Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP has today (3 September 2020) announced the appointment to the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation of:

• Sir Jon Cunliffe, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England
• Mona Siddiqui OBE, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh
• Matthew Westerman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum.

The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation is an expert committee that advises the government on Holocaust Commemoration including plans for a new Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens next to Parliament.

The new members, all leading figures in their professions, will play a key role in advising the government on Holocaust remembrance, and on the construction and operation of the new Memorial.

With their knowledge and expertise from the fields of finance, academia and museum management they will further strengthen and broaden the already excellent advice provided by the Foundation.

The Memorial will be the focal point for national remembrance of the Holocaust and learning and is dedicated to the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust and all other victims of the Nazis and their collaborators.

The Learning Centre will focus on teaching about the Holocaust and subsequent genocides and will educate future generations on the importance of fighting prejudice and persecution in all its forms.

Placing the Memorial next to the seat and symbol of parliamentary democracy reaffirms the United Kingdom’s commitment to Holocaust commemoration and serves as a permanent reminder of the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy to be vigilant whenever those values are threatened.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:

I am delighted to welcome such an accomplished group of members to the board of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. They will bring unique professional perspectives to the Foundation as we move forward with the Memorial.

This year marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau. It’s unacceptable that 75 years after liberation, incidents of antisemitism are still rising in the UK and demonstrates why it is so important to remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust and all other victims of Nazi persecution.

The UK Holocaust Memorial will serve as a continual reminder to us all of why we need to make a stand against antisemitism, racism and hatred, whenever and wherever we find it – something that this government will always do.

Co-chairs of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, Rt Hon Ed Balls and Rt Hon Lord Eric Pickles said:

Our new members will strengthen the Foundation and we look forward to them bringing their knowledge, experience and expertise to the table.

Education on the Holocaust and subsequent genocides is one of the most powerful tools we have in the battle against antisemitism, racism and misinformation. Our new Foundation members will help us ensure we deliver an iconic Memorial and a world-class Learning Centre.

Matthew Westerman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum said:

I look forward to contributing to the successful establishment of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre which will be a powerful institution in the fight against prejudice and hatred in all its forms.

I’m confident the complementary narratives presented by the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre and IWM’s upcoming new Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries will help more people than ever to understand the impact of this terrible period in world history.

Mona Siddiqui OBE, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh said:

Memorials are places for remembering but also learning. Racism and prejudice corrode society. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to contribute to better education about the past and hopefully a more just vision for all in the future.

Sir Jon Cunliffe, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England said:

I am very pleased and honoured to be appointed to the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation and to have the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a Memorial and the Learning Centre that will help combat prejudice and persecution in all its forms.

In January 2016 the then Prime Minister announced that the chosen location for the Memorial was Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster.

After an international competition, with 92 entries in total and 10 finalists, Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects and Gustafson Porter + Bowman were selected unanimously as the winning team, by a jury including the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Mayor of London, the Chief Rabbi, experts from architecture, art and design, and both first and second-generation Holocaust survivors. The announcement was made on 24 October 2017.

A planning application was submitted to Westminster City Council in December 2018. In November 2019 the Housing Minister decided to call in the planning application for determination at the national level because of the project’s significant effects beyond the immediate locality. There will now be a public inquiry chaired by a planning inspector.

The government committed £50 million in 2015 and in 2019 announced an additional £25 million of government money to be matched by charitable donations.

UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation Members

• Rt Hon Ed Balls and Rt Hon Lord Eric Pickles (co-Chairs)
• Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
• Natasha Kaplinsky OBE
• Gerald Ronson CBE
• Alice Greenwald
• Rt Hon the Lord Feldman of Elstree
• Lord David Alliance
• Baroness Dido Harding
• Peter Freeman CBE
• Sir Lloyd Dorfman CBE

Biographies of new members

Matthew Westerman

Matthew Westerman is a Director of MW&L Capital Partners, an investment vehicle with investments in a number of private and public businesses.

Prior to the establishment of MW&L Capital Partners, Matthew had been a banker throughout his career, most recently at HSBC where he was co-head of Global Banking; he spent the majority of his banking career at Goldman Sachs where he led its investment banking business in Australasia ex-Japan and in Europe, Middle East and Africa. He served on the European and Asian Management Committees and was a member of the Partnership Committee.

He is a Trustee and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum and a Foundation Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. Matthew is a Non-Executive Director of Schroders plc and a member of its Audit & Risk Committee. He is also a member of the Global Advisory Board of Kekst CNC, the strategic consultancy business of Publicis Group.

Professor Mona Siddiqui OBE FRSE FAAAS

Mona Siddiqui is Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh and Assistant Principal for Religion and Society.

She has published widely on Islamic law and Christian-Muslim relations and is a regular contributor to a wide range of media including BBC Radio 4’s and BBC Radio Scotland’s Thought for the Day and Moral Maze. She chairs the BBC’s Religious Advisory Committee in Scotland and during 2016 served as chair of the Scotland `Stronger In’ pro Europe campaign.

