HM Government

With the terror threat becoming increasingly complex and varied, police are calling on communities to act on their instincts to help prevent atrocities taking place in the UK and overseas.

Today sees the launch of a national campaign by Counter Terrorism Policing urging the public to act on their instincts to help tackle the terrorist threat.

‘Make nothing happen’ focuses on the critical role the public can play in defeating terrorism. The campaign will be the first under a new branding platform called ACT: Action Counters Terrorism. This urges the public to report suspicious activity to help police bring dangerous offenders to justice and prevent terror attacks in the UK and overseas.

At a time when the scale, volume and complexity of the terrorism threat continues to grow, police are advising the public to act to report any potential suspicious activity or online content they come across and are concerned about.

The public already contribute intelligence to around a third of the most serious terrorism investigations. This new campaign reassures communities that they shouldn’t be concerned about wasting police time or getting someone into trouble.

The message is clear – ‘don’t worry, don’t delay, just act’ by:

• reporting suspicious activity to the police by calling confidentially on 0800 789 321 or at gov.uk/ACT
• reporting online terrorist and violent extremist material online
• remaining alert at home, work and when out and about, so we can all play our part in defeating terrorism and keeping everyone safe

Mark Rowley, National Counter Terrorism Policing lead, said:

Since 2014, the threat of terrorism has been severe, which means that an attack is highly likely. When attacks have occurred in the past, people have said that they suspected something was wrong but were worried about wasting police time by coming forward. That couldn’t be more untrue – with some of our highest priority investigations benefiting from information received from the public. We have always said that ‘communities defeat terrorism’. That is why the ACT campaign urges the public to do just that.

It is very encouraging that in a third of cases involving our most serious terrorist suspects we have benefited from information from the public. The number of calls and online reports we receive is also increasing. This is testament to people’s trust in the police – but now we are appealing for even more.

Counter terrorism policing is working hard to keep the public safe and we have, with our partners in the security services, helped stop 13 attacks since the appalling murder of Lee Rigby in May 2013. However, advances in technology make it more complex and challenging for us to spot would-be terrorists because it’s easier for them to be in contact with others and be radicalised in a relatively short space of time.

The threat is becoming more varied and the move towards low-tech attacks on crowded places, like those we have seen in major European cities and beyond, makes it even more important everyone remains vigilant and acts, by calling us confidentially, if they are concerned about suspicious activity.

Security Minister Ben Wallace adds:

The horror of recent terrorist attacks in Europe and beyond is a shocking reminder of the threat we all face. We know that we are not immune as the threat to the UK is currently assessed as severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Our police and security and intelligence agencies work tirelessly, often unseen, day in and day out to keep families and communities across the country safe. The public also have a vital role to play as they are ideally placed to notice activity which is unusual.

I welcome the police’s ACT campaign which raises awareness about what to look out for and provides people with easy-to-access advice.

Ultimately, this is a job for all of us. I encourage people to follow the campaign’s message to remain alert but not alarmed by the threat and report any concerns to the police.

More information on what to look out for and how to contact police can be found at gov.uk/ACT. You can also report suspicious activity by calling police confidentially on 0800 789 321.

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As we leave the European Union and begin a journey to a brighter future for our country, the mission of this government is not just to negotiate the right deal for Britain with Europe, but to deliver a better deal for ordinary working families at home.

So at the heart of our Plan for Britain is a bold domestic agenda of genuine economic and social reform that will lay the foundations for a stronger, fairer and better Britain. Crucially it will ensure future generations of young people from every background and in every part of our country are ready and able to make the most of the opportunities ahead.

Wednesday’s Spring Budget will not just maintain our economic stability and increase our economic resilience, as vital as those measures are, it will focus on giving our young people the skills they need to secure the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future. It will ensure British businesses have the future workforce to succeed and support a Modern Industrial Strategy that spreads growth and prosperity to all sections of society and all regions of the country.

