With more than half of those convicted of theft and burglary reoffending within a year and almost 80% of cases resulting in no suspect being identified, this will be a vital extra source of intelligence to help police catch these persistent offenders.

Under new rules, burglars, robbers and thieves that have served a prison sentence of a year or more will be automatically fitted with a tag on release, allowing their whereabouts to be monitored by GPS satellites 24 hours a day for up to 12 months.

Police will be able to work with HM Prison and Probation Service staff to investigate whether those on the tags have been in the vicinity of recent burglaries, thefts and robberies. It could provide the crucial evidence needed to catch the perpetrators.

The intention is the tags will also act as a deterrent, protecting the public from further burglaries and thefts and forcing these career criminals to choose a more honest way of making a living. It is hoped this novel approach will reduce the estimated £4.8 billion burden such crimes place on the taxpayer every year.

Minister for Crime and Policing, Kit Malthouse MP said:

Being burgled or robbed is devastating and I understand how frustrating it is when the perpetrators can’t be caught, both for the public and the police.

Tagging these prolific offenders so we know where they are 24 hours a day should be powerful persuasion to change their ways and will help police find and charge them if they don’t. It’s another tool helping probation staff to cut crime and keep the public safe.

National Police Chief’s Council Electronic Monitoring Lead, Deputy Chief Constable Jon Stratford said:

Tagging prolific offenders provides a strong deterrent and means officers will be able to quickly arrest and gather evidence against anyone suspected of being involved in a robbery, burglary or other theft.

This scheme will play a part in our overall work to prevent crime and keep our communities safe.

The scheme will initially launch in six police force areas (Avon and Somerset, Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Humberside and West Midlands) on 12 April and it is estimated 250 offenders will be tagged in the first six months. It will then be extended to a further 13 areas in September.

Police officers will be able to submit any burglaries, thefts or robberies they are investigating to a dedicated unit overseen by HM Prison and Probation Service. Trained staff will then be able to check the location history of those on tags against the details of the crime, allowing police to either rule out or investigate suspects further.

The joined up nature of this work builds on the recently updated Integrated Offender Management strategy, which sees police and the Probation Service working together to reduce neighbourhood crime.

This is just the latest way in which the Government is using innovative technology to cut crime and follows the launch of sobriety tags to tackle alcohol-fuelled crime in Wales, with the scheme soon to be expanded across England. Tags are also used to ensure high-risk offenders obey curfews, exclusion zones and other licence conditions, the breaching of which can result in an immediate return to prison.

Thank you, Madam President, and thank you to our briefers. Ms Shawky, your words eloquently capture the universal hopes of the Yemeni people and – along with the continued warnings from Mr Lowcock that Yemen is on the brink not just of a devastating famine, but a prolonged starvation – are why ending the conflict in Yemen is a priority for the UK and why it should be a priority for the world.

We urgently need an opportunity to advance peace. We need, as we have heard, an end to fighting, a nationwide ceasefire, and an inclusive political process that ends the conflict. The UK is grateful to Special Envoy Griffiths for his tireless work and for his renewed efforts in recent weeks.

But despite recent efforts, the Houthis have, as Resolution 2564 warns, escalated military attacks, intensifying attacks on Saudi Arabia and on Marib. Their actions are making the humanitarian crisis worse. With 140,000 people already displaced from Marib, the UK strongly condemns these escalations, as we did in a joint statement with France, Germany, Italy and the US last week.

We are also concerned about reports of protesters storming the presidential palace in Aden today and reports of security forces firing on protesters in Seyoun yesterday. We call for restraint from both protesters and security forces.

We also remain deeply concerned by the grave threat posed by the SAFER oil tanker. The Houthis most urgently implement the multiple Security Council calls for them to facilitate the UN assessment and repair mission.

We also call on the Houthis to ensure a transparent and independent investigation into the Houthi-run migrant centre fire in Sana’a, including the involvement of the Houthi Security Service. Scores may have died. International agencies must have unrestricted access to the site and to those injured. The Houthis’ treatment of migrants must improve.

Humanitarian aid must not be used as a political tool. In line with Security Council Resolutions 2451 and 2417, we call on all parties to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access and to ensure that humanitarian workers are able to continue their work safely and without harm. It is also critical that imports flow into the port of Hodeidah and that vital onward supply routes remain open. We call on the Government of Yemen to immediately approve fuel ships to enter northern ports. Significant external financial assistance is also needed to enable affordable food imports.

