Following the UK General Election on 12 December 2019, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has now formed a new government. While the UK government is pursuing a new partnership with the European Union post Brexit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK remains globally engaged on important issues such as tackling climate change, global security, building academic and scientific cooperation and strengthening trading relationships.

Commenting on how this affects the UK’s relationship with Malaysia, British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay said:

The longstanding UK and Malaysia relationship is a strong foundation for us to build on. Bilateral trade between the UK and Malaysia has increased 10% to £5 billion and we look forward to growing this even further. The UK will continue to support Malaysia in its reform agenda through the sharing of British expertise and experience. On the defence front, we remain committed to the Five Powers Defence Arrangement (FPDA) which the UK and Malaysia are part of.

With both the UK and Malaysia sharing a common goal in tackling climate change and plastic waste, we have a unique opportunity to work together to address these global problems, ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) which the UK will co-host with Italy in 2020.

The warm UK-Malaysia relationship is evident in the two-way engagement at the highest level. Just last week, HM The Agong visited the UK and met HM Queen Elizabeth II. Prime Minister Tun Mahathir also made working visits to the UK twice this year. Meanwhile, HRH Prince Edward The Earl of Wessex; Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt; Peter Estlin, Lord Mayor of the City of London; as well as Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury were among high level visitors who visited Malaysia in the last 12 months. The people-to-people relationship is also reflected in the 19,000 Malaysian students currently studying in the UK and another 80,000 individuals studying for a UK qualification in Malaysia. An estimated 18,500 British nationals are living in Malaysia and approximately 360,000 British tourists visited Malaysia in 2018.

Published 19 December 2019

Thank you, Mr President.

Mr President, let me also thank the Prosecutor for her 30th report on the situation in Darfur pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005) and for her briefing to the Council today.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Prosecutor and her team for their dedication and pursuing these investigations and continuing to seek justice for victims in Darfur. The International Criminal Court has an important role to play in seeking justice and holding perpetrators of the most heinous crimes to account. And the United Kingdom strongly supports its efforts.

Since the prosecutor’s last briefing, we have seen positive developments in Sudan with the agreement of a transitional period that sets out a pathway to lead Sudan into a democratic future. The appointment of a civilian prime minister and of cabinet of technocrat ministers are welcome steps, as are the pledges to protect human rights and the rule of law.

There are, however, still significant challenges for the transitional government to address. We welcome the commitment to build a credible Sudanese judicial system and the pledge to seek accountability for past crimes, including by the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into the brutal attacks on protesters earlier this year. The United Kingdom will support the Prime Minister of Sudan and the transitional government in these efforts and in building a new Sudan, as called for by the Sudanese people.

Mr President, the Sudanese people have suffered as a result of Sudan’s long history of internal conflicts. Past crimes cannot be forgotten and we must ensure accountability is delivered. This includes the crimes committed during the conflict in Darfur, which the United Nations estimates left over 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. These victims deserve to see justice served, as well as the achievement of a long-term solution to the root causes of this conflict. Almost 2 million people remain internally displaced in Darfur and the United Kingdom is concerned by reports of further violence and displacements in North Jebel Marra and returning IDPs being met with violence.

The transitional government has stated that securing a long lasting peace in Sudan is a priority and have demonstrated positive steps by engaging with armed groups and entering into peace talks.

The United Kingdom welcomes the signing of declarations in Juba and the resumption of talks on 10th of December. We continue to urge all groups to engage productively in these discussions and without any preconditions. Sustainable peace, underpinned by justice and accountability, must be found for the victims of this conflict and for the people of Sudan.

Mr President, the security situation and safety of the civilians of Darfur must be a priority, as we consider a transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding in the region.

Mr President, we appreciate that during the momentous changes in Sudan, there have been limited opportunities for the Prosecutor and her team to make the progress that he would like on this case. We welcomed the Prosecutor’s briefing and note that she has been able to strengthen her case. The United Kingdom again renews its call to all state parties to cooperate with the ICC and encourages the transitional government in Sudan to engage constructively with the Office of the Prosecutor with the intention of making progress with regard to this case. We stand ready to support the civilian administration as they seek to build rule of law across the whole of Sudan, ensuring that those responsible for horrific crimes committed in Sudan are held to account and that these horrors are not experienced again.

Finally, Mr President, we again thank the Prosecutor and her team for their continued commitment to making progress in their investigations, despite longstanding access restrictions and lack of cooperation. We urge them to continue with this important work in striving to achieve justice for the victims of the Darfur conflict.

I thank you, Mr President.

23 December marks 100 years since the passage of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act that allowed women to enter the legal profession.

The Government Legal Department has been profiling a few of the incredible women who have left their mark on the legal profession.

Amanda Pinto QC, an expert in international financial wrongdoing and cases raising intricate cross-border questions, was appointed Vice-Chair of the Bar of England & Wales in 2019. She will take over as Chair of the Bar in January 2020. Called to the Bar in 1983, Amanda has carved out a tremendously successful career and acted as Counsel in some of the most high-profile cases in her field, receiving silk in 2006.