To achieve this requires ambitious and far-reaching reform. Today the UK is placed 16th out of the world’s 20 developed economies when it comes to how many people have a technical education. So tomorrow this government will set out the biggest overhaul of post-16 education in 70 years with a multi-billion pound drive to improve technical training, including new technical versions of A levels and 900 hours of teaching each year.

But to give every young person in Britain the best possible start in life also requires a solid ground in academic subjects from the very beginning. So this Spring Budget will continue my mission to make Britain the world’s great meritocracy with a good school place for every child.

Today almost 1.8 million more pupils are taught in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, with 89% of schools in England rated good or outstanding, the highest proportion ever recorded.

Yet despite the progress we have made, there are still 1.25 million children attending primary and secondary schools in England which are rated by Ofsted as requiring improvement or inadequate. And if schools across the north of England and the Midlands had the same average standards as those in the south, nearly 200,000 more children would be attending good schools.

The brutal and unacceptable truth is that for far too many children in ordinary working class families, the chance they have in life is determined by where they live or how much money their parents have. It is selection based on house prices and parental income, because when you are working 2 jobs and struggling to make ends meet, it is no good being told that you can choose a better school for your children by moving to a different area or paying to go private. These are not choices you can make – and they are not choices you should have to make.

That is why I have made it a personal mission to increase the capacity and diversity of the school system so that there is a good school place that caters to the individual needs and abilities of every single child, whatever their background and wherever they live.

This begins with free schools. I was the Shadow Education Secretary who first argued for their introduction, and I remain a passionate advocate. It is the expansion of academies and the creation of free schools that have been the biggest driver of increased diversity and progress in our school system over the last seven years. And our Schools White Paper, which will be published in the coming weeks, will take this expansion further by asking universities and private schools to do more to provide new good school places, including by sponsoring new free schools. It will remove the barriers that prevent more good faith-based free schools from opening, and it will enable the creation of new selective free schools so that the most academically-gifted children get the specialist support to fulfill their potential regardless of their family income or background.

So Wednesday’s Spring Budget will provide hundreds of millions of pounds so that free schools will continue to open well into the next Parliament. It will confirm funding for up to 140 new schools creating well over 70,000 new places. This will include funding for specialist maths schools, like the brilliant King’s College London Maths School that I visited on Monday – a great example of a free school, supported by a university, providing a stretching and tailored education for the most able young people irrespective of their background.

Wednesday’s Budget will also remove another gross inequity in the system. Today free travel to school for children from disadvantaged backgrounds is restricted to children attending non-selective schools, meaning that transport costs can become a barrier to these children attending selective schools. That completely undermines the meritocracy we are seeking to build, so on Wednesday we will extend this financial support to cover selective schools too.

If we are to give our children and grandchildren a fair chance to succeed in an ever more competitive world, we have to build a future where every child can access a good school place. That means decisively shifting Britain’s education system and building a great meritocracy so that children from ordinary working families are given the chances their richer contemporaries take for granted. Wednesday’s Spring Budget takes the next steps in making this a reality and building a country that truly does work for everyone.

Prime Minister’s visit to King’s College London Mathematics School

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As the largest provider of apprentices in the UK, the Ministry of Defence is celebrating the tenth National Apprenticeship Week by honouring its apprentices right across the country and across the services.

To kick start the week, the British Army announced they will host their first ever Apprenticeship Awards in 2018.

Announcing the awards at Gibraltar Barracks in Camberley, Defence Minister Mark Lancaster introduced some of the highest performing soldier apprentices who have recently qualified in their field, including Margate-born Lance Corporal Tristan Willis, who is pursuing a career in the infantry.

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster said:

As the UK’s largest apprenticeship provider, we are delivering a huge range of training and skills right across defence, and it’s great to see the likes of Tristan taking advantage of that. I’m sure the awards launched today will motivate more like him to excel in their field and help the military to continue leading the way for British apprenticeships.

