide and leapfrog infrastructure deficits in schools.

The Global Partnership for Education provides critical catalytic funding that promotes education quality and equity and maximizes the value of government investment in education. That’s why I have teamed up with Prime Minister to raise US$5 billion for GPE.

The Foreign Secretary will also launch a Girls’ Education Action Plan today (13 May 2021) which sets out the steps needed to help meet the UK’s targets to get 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10 by 2026.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

The UK has ambitious targets to get 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10, now adopted by the G7 under the UK’s Presidency.

To help reach this goal we’re announcing £55m for the new What Works Hub for Global Education. The funding will help schools target teaching to the right level of pupil understanding, explain the benefits to parents of sending their daughters to school, and measure the effectiveness of school programmes and reforms aimed at keeping girls in the classroom.

• Alok Sharma, COP26 President-Designate meets with Spanish PM and Cabinet members
• The UK and Spain cement their strong relationship on climate issues
• Hosts business roundtable to focus on action on climate change and economic growth

In his first visit to Spain as COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma congratulated Prime Minister Sanchez for his government’s continuing strong focus on climate change.

Mr Sharma held high-level discussions with PM Pedro Sanchez, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Nadia Calviño, and Fourth Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera. The meetings covered a wide range of issues including climate finance, adaptation, ensuring just energy and transport transitions, and the importance of international cooperation to making COP26 a success.

Following their meeting, the COP26 President and Minister Ribera issued a joint statement [link], committing to closely cooperate and lead by example through their own socially just energy and ecological transitions, and to encourage increased climate ambition, especially from the world’s major economies, ahead of COP26.

While in Madrid, Mr Sharma hosted a roundtable with Spanish companies which are showing leadership in green, low carbon growth, to discuss how to unlock further climate ambition within the business sector, including by joining the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign.

He also met with representatives of civil society and NGOs to talk about their priorities for the COP26 agenda and to hear their perspectives on climate action in Spain and further afield.

Following its last-minute hosting of COP25, Spain has shown continued leadership on climate change, reaching a world-first agreement on the just transition away from coal, and with a climate law awaiting final approval, committing to 74% renewable power generation by 2030 and 100% zero emissions new vehicle sales by 2040.

Speaking after the visit, Mr Sharma said:

“With its experience of hosting COP25, and keen commitment to addressing climate change, Spain is a key partner on the road to Glasgow. As we enter the critical 6 months before world leaders come together for COP26, I welcome the constructive discussions I have had with Prime Minister Sanchez and colleagues today. I look forward to continued close collaboration to raise international climate ambition at this pivotal moment for our planet.”

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• Large businesses will be required to display calorie information on menus and food labels from April 2022
• Rules will help the public to make healthier choices when eating out

Calories will be labelled on menus and food labels in out-of-home food businesses from April 2022, the government has announced.

Regulations will be laid in parliament tomorrow that will require large businesses with 250 or more employees in England, including cafes, restaurants and takeaways, to display the calorie information of non-prepacked food and soft drink items that are prepared for customers.

Calorie information will need to be displayed at the point of choice for the customer, such as physical menus, online menus, food delivery platforms and food labels.

The measures, which form part of the government’s wider strategy to tackle obesity, will help to ensure people are able to make more informed, healthier choices when it comes to eating food out or ordering takeaways.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the impact that obesity can have on people’s health and health outcomes.

It is estimated that overweight and obesity related conditions across the UK cost the NHS £6.1 billion each year. Almost two-thirds (63%) of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity – and 1 in 3 children leave primary school overweight or obese.

Public Health Minister, Jo Churchill, said:

Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for people to make healthier food choices for themselves and their families, both in restaurants and at home. That is why we want to make sure everyone has access to accurate information about the food and drink we order.

These measures form an important building block in our strategy to support and encourage people in achieving and maintaining a healthier weight.

By only requiring large businesses to label calories on menus, it will not impact small, independent businesses and will ensure those who might find the requirement more difficult are not impacted. The government will work with the food and drink sector and local authorities to ensure the regulations are implemented smoothly.

In July 2020, the government published its consultation response on introducing mandatory calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector. The response supported out of home calorie labelling and the government confirmed it will legislate this as part of its strategy to empower people to lead healthier lives, with these regulations now being laid.

In a Public Health England survey on calorie reduction, 79% of respondents said they think that menus should include the number of calories in food and drinks.

The recently announced Office for Health Promotion will lead national efforts to improve and level up the health of the nation by tackling obesity, improving mental health and promoting physical activity.

• Within the Regulations, the government has a provision which permits businesses to provide a menu without calorie information at the express request of the customer. As a result, people who may find viewing calorie information more difficult may be able to avoid this information in certain situations when eating out.