The Home Secretary has today laid orders in Parliament to make membership of 2 right-wing terrorist groups illegal in the UK.

The orders will proscribe Sonnenkrieg Division (SKD) and will recognise System Resistance Network as an alias of the already proscribed group National Action.

Proscription renders membership of a group illegal in the UK. Anyone found to be a member of or offering support to the groups could now face up to ten years behind bars.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

Recent attacks here and in Germany have highlighted the threat we continue to face from violent extremism.

We are working to keep the public safe by increasing funding for counter terror police and strengthening the law to keep terrorists locked up for longer.

By proscribing these groups we are making it much harder for them to spread their hateful rhetoric.

This decision follows a meeting of the Proscription Review Group, which brings together representatives from the police and other partners to assess the risk posed by groups who may be considered for proscription.

As part of the order to proscribe SKD, the entry for Partiya Karkeren Kurdistani (the Kurdistan Worker’s Party or PKK) will be amended to include Teyre Azadiye Kurdistan (TAK) and Hêzên Parastina Gel (HPG) as aliases.

The PKK has long been considered to be involved in terrorism and these orders will prevent individuals circumventing efforts to counter its activity.

DVLA has released pictures of some of the cons being used by scammers to trick motorists into handing over their money.

It comes as new figures show a 20% increase in scams reported to DVLA, with 1,538 reports made to agency in the last three months of 2019.

The reports of suspected web, email, text or social media scams were up from 1,275 in the same period in 2018. DVLA has released the images of recent scams reported to help motorists be aware of what to look out for and issue a clear warning that if something offered online or by text message appears too good to be true, then it almost certainly is.

Scammers are targeting unsuspecting customers with links to services that don’t exist and messages of tax refunds, all of which are fake.

The reports also show that driver and vehicle documents are for sale on the internet. DVLA is advising anyone with concerns about any calls, texts, emails or suspicious activity online, to always report these to the police via Action Fraud immediately.

DVLA chief information security officer David Pope said:

We’ve released examples of real life scams to help motorists understand when a scam is at work. These websites and messages are designed to trick people into believing they can access services that simply don’t exist such as removing penalty points from driving licences.

All our tax refunds are generated automatically after a motorist has told us they have sold, scrapped or transferred their vehicle to someone else so we don’t ask for anyone to get in touch with us to claim their refund.

We want to protect the public and if something seems too good to be true, then it almost certainly is. The only trusted source of DVLA information is GOV.UK

It is also important to remember never to share images on social media that contain personal information, such as your driving licence and vehicle documents.

A spokesperson for Action Fraud said:

This can be a stressful time of year, sorting out finances for the year ahead. Fraudsters are aware of this and are using different ways to trick people.

Taking a couple of minutes to familiarise yourself with a few simple online safety tips can be significant in protecting yourself from becoming a victim of online fraud.

You should always be cautious when sharing personal information online and avoid being scammed by only using GOV.UK for government services online, such as the DVLA.

If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, please report it to us.

Notes to editors

• Fraud or cyber crime can be reported to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm), or by using their online reporting tool, which is available 24/7.

• Last year the DVLA published its tips for motorists to stay safe online.

• The Annual Fraud Indicator 2017 estimated the cost of fraud to the UK was £190bn a year.

• In the last quarter of 2019 there were 1,538 complaints to DVLA regarding suspected web, email, text or social media scams. That represented a 20% increase on 1,275 in the same period in 2018.

• Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

• Safer Internet Day 2020 was celebrated globally on Tuesday 11 February. It aims to inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively. This year’s theme is ‘Together for a better internet’.

The following statement was issued jointly by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Norway.

The Troika congratulates the people of South Sudan and the parties to the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) on the announcement of the formation of an inclusive transitional government on February 22. We welcome the fact that the government and opposition parties have made the necessary compromises to allow this important step. For the transitional period to be a success, a spirit of continuous collaboration, supported by the active, engaged, and free voices of citizens and civil society, must continue. Nearly nine years since South Sudan’s independence, this is an opportunity for the political leadership to take their country forward towards prosperity and peace by making meaningful progress on security sector arrangements, the reform agenda, transitional justice and accountability, and preparations for credible and safe elections.

The Troika commends the work of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) as a guarantor of the R-ARCSS. We are committed to working with the new transitional government, IGAD, and other regional and international partners to support the people of South Sudan in their pursuit of peace and stability.

Published 24 February 2020

Information for the public on the outbreak of novel coronavirus including the current situation in the UK and information about the virus and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is available here.

We are working closely with the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and other healthcare partners, contributing to the essential work needed to protect public health in the UK.

We are prioritising work to support and authorise the development of vaccines, clinical trials of new medicines, and helping to manage the supply of medicines and other healthcare products. We also provide information to patients, manufacturers and healthcare professionals through our established information channels and alert systems.

NIBSC

The MHRA includes the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), which plays a major role in assuring the quality of biological medicines, worldwide. NIBSC is drawing on its expertise gained through work on previous virus outbreaks such as Zika, Ebola and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), to support the public health response.   NIBSC is developing biological reference materials which are needed to support a quick and reliable diagnosis of infection, evaluate vaccines and the effectiveness of treatments, all of which will assist public health research.
  NIBSC works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); a global partnership that facilitates the development of vaccines for emerging viruses. NIBSC acts as an implementing partner to produce reference material which supports these activities. Working with CEPI and other partners will ensure the rapid availability of biological materials needed to contribute towards global response efforts to COVID-19.

Clinical trials

We authorise and inspect the clinical trials of new medicines in the UK. We are on standby to ensure that applications relating to COVID-19 are dealt with swiftly and we can guide you through the application process. If you would like further guidance or advice, we would be happy to discuss this with you at the earliest opportunity. Please contact us by emailing clintrialhelpline@mhra.gov.uk.

Our statement on the decision in R (on the application of Inclusion Housing Community Interest Company) v Regulator of Social Housing [2020] EWHC 346 (Admin):

We welcome the decision today (24 February 2020) of the High Court dismissing Inclusion Housing’s challenge to our regulatory judgement following the Court’s careful consideration of this matter.

Our judgement on Inclusion Housing remains in place and we continue to work with the organisation and hope it will take steps to address our concerns. This will help ensure that the long term interests of the tenants of Inclusion can be best protected.

Published 24 February 2020