24 year-old Army apprentice Lance Corporal Tristan Willis of the 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment said:

I came into the Army to gain some qualifications. So far I’ve done my level 1 and 2 in both Maths and English, have also gained a Public Services Apprenticeship and I’m currently enrolled to do an Engineering apprenticeship, despite not having any experience with cars or anything like that.

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster introduced some of the highest performing soldier apprentices. Crown copyright.

The RAF Apprenticeship Awards, now in its sixth year, will also take place today at RAF Honington. The annual event is a chance for the RAF to promote and celebrate the achievements of their valued apprentice mechanics, technicians and engineers.

Elsewhere, in London this week, the Navy will be celebrating their apprentices on-board the Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans which is docked alongside Thames Quay at West India Dock this week.

Two apprentices from each service, along with one of the MOD’s many civilian apprentices, will be attending an exclusive lunch reception at the House of Commons on Thursday in an event aimed at recognising the esteem in which apprenticeships are held.

Together with industry, the MOD is working to achieve three million apprenticeship starts by 2020 as part of the Government’s manifesto.

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The Environment Agency is holding a public consultation in Wilton, near Salisbury, to explain how it plans to reduce flood risk to local homes and businesses.

The Environment Agency is keen for local people to share their views on its proposals and any experiences they have of flooding.

The consultation will take place on 10 March 2017 from 3pm to 7pm, at:

Mark Goldingay of the Environment Agency said:

This event is an ideal opportunity for people to learn about the Environment Agency’s latest plans for Wilton. Environment Agency officers will be on hand to explain the proposals and the steps people can take to prepare themselves against flooding. We’d like to hear the views of local residents and look forward to sharing ideas on how best to reduce flood risk in Wilton.

Wilton’s existing flood defences protect some areas in the centre of the town. There are 30 properties currently at risk of flooding from the nearby River Wylye. In large flood events, flood water can bypass the defences and flow across the recreational ground towards the Castle Lane area. Properties in Crow Lane are also at risk.

The proposed solution is to build a raised flood embankment around the edge of the recreational ground, joining the existing flood defences beside Wiley Terrace. The height of the flood bank will be approximately 0.5m above existing levels with shallow side slopes. An access ramp would be provided over the embankment. A flood wall is also being proposed to protect properties in Crow Lane.

The proposed scheme would help protect the 30 properties in the centre of Wilton currently at high risk of flooding.

The Environment Agency aims to secure funding and obtain planning permission for a suitable scheme by the autumn of 2017. It will then draw up a detailed design and carry out further public consultation before starting construction in early 2018. If all goes well, the new scheme should be completed by the summer of 2018.

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Monday, 6 March

National Apprenticeship Week launched today with Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Justine Greening MP addressing an audience of almost 100 apprentices and employers attending at Barclays at Canary Wharf.

Two inspirational apprentices from Barclays gave an account of their apprenticeship journey, alongside Lucy Wilkins – a 10 year on case study from Somerset County Council and Chris Achiampong from IBM (and star of the Get In Go Far campaign).

National Apprenticeship Week 2017 launch event at Barclays HQ, Canary Wharf, London.

There was also a BBC You’re Hired event at BBC Broadcasting House to discuss apprenticeships in the creative industries and what needs to be done to create more opportunities. Hosted by BBC News’ Reeta Chakrabarti, guest speakers highlighted how important apprenticeships are for business and how, certainly in the creative industries, they need to be made more inclusive to attract candidates of all backgrounds.

BBC You’re Hired event

Royal Mail is supporting the week with a special postmark, which will be applied to millions of items of UK stamped mail nationwide. The postmark will appear on stamped mail between Monday 6 and Friday 10 March.

Our hashtag #NAW2017 was also trending on Twitter today.

Get involved

Full details of the events happening across England can be found on the events map.

Events and activities for the week will be shared on Twitter and LinkedIn over the week, and event images will also be made available on Flickr.

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