Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

I condemn the excessive use of force by security forces against protestors in Iraq, including the use of live fire in Nasiriya city. The right to peaceful protest must be respected and those responsible for acts of violence held to account.

I am also deeply concerned by attacks against Iranian consulates in Najaf and Karbala. Diplomatic premises must not be a target of violence.

The UK repeats its call for a peaceful, political solution to the unrest in Iraq, with meaningful reforms that respond to protestors’ legitimate demands. I encourage the Government of Iraq to work with the UN on credible electoral reform.

Published 29 November 2019

The draw for the Euro 2020 finals takes place tomorrow and with two home nations already confirmed to be taking part in the competition next summer, the FCO is once again launching ‘Be on the Ball’, a campaign providing advice and information to British football fans planning to travel overseas.

‘Be on the Ball’ gives travelling supporters simple advice and information to help keep problems to a minimum and to enhance their enjoyment of the tournament.

The campaign sees the launch of the FCO’s Euro 2020 travel advice page as well as 10 top tips for travelling British fans which they can download and keep.

Julia Longbottom, Consular Director, FCO, said:

Euro 2020 will be a unique tournament with overseas matches taking place in ten cities from Dublin to Baku. We anticipate that British fans will travel in numbers to each of the host countries at different stages of the competition.

The FCO’s ‘Be on the Ball’ campaign aims to give practical advice and information for each destination. We encourage every British supporter to make arrangements early in order to avoid problems and ensure they have a safe and enjoyable visit. This includes staying up to date with our Euro 2020 travel advice and social media channels ahead of, and during the tournament.

Kevin Miles, Chief Executive of the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), said:

Euro 2020 has arguably the most diverse range of cities and venues in football tournament history, with 12 different host countries involved.

That is one of many reasons for supporters to ‘Be on the Ball’ – it’s best to plan early and research whichever city you plan on visiting.

Top tips

To help travelling fans ‘Be on the Ball’ the FCO has compiled the following 10 top tips:

1. Be prepared: Check out the latest travel advice for each host country you plan to visit.

2. Plan ahead: Book travel and accommodation in advance as demand will be high. Be aware that longer stays in Russia and Azerbaijan may require you to register your stay on arrival.

3. Tickets: Get your tickets from an official source. Tickets bought through unofficial channels may not be valid.

4. Passport: Check your passport meets validity requirements for each destination. Look after your passport while travelling and keep it in a safe place.

5. Insurance: Take out adequate travel insurance and ensure it covers you for all destinations, medical needs and activities.

6. Visas: You will need to apply for a Fan ID to enter Russia. A simplified visa procedure is expected to be announced for Azerbaijan. Allow plenty of time to apply and make sure it covers the length of your stay.

7. Getting around: Plan your journeys and allow good time to get to the stadiums. Research venue locations and local transport in advance, including driving laws.

8. Stick with your mates: Stay in close contact and make sure no one in your group gets separated.

9. Be responsible: Follow advice and instructions from the local authorities and respect different laws and customs. Fans deemed to have drunk too much alcohol may not be allowed into the stadiums or fan zones.

10. If things don’t go to plan: Make a note of the emergency numbers for each country, including the nearest Embassy or Consulate.

First of all, let me congratulate you and your team for organising an excellent Review Conference. We can be proud of the work we have done together this week to advance our collective objectives, at a pivotal moment, in the spirit of common endeavour that characterises our Convention.

The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention has delivered significant humanitarian impact two decades after its entry into force. The UK is proud to have played an essential role in the establishment of the Convention and continues to be a firm supporter of its objectives. Our ongoing mine clearance work in the Falkland Islands, and our support to mine action around the world, demonstrate our sustained commitment to implementing the Convention.

The UK’s first Global Mine Action Programme, administered by the Department for International Development, ran from 2014 to 2018. In 2017, we announced GMAP2, investing £100 million over three years in 15 countries. Our programmes focus on supporting countries where the greatest number of people continue to suffer the effects of landmine contamination. Since 2014, this Programme has released over 270 million square metres of land.

However, there is more to do. We agreed in Maputo that we would work towards a mine-free world by 2025. In Oslo, we have renewed that commitment and must redouble our efforts to achieving it.

Mr President,

Central to achieving this goal is to accelerate progress on clearance, so there are no new victims of landmines. For our part, the UK will continue to prioritise and invest in landmine and ERW clearance, associated mine risk education and building national capacity and capability.