She recently gave a speech at the Temple Church to mark 125 years of the Bar Council and highlighted the importance of the early pioneers who made her career possible. With 2019 marking 100 years of women in law, there was plentiful mention of the incredible women who have also left their mark on the legal profession. Amanda reiterated that the Bar Council continues to play a crucially important role “in the delivery of justice in our country”, encapsulating the values of integrity, excellence and justice.

The Bar has changed significantly since 1894, with the Bar Council now representing over 16,500 barristers. Representation at the Bar has greatly improved since 1894, with 50% of entrants now being female. Ivy Williams and Helena Normanton were the first women called to the Bar in 1922, with Amanda remarking that “early pioneers paved the way for more women to come to the Bar and the Bar Council was one of the first professional bodies to have an equality and diversity code.”

Today, however, the proportion of QCs who are female is still around 16% and only about a quarter of High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court justices are female. This indicates that there is still considerable work to be done to retain excellent female barristers and ensure the vital work they do is valued.

Despite the low representation at senior levels of the Bar, Amanda is encouraged, remarking that “there are grounds for hope that this is changing” and that it is important that the Bar Council takes steps to “support the diversification of the profession, so that the Bar may attract and keep the very best, regardless of race, background or other characteristics, better to reflect the society it serves.”

Amanda reiterated the importance of making sure the Bar is “accessible to those from diverse backgrounds and not just the career of the privileged,” which will consequently make justice more reflective of society. The Bar Council has been an asset to the legal community for 125 years and continues to uphold its values of integrity, excellence and justice. As the legal community continues to grow and the demands placed on it increase, the Bar Council will do more than ever to ensure that these values are put into practice and are strongly adhered to.

The Government Legal Department employs a number of barristers and solicitors each year, if you should be interested in a career with the government please look at our careers page.

The Prime Minister spoke to Egypt’s President Sisi, who congratulated him on his success in the recent election.

The leaders committed to strengthening the relationship between the UK and Egypt in a range of areas, including trade and security cooperation.

They looked forward to meeting next at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London in January.

Published 18 December 2019

Thank you, High Commissioner.

As displacement numbers continue to grow, it is more important than ever to pay tribute to the huge generosity of host nations and communities welcoming those forced to flee.

We are clear this is a shared challenge and responsibility for the international community. UK commitment is steadfast.

More than £2.8 billion in funding for the Syria conflict marks our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. In just the last few months, we have committed an additional £30 million to vulnerable Venezuelans (£44.5m in total for 2019) and £117 million of life-saving aid for the Rohingya refugee crisis.

We are also one of the few countries to spend 0.7% of our Gross National Income on development, at least half in fragile states and regions – the drivers of today’s refugee crises.

Additional and predictable funding is critical, but we must also be smarter with how we use what we have. The UK strongly backs the Common Position on Financing for Refugee Situations endorsed by INCAF, to more efficiently and effectively address forced displacement. We look forward to working together to implement its principles.

The UK will continue to play its part in delivering on the transformational promise of the Global Compact on Refugees. For example:

• On jobs and livelihoods for example – we’ve helped deliver more than 120,000 work permits for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

• Our latest funding to the Rohingya crisis response is ensuring protection for more than 450,000 refugees in Bangladesh.

• And on education our support includes £85 million in new funding to the Education Cannot Wait initiative.

As co-Chair of this year’s Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement, we fully support UNHCR’s 3-Year Strategy on solutions. The UK’s resettlement schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people.

This year, the UK reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to resettlement, announcing a new global scheme to start in 2020, resettling around 5,000 vulnerable refugees in its first year.

Our Community Sponsorship scheme continues to grow. From next year, refugees resettled this way will be counted in addition to our main resettlement offer. And we continue to work with the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative to encourage and support states to develop community sponsorship schemes of their own.

The UK Government has also committed in our new Integrated Communities Action Plan to work with civil society and others to increase integration support for all refugees in the UK. That includes support with English language, employment and entrepreneurship, mental health and wellbeing.

We endorse the regional Support Platforms launched this week. In line the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), UK aid in Pakistan is helping to deliver quality textbooks and teachers to host and refugee children alike, while our new funding in Afghanistan will support more than a quarter of a million Afghan returnees.

Our engagement in Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries is well established. In Ethiopia, we’re backing market creation and economic opportunities in refugee-hosting areas, helping to create tens of thousands of jobs for both refugees and Ethiopians. In Kenya, we’re providing skills-based training in business and agriculture and helped to solarise the largest hospital in Kakuma. And in Uganda, alongside scaling up cash support we played a key part in developing the country’s first ever education response plan for both refugees and host communities.

Finally, we must remember today’s Forum is an important stepping stone but not an end in itself. This is about where we go next – a chance to identify priorities and opportunities, to ensure a common understanding and direction of travel. The UK looks forward to continuing that journey alongside you.

Thank you.