On 15 January 2020, the British Embassy in Italy launched “UK in…”, a diplomacy initiative that will see Ambassador Jill Morris promote links between Britain and Italy through visits to several Italian cities over the course of 2020.

The initiative was presented at the Rome headquarters of the Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani (ANCI), alongside the association’s president, Antonio Decaro. At the launch event, Ambassador Jill Morris said the plan was conceived by taking stock of “the extraordinary richness in diversity that Italy offers through its different regions and cities” and the strong relationships between the UK and the different regions of Italy.

This strategy of “territorial diplomacy” is “unprecedented” in its programme of “local missions”. The initiative aims to create new opportunities for collaboration in strategic areas for the development and prosperity of both countries, in full awareness of “the key role which the cities have in the Italian socio-economic and cultural system,” Morris said.

The initiative is also designed to “reinforce commercial relationships and increase investments, to create new partnerships between universities and research centres, to develop new projects of collaboration in the cultural sphere” and provide opportunities for meetings and discussion between Italian and British experts on topics of shared interest, Morris explained, giving the example of climate change.

Jill Morris’ tour will start with Pavia on 21 and 22 January, where a report on women’s access to finance in the UK and Italy will be presented at one of the oldest universities in Europe. The presentation is also part of a series of “Women in” events organised by the British Embassy designed to promote gender equality and the role of women in key areas of society, traditionally dominated by men.

The February visit, to Genoa, will include a round table on urban regeneration with experts from both countries, and meetings with British investors and entrepreneurs present in Italy. The Ambassador will also visit San Marino in March, Cagliari (in Sardinia) in April, Catanzaro (in Calabria) in May, and Naples (in Campania) in June.

During the launch event, Jill Morris handed a letter to ANCI President Decaro where she expressed her interest in networking with as many Italian municipalities as possible to renew existing links or create new ones.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has today (Friday 17 January) backed police to step up their fight against county lines gangs as she welcomed the results of a recent crackdown.

British Transport Police (BTP) and Merseyside Police have made over 100 arrests during intensive operations that have taken place in the past 2 months.

Officers have also made a number of seizures of weapons, phones, drugs and cash.

This action was funded by £5 million of Home Office money from £20 million that was previously committed by the Home Secretary to dismantle county lines.

Police continue to carry out surge activity against county lines gangs, and following the success of recent operations the Home Secretary has committed an additional £5 million funding on top of the original £20 million.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

I will not tolerate these abhorrent gangs that are terrorising our towns and exploiting our children.

I’m pleased to see such strong results from the police – they have my full backing in this crucial work.

We will continue to support their efforts in confronting this threat with 20,000 new officers.

Merseyside Chief Constable Andy Cooke said:

In the last 2 months the concentrated activity of our officers, working together with British Transport Police and other forces in the UK, has led to the cutting of 7 county lines run by organised crime groups.

As a result we have arrested 48 people and more importantly we have been able to safeguard 21 people who were being exploited by these groups.

County lines are run off the backs of vulnerable people targeted by ruthless criminals. They use the vulnerable to deal their drugs, whilst they sit back and live off the criminal earnings from the sales of illegal drugs which blight our communities.

This initiative, codenamed Project Medusa, hits the criminals hard, but when it comes to the young and vulnerable people, who have been criminally exploited, we ensure that they are treated sensitively and with understanding.

BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said:

We are the specialist force for policing the rail network and my officers have great experience in tackling issues which span the nation, such as county lines.

We have seen first hand the devastating impact these exploitative gangs have on young people, and we are determined to disrupt this criminal activity.

Since the founding of the county lines taskforce we have seen excellent results, with 80 gang members being arrested and drugs and other potential lethal weapons being seized.

With each arrest comes valuable intelligence on how these corrosive gangs operate, and likewise we can help safeguard exploited children from harm.

Thankfully, the rail network continues to be a low crime environment, and with this Home Office funding, we will continue to take decisive action to shut down trafficking networks.

Following the government investment, the 2 forces have intensified their efforts to tackle county lines.

Since it was set up last year a dedicated BTP taskforce has carried out several operations resulting in 80 arrests. Officers have also made 35 drug seizures and seized 11 weapons, cash totalling nearly £20,000 and 78 phones.

Merseyside Police has made 48 arrests and closed down 7 lines, while also seizing drugs and cash worth over £100,000.

Activity has also taken place in 2 other pilot areas.

Today (Friday 17 January) the Home Secretary joined Merseyside Police as they executed a number of county lines raids in a joint operation with North Wales Police. Warrants were executed simultaneously in Merseyside and North Wales.

She also visited a Merseyside Police-led operation, run in partnership with BTP at Liverpool Lime Street, targeting lines running from Liverpool to North Wales.

The government will continue to bolster law enforcement to tackle county lines.

The National County Lines Co-ordination Centre is ensuring more intelligence is shared between forces and police are targeting dirty money.

Since it opened over a year ago, the centre has co-ordinated action which led to over 2,500 arrests and has safeguarded over 3,000 vulnerable people.

In addition, money has been invested in new automatic number plate recognition technology which will enable police to target cars that are being used in county lines activity, as roads are often used to transport offenders, victims, drugs, cash and weapons.

Elizabeth Gardiner CB, First Parliamentary Counsel and Permanent Secretary, is to be appointed Queen’s Counsel (QC) Honoris Causa in the 2020 QC appointments.

The rank of QC Honoris Causa is awarded to lawyers and legal academics who have made a major contribution to the law of England and Wales outside practice in the courts.

Elizabeth has been recognised for her 20 years of work as a legislative drafter and her more recent leadership of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel; for her work in improving the quality of modern legislation and tackling the causes of unnecessary complexity; for her work to build the parliamentary knowledge and capability of all civil servants; and for her work on diversity and inclusion.

Elizabeth became the first woman to hold the position of First Parliamentary Counsel when she took up the post in the Cabinet Office in 2015.

Elizabeth says:

I am extremely honoured by this award. It is a great privilege to lead the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and work alongside committed colleagues who are dedicated to the work they do and to the public service. Legislative drafting is a little known area of legal work. I am fortunate to have stumbled across it 30 years ago. It has proved to be a career which offers interest and challenge in equal measure against a fascinating background of politics and law.

Published 17 January 2020

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Committee on Standards in Public Life has received correspondence from Twitter regarding progress made against the Committee's recommendations, following its review on intimidation in public life.