In April 2016, she was invited by the Home Office to lead an independent review of shari`a councils in the UK; the report was published by the Home Office in February 2018. She has served as an elected member of the Nuffield Council of Bioethics and as a member of the British Medical Associations’ Medical Ethics Committee.

She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds an honorary fellowship of the Royal Society of Scottish Architects for her contributions to public life. In 2020, she was invited to join the Advisory Council of Wilton Park, an executive arm of the Foreign and Commonwealth office. In April 2019, she received the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation.

Sir Jon Cunliffe

Sir Jon Cunliffe became Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England on 1 November 2013 for a 10-year term. Jon is a member of the Bank’s Financial Policy and Monetary Policy Committees, the Bank’s Court of Directors and the Prudential Regulation Committee.

Before joining the Bank, Jon was the UK Permanent Representative to the European Union. From July 2007 to December 2011, he was the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Europe and Global Issues and the UK Sherpa for the G8 and G20 and the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary responsible for EU coordination.

Between 2002 and 2007, Jon was Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury, Managing Director of the Macroeconomic and International Finance Directorate. Between 1990 and 2002 he held various posts at HM Treasury, and prior to that at the Department of Transport and the Environment. Jon was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the New Year Honours 2001 and made a Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours 2010.

Thank you very much, Mr President. Congratulations on your presidency for the month of September.

Can I also please begin by thanking Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General Williams for her briefing and for all the work that UNSMIL do. Stephanie, you have just delivered a powerful and compelling statement about the situation in Libya. You set out, I’m afraid, a bleak picture with few glimmers of light. But I want to thank you, Stephanie, for your honesty and also for your service to the people of Libya and to the United Nations.

Mr President, the situation in Libya is one of the biggest challenges that this Council faces. The international community – we – are collectively failing. We are failing to meet the obligations and commitments that we have freely entered into. We are failing to enforce the obligations and commitments laid out by this Council.

The humanitarian backdrop is particularly concerning, as is the rise in Covid-19 cases. The people of Libya have had enough, as we have seen demonstrated again in recent days.

But, Mr President, let us try to pick up on one of the glimmers of light in Stephanie’s statement. The United Kingdom welcomes the statements of the 21st of August by the President of the Presidency Council Fayez al-Sarraj and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Aguila Saleh calling for a ceasefire. The Libyan people have been clear about their desire for peace. And as the events since April 2019 have demonstrated, there is no military solution. These announcements mark a significant step on the road towards sustained peace, security and stability. We commend both sides for their commitment to the political process and thank UNSMIL for its leadership in engaging with and facilitating dialogue between Libyan parties.

Mr President, these statements alone are not enough. This opportunity must be seized by all involved in the conflict and the Libyan people to make progress in achieving sustainable peace. So now is the time for restraint from those on all sides of the conflict and for all Libyan parties to take their cue from these statements and engage constructively to implement them.

And, Mr President, we need a reinvigorated UNSMIL, able to take forward this and any other opportunities.

Let me say at this point that we are concerned by the rapidly shrinking space for Libyan women to voice their opinions and participate in political life and post-conflict reconstruction, with some women subjected to physical threats and attacks apparently linked to their public roles. In the 20th anniversary year of UNSCR 1325, we welcome the Acting Special Representative’s commitment to the full and effective participation of women in political and public life, including all political processes and peace building initiatives. Remember, colleagues, this is about not only what is right to do, it’s about what is effective.

Mr President, I said that the international community, including members of this Council, were not honouring commitments freely entered into or observing the obligations laid down by this Council. International backers must commit to the departure from Libya of all foreign forces and mercenaries, and must provide the Libyan parties with the space and support needed to achieve a ceasefire, engage meaningfully in the UN led political process and secure an inclusive political agreement which places the people of Libya at its centre.

We welcome the continued engagement by the parties in the UN-led 5+5 dialogue, which the United Kingdom supports as co-chair of the Security Working Group. And we urge the parties to have the courage to make the compromises needed.

We fully support UNSMIL’s efforts to de-escalate the situation around Sirte. A demilitarised solution in Sirte could serve as a foundation for a broader ceasefire, but we remain highly concerned by the ongoing conflict, fuelled by reckless international intervention and violations of the arms embargo through the arming and supplying of the parties and the activities of the Wagner Group and other foreign mercenaries. We support the work of the Panel of Experts fully and call for the external backers of the parties to comply with the embargo and the commitments they made at the Berlin Conference. And that applies to all external backers.

Mr President, we are troubled by the ongoing impact of the conflict on human rights and humanitarian issues exacerbated by the worsening Covid-19 situation, as set out by Stephanie. The increase in civilian casualties, documented by UNSMIL from April to June, is unacceptable, as are the continued attacks on medical facilities, ambulances and medical personnel and attacks on schools. We reiterate our concern at casualties resulting from mines, booby traps and improvised explosive devices left by withdrawing forces aligned with the LNA. We continue to call for the mass grave sites at Tarhunah to be secured until a proper investigation can be conducted. We reiterate our condemnation of all human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including indiscriminate attacks; unlawful killings; sexual and gender-based violence; the silencing of journalists, activists and human rights defenders; and the mistreatment of vulnerable people, including, in particular, migrants. We’re concerned by reports that civilians were fired upon and abducted during recent protests. It is vital that the right to peaceful assembly, protest and freedom of expression are upheld. And we welcome the appointment of the members of the International Fact Finding Mission for Libya to investigate human rights violations and abuses, and reiterate our calls on all parties to allow the mission access across the whole country.