If we are to achieve our goal, we must increase funding. Donor funding for mine action has fluctuated significantly over the last ten years. Mine impacted states, as well as new and existing donors, need to make a concerted effort to identify the most effective ways to work together to deliver the necessary resource. But we also need to consider options to generate new funding. The UK strongly supports recent proposals to explore a wide range of alternative funding mechanisms, as a way to ensure long-term, sustainable funding.

This Review Conference has also highlighted some new and emerging challenges that we must be ready to address over the next five years.

To deliver the Mine Free 2025 goal, we will need to step up our efforts on clearing new IED contamination, while also continuing efforts to clear the legacy contamination from previous conflicts. The Convention already creates distinct obligations to clear anti-personnel mines of all types, including mines of an improvised nature. We need to continue to address this as an operational clearance issue and consider technical innovation where necessary.

We also recognise the importance of providing high quality support to mine victims. We continue to believe that integrated support for mine victims through broad health, social and economic development programmes is the most effective, efficient and, importantly, sustainable approach to address the long-term needs of victims.

Mr President, we welcome your focus on mainstreaming gender across all aspects of the Convention’s work, with a particular focus on practical outputs. We support the active and meaningful participation of women across all aspects of Convention implementation, particularly in leadership roles. Gender is also an important consideration in operational mine action, to deliver effective mine risk education and opportunities for economic integration. The UK has provided funding for an all-women demining team in Afghanistan. We are also pleased to have co-sponsored Finland’s paper.

Finally and fundamentally, we must renew our efforts to universalise our Convention, as a global framework and as a guarantee that the scourge of landmines is eliminated forever. We are pleased to see a high number of States participating as observers. We continue to call on all states to adhere to the standards and norms of the Convention and encourage states not already party to accede to the Convention without delay. To achieve full universalisation, we need to continue outreach and work to better understand and overcome the inhibitors to full membership.

In conclusion, Mr President, the UK is proud to renew its wholehearted commitment to the full implementation of its Convention obligations, and to play its part in achieving a world free of landmines.

At around 09:02 hrs on 14 November 2019, a group of track workers undertaking a track inspection narrowly avoided being struck by a train travelling at around 125 mph (200 km/h), south of Kirtlebridge, on the West Coast main line. There were no injuries.

We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.

The safety digest will be made available on our website in the next few weeks.

Published 29 November 2019

The latest Operational Honours and Awards List has been published today. The list recognises the bravery, commitment and commendable service of service personnel within the military.

The serving personnel who have won from the array of awards and decorations have shown outstanding examples of courage and dedication to their work while on operation.

The service they have given to the country ensures that Britain remains ready to face intensifying threats at home and abroad.

The full list is below.

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Brigadier Simon Lea HUMPHREY OBE

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Commander Michael Gerard CARTER QUINN

Colonel Giles Richard HARRIS DSO MBE

Wing Commander Matthew David ROBERTS DFC

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Lieutenant Colonel James Edward BATES, The Rifles

Flight Lieutenant Jonathan David SIMCOX, Royal Air Force

Queens Commendation for Valuable Service

Leading Medical Assistant Gemma BROWN, Royal Navy

Lieutenant Colonel Pier Lyndon ASHFIELD DSO, Grenadier Guards

Lieutenant Colonel Gordon FLETCHER, Royal Logistics Corps

Lieutenant Colonel Kevin John FORDE, Royal Tank Regiment

Captain Marcus James GILLAN, Corps of Royal Engineers

Major Andrew Scott HOUSTON, Royal Regiment of Artillery

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Stuart JONES MBE, Corps of Royal Engineers

Lance Corporal Claire MARTIN, Royal Army Medical Corps

Lieutenant Colonel Philip Charles MOXEY MBE, Royal Anglian Regiment

Captain Guy Keith PAGE, Adjutant General’s Corps

Corporal Nabin ROKA, Royal Gurkha Rifles

Captain James Harold THOMAS, Royal Corps of Signals

Group Captain James Philip BRAYSHAW, Royal Air Force

Group Captain Shaun HARRIS CBE, Royal Air Force

Wing Commander Howard Martin PARR, Royal Air Force

Flight Lieutenant Oliver James SARGENT, Royal Air Force

Queen’s Gallantry Medal

Leading Seaman David Michael GROVES, Royal Navy

Able Seaman Alex HARVEY, Royal Navy

Air Force Cross

Squadron Leader Lee Christian BROWN-AHERN, Royal Air Force

Mention in Dispatches

Squadron Leader Michael JONES, Royal Air Force

Flight Lieutenant Laurence SWIFT, Royal Air Force