• sanctions target 22 individuals involved in notorious corruption cases in Russia, South Africa, South Sudan and throughout Latin America
• Foreign Secretary vows to stop corrupt individuals using the UK as a safe haven for dirty money
• new sanctions regime stops those involved in serious corruption from entering and channelling money through the UK

Individuals involved in some of the world’s most serious cases of corruption will no longer be able to channel their money through UK banks or enter the country thanks to new sanctions announced by the Foreign Secretary today.

The UK has, for the first time, imposed asset freezes and travel bans against 22 individuals under the new Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime which gives the UK unprecedented power to stop corrupt actors profiting from the UK economy and exploiting our citizens.

Corruption hurts individuals and undermines global trade, development and the rule of law. Over 2% of global GDP is lost to corruption every year, and corruption increases the cost of doing business for individual companies by as much as 10%.

Corruption also threatens our national security by exacerbating conflict and facilitating serious and organised crime, creating space for terrorist and criminal groups like Daesh and Boko Haram to operate.

This new regime will allow the UK to combat serious corruption, in particular bribery and misappropriation. It will promote effective governance, robust democratic institutions and the rule of law – demonstrating our power as a force for good around the world.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said:

Corruption has a corrosive effect as it slows development, drains the wealth of poorer nations and keeps their people trapped in poverty. It poisons the well of democracy.

The individuals we have sanctioned today have been involved in some of the most notorious corruption cases around the world.

Global Britain is standing up for democracy, good governance and the rule of law. We are saying to those involved in serious corruption: we will not tolerate you or your dirty money in our country.

The measures are deliberately targeted, so the UK can impose sanctions on corrupt individuals and their enablers, rather than entire nations.

They are being taken partly in tandem with the US, which is today also announcing further corruption sanctions. Acting together sends the clearest possible signal that corruption comes with a heavy price.

The UK’s first wave of sanctions under this new sanctions regime is targeting:

• those involved in the diversion of $230 million of Russian state property through a fraudulent tax refund scheme uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky – one of the largest tax frauds in recent Russian history
• Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta and their associate Salim Essa, for their roles in serious corruption. They were at the heart of a long-running process of corruption in South Africa which caused significant damage to its economy
• Sudanese businessman Ashraf Seed Ahmed Hussein Ali, widely known as Al Cardinal, for his involvement in the misappropriation of significant amounts of state assets in one of the poorest countries in the world. This diversion of resources in collusion with South Sudanese elites has contributed to ongoing instability and conflict
• several individuals involved in serious corruption in Latin America, including facilitating bribes to support a major drug trafficking organisation and misappropriation that has led to citizens being deprived of vital resources for development

The Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime builds on the success of the Global Human Rights sanctions regime established in July 2020, which has resulted in the UK imposing sanctions on 78 individuals and entities involved in serious human rights violations, including from Myanmar, Belarus, China and Russia.

The UK will continue to use a range of means to tackle serious corruption around the world, including funding the International Corruption Unit in the National Crime Agency. The International Corruption Unit and its predecessors have restrained, confiscated or returned over £1.1 billion of stolen assets, stolen from developing countries since 2006.

Schools in England can now register to offer a summer school to help children recover learning they have lost during the pandemic

Schools will be encouraged to bid for a share of £200 million in government funding to design summer schools for students who have experienced the most disruption.

Incoming Year 7 students will predominantly be encouraged to get involved, to help them navigate the important transition between primary and secondary school following a year of disrupted learning.

Summer schools will include a variety of activities from group activities such as sports to mental health support and academic catch up such as maths and English lessons.

Summer schools are one part of £1.7 billion already invested by the government in ambitious catch-up activity over the next year, including high quality tutoring.

A longer-term plan to help all students recover from the impact of the pandemic is currently under development, led by Education Recovery Commissioner Sir Kevan Collins.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

Our resilient kids are now back in the classroom, seeing their friends and having all of the benefits that being in school brings. But we know that time out of school necessary to control the pandemic has had an impact on the learning of pupils right across the country. Additional support this summer – on top of the National Tutoring programme and additional funding for schools – will help boost learning and wellbeing plus help prepare those pupils about to start secondary schools.

We’re supporting schools to plan their summer provision as early as possible, and making sure parents and pupils themselves have the notice they need to plan their own summers.

I am confident that this summer of enrichment and engagement in academic work will be a great success, tailored to local needs by the wonderful heads and teachers who best understand the needs of their students.

Schools can sign up via an online form on GOV.uk to confirm their plans, with flexibility for schools to target funding at other groups of students dependent on their local circumstances.

Parents should expect to hear from their schools over the course of May and June as they progress with their planning, but it remains at the discretion of schools which students they target their summer school offer towards.

The government anticipates that a two week summer school will give students an opportunity to make up some lost academic ground before they start a new school.

Summer schools should also offer an opportunity for schools to support students’ wellbeing, and schools should include activities such as team games, music, drama or sports activities, in their plans.

Schools will need to determine how best to use the funding and staff the scheme to ensure that the extra time is used effectively.

ENDS

Imagine a dart that can be fired into an underwater warhead and safely explode it using an electrical pulse.

This is just one of many innovative ideas that Dstl staff are working on with as we celebrate World IP (Intellectual Property) Day.

One of the unique working methods of the dart was the 1,000th IP report logged by the organisation.

It is fitting that this milestone was reached by Peter, a serial inventor and engineer, who has worked at Dstl for five years and filed 20 IP reports in that time.

His latest work means naval mines can be cleared faster and at less overall cost than explosive methods while using available uncrewed systems.

The Pulse Dart comprises of a metal spike and tube with electronics.

The spike penetrates the case of the ordnance and contains a non-explosive energetic material to initiate the warhead.

The operator uses a remote control to trigger the explosion at a safe distance away.

Peter said:

Well it was actually a colleague that was taking me to a trial and he was describing to me the process for how we are developing mine disposal.

I remember being in the car just driving and just thinking I wonder what would happen if you electrocuted the mine with a couple of hundred thousand volts… I’m guessing it’s probably going to explode.

His dart is being made in Dstl workshops in Salisbury.

He added:

You would be surprised what can come out of ideas.

When you are inventing something you are just doing what you do. You enjoy your work and you are just finding the solution to a problem – it’s your daily bread.

You can miss the value of the idea in different fields because it’s not what you’re used to. This is one of the reasons is why reporting IP is so important because you might not recognise there may be another application for the idea you’ve had.

Celebrating 1000 IPs

Dstl protects its work by officially logging novel ideas and unique work with its IP team.

Registering the prior knowledge of an idea or process enables the scientists at Dstl to continue to use their ideas even if a third party later devises and tries to protect to the idea.

Where a commercial application is identified a patent is particularly useful helping the technology to be licensed out.

Dstl is a proven national asset which works with academia and industry, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Head of IP Graham said how a new system was developed at Dstl in 2017 to make it easier for the organisation’s world-class scientists and inventors to submit IP reports. They now get around 300 a year.

He added:

Peter is one of our most innovative people and a great individual to work with. One of those people who has got a really enquiring mind.

He is always working with us to ensure we can protect his idea and get the greatest impact from the work he does.

World IP Day is of great importance in the professional and across the technical world.

It’s all about raising awareness of Intellectual Property across the world and the value it can bring to science and technology.