• Chelsea FC owner’s assets frozen as part of tough action against Putin regime
• Under a new licence the club can continue to operate to fulfil its fixtures
• Government wants to protect football pyramid, fans and other clubs

The licence will allow the club to run a number of football-related activities meaning its fixtures to be fulfilled, its staff and the running costs of its ground can be paid, and so existing ticket holders for Chelsea games can attend matches.

The licence is a safety net to protect the sport, the Premier League, the wider football pyramid down to the grassroots game, loyal fans and other clubs. It will deprive Mr Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club and mean he cannot circumvent UK sanctions.

The Government will keep the licence under constant review and it will work closely with the relevant football authorities and the club to protect it from irreparable damage that would prevent it from competing.

Ambramovich had assets frozen this morning as part of a raft of further sanctions against individuals linked to the Russian regime. Freezing his assets means he cannot benefit from his ownership and make any money from Chelsea.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

Putin’s attack on Ukraine continues and we are witnessing new levels of evil by the hour. We are now turning the screw on influential oligarchs enabling his regime.

The important measures announced today will clearly have a direct impact on Chelsea FC and its fans but we are working hard to make sure the club and the national game are not unnecessarily harmed.

We have granted the club a licence so it can fulfil its fixtures, pay its staff and existing ticket holders can attend matches. We know football clubs are cultural assets and we are committed to protecting them.

The Treasury, through the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), issued the general licence which sets out what activities are permitted to continue. It has been introduced to permit the club to continue necessary operations and can be modified if necessary. As with other sanctions, the licence was not discussed with those impacted before a designation was made.

OFSI is responsible for enforcing the conditions of the licence and it is a criminal offence to fail to comply with the requirements and prohibitions set out.

As well as allowing costs for players and staff to travel to away fixtures, the licence permits the club to host scheduled fixtures at its home stadium alongside other required activity such as catering and security, for the club and training ground to be maintained, and for rates and taxes to be paid.

The following conditions are set out under the licence:

Sale of the club

While the current licence does not permit the sale of the club at this time, the Government is open to a sale of the club and would consider an application for a new licence to allow for a sale. Proceeds from any sale could not go to the sanctioned individual while he is subject to sanctions.

Transfers

Under the current licence the transfer or loan of players in and out of the club is not permitted. This applies to all of Chelsea’s teams. Transfers are also not possible at this time in the season anyway because the transfer window is closed.

Matchday tickets

Fans who have already purchased a ticket for a future fixture or have a club season ticket can use their existing tickets or resell them within the boundaries of the law. Under the current licence no new or additional tickets can be purchased. This includes tickets for home matches and tickets bought from the club for away matches.

Matchday catering

The licence permits home ground ‘hosting transactions’ including stewarding, catering and security but none of the proceeds can go to the designated individual.

Merchandise

The licence does not allow the club to undertake any new revenue raising activity including selling merchandise. The club’s physical and online store cannot operate. This restriction does not apply to the sale of existing stock held by third parties such as high street sports retailers.

Champions League and FA Cup

The purpose of the licence is to permit the club to continue with the necessary activity to ensure that it is able to fulfil its upcoming fixtures. As such the licence allows footballing activity and travel to continue which would permit the club to play European fixtures and the FA Cup.

Notes to editors

• Asset freeze: an asset freeze prevents any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated person and which are held in the UK. It will also prevent funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person.

• The government welcomed the recommendations of the Fan-led Review and will be providing its full response as soon as possible. As the Culture Secretary set out last week, the response will include a consideration of a revised Owners’ and Directors’ Test.

The project involves moving 14,000 tonnes of sand and shingle from Snettisham Scalp, where it’s been deposited by the tidal movement of the sea.

The aggregate is taken north to Heacham and South Hunstanton to restore the shingle ridge along a 5 kilometre stretch of coastline. This is known as beach recycling.

The shingle ridge is a natural flood defence protecting more than 800 properties and 4,000 caravans. The recycling has been completed in time for ground nesting birds and tourists to arrive.

To move thousands of tonnes of material, the Environment Agency used 3 30-tonne dumper trucks, 2 bulldozers and an excavator.

The recent storms left some very minor damage to the defences. As machinery was already on site, officers were able to begin repair work immediately.

These additional works have added a week onto the length of the project.

Stephen Green, Environment Agency flood and coastal risk advisor for Norfolk, said:

Beach recycling helps protect this section of the county’s coastline in a sustainable, cost-effective way. It’s a simple idea but one that can make a big difference in protecting the communities living along it.

We’ve invested £2.6 billion in the past 6 years to better protect the country from flooding and coastal erosion, including from the sea. Another £5.2 billion will be spent in the next 6 years, helping protect hundreds of thousands of properties.

People should know their flood risk and sign up for free flood warnings by going to https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188. You can also follow @EnvAgencyAnglia on Twitter for the latest flood updates.

Both Natural England and the RSPB are consulted on the beach recycling to preserve the coastline’s environmental importance.

The work is funded by the East Wash Coastal Management Community Interest Company which raises funds from the local community, caravan park owners and landowners. Anglian Water and the Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk also contribute to the project.

