A statue of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, which was part-funded by the Government Equalities Office’s (GEO) Centenary Fund, will be unveiled in Manchester today (14 December).

Manchester, Emmeline’s hometown, is one of seven centenary cities and towns – chosen for their strong suffrage history – which received a total of £1.2 million from the GEO fund.

The statue, created by award-winning sculptor Hazel Reeves, shows Emmeline standing on a chair imploring her audience to support women’s suffrage, and is only the second ever statue of a woman in Manchester.

Culminating celebrations of the centenary year across the country, the statue marks the significant contribution and achievements of women in Manchester to the suffrage movement.

Minister for Equalities Baroness Williams said:

“As a councillor in Trafford for 13 years I’m proud of Manchester’s role in the history of women’s suffrage, and, while it’s taken one hundred years, I can’t think of a better choice than to honour Emmeline Pankhurst in this way.

“By funding projects like this we are encouraging the next generation of women to get involved in our democracy so that they can have an equal voice in the decisions that affect them.

“What made this campaign so special is the personal dedication of all those involved, and the support for both Emmeline as the public choice, and the brilliant sculptor Hazel Reeves to bring this local hero back to her home streets.”

The centenary cities project is helping Manchester to build a legacy from its suffrage celebrations through democratic engagement programmes with the Pankhurst Trust, and the statue of Emmeline.

The statue will be unveiled as part of a whole day of celebrations starting with a procession at the People’s History Museum, the Pankhurst Centre and ending at St Peter’s Square.

Across the country, women have participated in training in political leadership, media relations and public speaking, supported by the government’s £5 million suffrage centenary fund.

Notes to editors:

• The statue received £200,000 from the GEO’s Centenary Fund
• At the council planning meeting where the statue project received planning permission, a young girl chosen from a local school made the case for the statue to the planning board
• The £5 million Centenary Fund is supporting projects that raise awareness of this democratic milestone and encourage more women to participate in democracy
• It includes £1.2 million funding for local celebrations in Centenary Cities – Bolton, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester and Nottingham

The unveiling marks exactly 100 years since some women first went to the ballot boxes and stood as candidates in a general election in the United Kingdom

All government funded home chargepoints for electric vehicles must use innovative ‘smart’ technology from July 2019, the government announced today (14 December 2018), fulfilling the commitment in the Road to Zero Strategy published earlier this year.

This means chargepoints must be able to be remotely accessed, and capable of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a signal. Smart charging can also reduce high peaks of electricity demands, minimising the cost of electric vehicles to the electricity system – and keeping costs down for consumers by encouraging off-peak charging.

Alongside this the government has also announced that they have maintained grants to install chargepoints at home and in the workplace at their current level of up to £500, making charging easier for consumers and ensuring that plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles can be used to their full potential.

Jesse Norman, Roads Minister, said:

The government wants the UK to be the best place in the world to build and own an electric vehicle, and through leadership and innovation it is paving the way to a zero emission future.

We have already supported the installation of over 100,000 home chargepoints. Now the measures announced today will give more people the opportunity to make the move to electric.

Automotive Minister Richard Harrington said:

Today’s measures will make it easier for consumers to move towards electric vehicles, helping us power towards a cleaner, greener future.

Through our modern Industrial Strategy and Automotive Sector Deal, we are investing to ensure the UK is the leading destination for the innovation and manufacture of electric vehicle batteries and technologies to help all parts of the UK reap the economic benefits of these innovations.

The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme has supported the delivery of domestic chargepoints to consumers since 2014 and has delivered over 60,000 grants to date.

This summer the government published the Road to Zero strategy, built around a core mission for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040, and to achieve key elements of the modern Industrial Strategy to ensure the UK leads the industries of the future and boosts its competitiveness.

The measures outlined in the Road to Zero Strategy amount to nearly £1.5 billion of investment and represent one of the world’s most comprehensive packages of support for zero-emission vehicles.

Don’t let your mates drink and drive – that’s the message for young men in this year’s Christmas THINK! campaign, which launches today (Friday, 14 December 2018).

Three new films are being released, based on the award-winning #matesmatter campaign, which last year had the biggest shift in over a decade in young people’s attitudes towards drink driving.