We support the calls to resume oil production in the recent statements from the GNA and House of Representatives. We welcome the independent audit of the two Central Bank branches as a vital step towards improved transparency and reunification. The oil blockade only serves to harm the Libyan people. We must move forward with resuming production in the interests of all Libyans and the Libyan economy.

Mr President, I want to echo Acting SRSG Williams’ concluding remarks. There is no military solution in Libya. Those who deliberately undermined the peace process in April 2019 thought that a military campaign could work. Fifteen months later it has been proved again and again and again that it cannot. All that has been achieved in the meantime is death and misery amid a huge increase in weaponry into Libya. So let me once again urge the Libyan parties and their international backers to listen to the cries of the Libyan people for peace and to put the interests of the Libyan people above their own narrow, selfish interests. Let all commit to a lasting ceasefire and let us empower a strong UNSMIL to take forward negotiations on peace and lasting security.

Thank you, Mr President.

• New £2bn Kickstart scheme will create thousands of new jobs for young people across Wales and the rest of the UK
• Youngsters on Universal Credit aged between 16-24 will be offered six-month work placements – with wages paid by the UK Government
• Launch comes as companies like Tesco pledge to sign up

An innovative new scheme to help young people into work and spur Britain’s economic revival was launched by the UK Government today.

Businesses are now able to sign up to be part of the landmark £2bn Kickstart scheme, giving unemployed young people a future of opportunity and hope by creating high-quality, UK Government-subsidised jobs across the UK.

Under the scheme, announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of his Plan for Jobs, employers can offer youngsters aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit a six-month work placement.

The UK Government will fully fund each “Kickstart” job – paying 100% of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage, National Insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week.

Employers will be able to top up this wage, while the UK Government will also pay employers £1500 to set up support and training for people on a Kickstart placement, as well as helping pay for uniforms and other set up costs. The jobs will give young people – who are more likely to have been furloughed, with many working in sectors disproportionately hit by the pandemic – the opportunity to build their skills in the workplace and to gain experience to improve their chances of finding long-term work.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said:

This isn’t just about kickstarting our country’s economy – it is an opportunity to kickstart the careers of thousands of young people who could otherwise be left behind as a result of the pandemic.

The scheme will open the door to a brighter future for a new generation and ensure the UK bounces back stronger as a country.

Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said:

We have taken unprecedented action to secure Wales’s economic recovery from the pandemic. More than 500,000 Welsh jobs have been protected through the Job Retention and Self Employed schemes while over 40,000 businesses in Wales have received more than £1.4 billion in loans.

Protecting, supporting and creating jobs is at the heart of our plan for recovery. Aimed at young people, the Kickstart scheme will make sure no-one is left behind as we get the Welsh economy moving again.

Businesses of all sizes looking to create quality jobs for young people can apply and there is no cap on the number of places. Household names including Tesco and the Prince’s Trust, have already pledged to offer Kickstart jobs.

Young people will be referred into the new roles through their Jobcentre Plus work coach with the first Kickstarts expected to begin at the start of November.

The scheme, which will be delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions will initially be open until December 2021, with the option of being extended.

The Chancellor and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Therese Coffey today invited young people hoping to take part in the scheme to a speed mentoring session with CEOs.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Therese Coffey said:

As we launch our £2billion Kickstart programme, putting young people at the heart of our revival – we are urging businesses to get involved in this innovative scheme and take advantage of the enormous pool of potential out there.

There is no limit on the number of opportunities we’ll open up through Kickstart and we’ll fund each one for six months as part of Our Plan for Jobs to create, support and protect jobs.

Young people taking part will receive on-the-job training, skills development and mentoring, as we get them on that first rung of the jobs ladder and on their way to successful careers.

To help smaller businesses, employers offering fewer than 30 placements will be asked to make a bid through an intermediary, such as a Local Authority or chamber of commerce, who will then bid for 30 or more placements as a combined bid from several businesses. This will make the process easier and less labour intensive to apply for these smaller companies who only want to hire one or two Kickstarters.

Young people are usually amongst the worst hit by financial crises, and unemployment can have longstanding implications for their future jobs and wages. We know people are leaving education into an extremely difficult jobs market, we know that young people are more likely to have been furloughed, so we are stepping in to provide more help.

Around 700,000 young people are set to leave education and enter the job market this year, with a quarter of a million more people aged under 25 claiming unemployment benefits since March – with youth unemployment having a long-term impact on jobs and wages.

The Kickstart scheme was announced in July as part of the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs, which set out the biggest package of support for youth unemployment in decades – including tripling the number of traineeships, incentivising employers to hire more apprentices through a £2,000 payment to employers for every apprentice they hire under the age of 25 and investing in our National Careers Service so people can receive bespoke advice on training and work.

ENDS