Councillor Paul Kunes, cabinet member for the environment at the Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk said:

Restoring the shingle ridges between Hunstanton and Snettisham helps to protect people and wildlife living on the coast in west Norfolk.

We’re proud that we support the annual beach recycling programme, which is an effective means of undertaking important flood defence work to maintain the defences along the Snettisham to Hunstanton coastline.

• More than £4 billion of government-wide investment set for shipbuilding sector across next 3 years
• More than 150 new commercial and naval vessels to be delivered through strategy across the next 30 years

During a visit to Cammell Laird Shipyard in Merseyside this afternoon, the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary set out how the new strategy would level up regions across the UK by supporting high-quality jobs, technology development and boosting investment.

Home to one of the leading British shipbuilding companies, Merseyside is one of the key areas that will benefit from the strategy, with new measures such as better access to finance and opportunities to build crucial skills.

First published in 2017, the National Shipbuilding Strategy outlined ambitions to transform naval procurement, securing export and design contracts for British naval ships to Australia and Canada. Building on that success, today’s refresh outlines the Government’s further ambitions to reinvigorate the whole British shipbuilding industry contributing to its levelling up mission to boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards.

The £4 billion of Government investment will galvanise and support shipyards and suppliers across the UK, and provide funding for crucial research and development into greener vessels and infrastructure.

The strategy will also deliver a pipeline of more than 150 new naval and civil vessels for the UK Government and Devolved Administrations over the next 30 years. Those vessels will include large warships, such as Fleet Solid Support (FSS), Type 26 and Type 31 ships, and Border Force cutters, lighthouse vessels and the new National Flagship.

Defence Secretary and Shipbuilding Lead Ben Wallace said:

As Shipbuilding Tsar, I am proud to be announcing our new strategy, this is an exciting time to be involved in the sector.

With significant government investment, we will be levelling-up across our shipbuilding, workforce, from shipyard to supplier, from procurement to designer, creating tens of thousands of new employment opportunities, boosting living standards and pay.

Our refreshed strategy will see the sector galvanised at a crucial time for our economy and see a vital part of British industry expand and flourish.

Encouraging investment in domestic shipyards, the pipeline seeks to maximise the social value contribution shipbuilding can make in the UK whilst balancing the need to deliver value for money and solutions that fully meet the requirements of the Royal Navy. There are more than 20 ship and boat builders across the UK.

The strategy also includes a range of interventions from across Government to support the sector. A new Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme (HSCGS) will give UK shipyards access to finance for underwriting domestic contracts. This will level the playing field with competitors’ export credit guarantees and ensure UK shipbuilders have a fairer chance of securing valuable contracts.

The Department for Transport will invest £206 million in the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK-SHORE) to fund research and development in zero emission vessels and infrastructure and ensure our place as global leader in green technology.

UK-SHORE will help to tackle barriers to investment in clean maritime technologies, including investment in port infrastructure. It also includes a multi-year version of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition which ran last year and provided funding to consortia right across the UK.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

This country has a long and proud maritime history, which has allowed us to become the global outward facing country that we are.

UK SHORE is the biggest, greenest maritime R&D investment this country has seen in generations and will further cement this country’s position as world-leaders in ship building and clean maritime technology.

The NSbS Refresh will also establish a new UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce, led by the Department for Education. The taskforce will work with industry and training providers across the UK to identify and address skills gaps, ensuring the UK continues to develop and nurture future-focused skills and knowledge to help our shipbuilders deliver world-class vessels.

With the shipbuilding supply chain spread across all parts of the UK, the taskforce will work jointly with the Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure shipbuilders and the wider supply chain can access the skills they need.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said:

We are committed to delivering the skilled workforce this country needs and our Taskforce will bring together experts to develop a new strategy to boost the shipbuilding industry. The work we are doing will support more people to build exciting, well paid careers and level up opportunities across the UK.

A new Maritime Capability Campaign Office (MCCO) within the Department for International Trade will coordinate export support across government and industry. The MCCO will use robust analysis to improve the Government’s understanding about global markets, helping maritime suppliers to win export orders and increase UK market share.

International Trade Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

As an island nation with a proud maritime heritage, shipbuilding is a vital part of the UK’s industrial identity, supporting over 40,000 high-quality jobs across the country.

As part of the refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy, our new Maritime Capability Campaign Office will champion export and investments in this sector, unlocking opportunities for our fantastic shipbuilding industry to export their innovative technologies, services and designs around the world.

Working in lockstep with business, we will build on our world-leading maritime capabilities, strengthening our global reputation as a thriving maritime industrial base and leveraging our strengths in maritime defence and security and low carbon technologies.

This refreshed NSbS moves beyond the Ministry of Defence’s commitment to double its shipbuilding investment over the life of this Parliament to over £1.7 billion a year – supported as part of the £24 billion increase in Defence spending over the next four years. This will continue to support jobs and skills around the UK.

Seeking to deliver a globally successful, innovative and sustainable shipbuilding industry, the refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy follows publication of the Levelling Up White Paper, which will ensure that the government continues to rise to the challenge and deliver for the people of the UK.