The UK continues to be a leading donor to Yemen. We have so far pledged $120 million to the 2021 appeal. This will feed an additional 240,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis every month and provide clean water for 1.6 million people.

Thank you, Madam President.

It’s a privilege to speak to so many maritime professionals this morning.

As an island nation, Britain’s trade has always depended on the tide.

And at the turn of the century, the UK built an astonishing 60 per cent of the world’s ships.

We might no longer be the workshop of the world.

But your industry remains global leaders in Design and Innovation.

You still bring in billions to our economy and spread wealth right across the country.

And you still directly provide for the livelihoods of some 44,000 people from Appledore to the Clyde and many more in the supply chain.

But, as Shipbuilding Tsar, you know I want our ambition to be greater still.

And, as chair of the Maritime Working Group, I’ve been pushing my colleagues right across government to create the conditions to help you be successful.

We know we must up our productivity because our international counterparts are getting ahead.

Our UK shipyards currently lag behind our European rivals, as does our cost base, and this needs to be improved.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s led-study into UK productivity provided us with a foundation to build on.

It gave us a better understanding of the challenges you face as an industry and a better understanding of how Government can work with industry to increase productivity.

The “rich picture” of the industry developed by the Maritime Enterprise Working Group has further strengthened our understanding, identifying areas which require improvement, investment and consolidation.

We also know we need to do more to develop the skills of the future.

That’s where the Department for Education’s work comes in.

They’ve been speaking to employers across England to understand the skills requirements throughout the enterprise.

We’re in the midst of analysing their work. These findings will help industry gain the skills they need for the future.

We need to be more innovative too.

How can we develop hydrogen powered ships? How can we make better use of autonomy? How can we build a digital backbone into this industry?

Another of my Working Group colleagues, Minister Courts, will be speaking to you later about our exciting plans in this area.

And we need to be more competitive.

I want to see us out there exporting. And DIT’s work on export credits will help you by making sure no viable UK export fails through lack of finance or insurance.

But the key to our future success is a sense of certainty.

Certainty breeds confidence.

The good news is this Prime Minister is determined to give you that certainty.

That’s why, when he announced an extra £24bn for Defence, he talked about spurring a renaissance in British shipbuilding across the UK.

It’s why we’re building a pipeline of future projects.

It’s why we’re developing a maritime enterprise export plan to deliver state-of-the art British ships to our global allies.

And it’s why, I can announce today, that we will be refreshing our National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Why will it be different?

First, our strategy is going to be much more wide-ranging. It will no longer be primarily about hulls but about looking right across the shipbuilding enterprise, from naval and commercial shipbuilding to systems and sub-systems.

Secondly, we’re going to be sending you a much clearer demand signal about what we’re trying to achieve with our procurement programmes – for the first time releasing a 30-year pipeline of all Government vessel procurements over 150 tons.

This will encompass not just military vessels but all ships including those procured by Home Office, DFT, Defra, BEIS and the Scottish government.

The strategy will also deliver for all parts of the UK, building on the proud traditions of shipbuilding in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We’re going to be letting you know our policy and technology priorities for shipbuilding. What green capabilities we’re after to achieve our net zero commitments. And how we will take account of the social value of shipbuilding when making appraisals.

In return for the certainty we instil, I expect you to up your productivity, invest in your people and develop the advanced manufacturing skills necessary to compete on the global stage

Finally, we’re going to be working more seamlessly with central, local government and devolved governments as well as industry and academia, to realise our aspirations. The Maritime Working Group has already shown the benefits of this approach

But we’re going further. I have just approved a cross sector study to identify the challenges, priorities and ambitions that the Royal Navy shares with the wider Maritime Enterprise in Scotland. I want to see how we can do more together to boost skills, innovation, and green projects.

More broadly, I want us to create local hubs of expertise. So that the ships that leave these shores aren’t simply famed for bearing a stamp saying “made in Britain” but for the stamp that says Belfast or Birkenhead.

And I want to make sure that, once you’ve built those era-defining ships, we do more to trumpet your achievements.

My vision is for a supercharged, successful and sustainable UK shipbuilding enterprise.

By 2030, I want our industry to be at the forefront of the technological and environmental revolutions driving our sector.

But Government cannot reinvigorate the enterprise alone. We can only make this happen by working together.

Fittingly, this year we will see HMS Queen Elizabeth embark on her first operational deployment I can’t think of a more impressive floating showcase of the talents you all possess.

Nor a stronger signal to the world that the renaissance in British shipbuilding is now firmly underway.