One of the films sees friends in a pub intervene when a man picks up his car keys after he has been drinking, kicking the keys around the venue before they’re taken away by the landlady, who calls for a taxi. Another shows a couple kissing, ignoring everything around them until a man picks up his car keys and goes to leave. The couple break the embrace and the boyfriend kisses the man as the girlfriend takes the keys, and says “Someone’s getting the bus home.”

Christmas drink drive video: time to tackle

Road Safety Minister Jesse Norman said:

Drink driving needlessly puts human lives at risk.

Our hard-hitting THINK! campaigns have already shown a positive impact on road users, encouraging safer behaviour so as to reduce the number of people killed and injured.

This festive season, the simple message is that friends need to step in and stop their friends from getting behind the wheel after drinking.

A recent RAC survey showed more than two thirds of people would urge their friend not to drive if they thought they were over the limit. This THINK! campaign provides simple solutions to encourage 18 to 24 year-old men to step in if they see their friend trying to drive home after drinking any alcohol.

The films will be broadcast online and on social media during the Christmas and the party season as well as at football grounds, on Spotify and in pubs.

RAC road safety spokesperson Pete Williams said:

Drink-driving wrecks lives and we would encourage every driver to consider whether they really want to take the risk of mixing alcohol with being behind the wheel this Christmas.

Regrettably, we have seen the number of people who admit to having driven while over the limit increase by 50% in the past 12 months from 8% to 12% so we welcome this hard-hitting campaign. It delivers a strong message that drink-driving is not acceptable, and also encourages people to speak up if they see their friends doing it.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Roads Policing, Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said:

Driving under the influence of drink or drugs is an incredibly dangerous and selfish decision to take, and it can have devastating consequences on people’s lives.

Far too many people still attempt to drive under the influence and we are better prepared to catch them than ever before. We will ensure that they face the full penalty of law.

Our message is the same all year round: do not do it.

The Department for Transport has also today announced the winners of stage 1 of the competition for new mobile breathalysers, in conjunction with the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).

These breathalysers will enable police officers to test drivers instantly at the road side, saving police time as well as getting drink drivers off the roads immediately as they won’t have time to sober up on their way to police station.

The winners are Lion Laboratories and Intoximeters: companies that produce instruments to test alcohol on the breath. Their designs will now go be submitted for Home Office testing, with a view to being ready for 2020.

In addition stage 2 of the competition will now be open for bids from manufacturers who are able to provide devices for police forces for trials.

The Sun Military Awards 2018 – known as the Millies – have recognised the true excellence of the UK’s armed forces with a star-studded ceremony at London’s Banqueting House.

The 11th annual ceremony awarded prizes to winners from the Royal Navy, Army and RAF, recognising remarkable feats of bravery, sacrifice and selflessness.

Six members of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards won the Hero Overseas award for their lifesaving first aid response during the Las Vegas shooting last year, where 59 people lost their lives. The young soldiers bravely stepped in and used their battlefield training to aid the emergency services.

England manager Gareth Southgate attended the awards ceremony to present the Inspiring Others award to Major Scott Mills of the Royal Marines, who helped prepare the England men’s football team ahead of their historic World Cup campaign this year.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who hosted the nominees at a reception at 10 Downing Street ahead of the awards show, said:

It was a great honour to attend The Sun Military Awards and congratulate so many of the winners and nominees in person. The incredible stories told tonight show how our armed forces protect British people and our interests at home and abroad.

Whether by rescuing civilians from conflict, helping Salisbury recover from a reckless chemical attack or standing up to the appalling use of chemical weapons in Syria, tonight’s nominees have shown the brilliance and bravery of our armed forces. I’m grateful to The Sun for helping the whole country congratulate these remarkable serving personnel and those who support them in their vital work.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier accepted the Judges’ Award for Special Recognition on behalf of the Royal Air Force for RAF100 and its success in celebrating the RAF’s centenary year.

The nominees rubbed shoulders with famous faces on the red carpet, including armed forces supporters Nick Knowles, Bear Grylls and Dame Kelly Holmes and sports stars Victoria Pendleton, Amy Williams and Thom Evans. Television stars Georgia Toffolo, Emily Atack and Vicky Pattison also attended to show their support.

The winners of The Sun Military Awards 2018 are:

Hero at Home – Individual

Commander Andrew Parkinson – for rescuing a woman trapped underwater beneath a yacht in a Hampshire marina

Hero at Home – Unit

Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Task Force – for their response to the Salisbury attack

Hero Overseas – Individual

Lance Corporal Chris May, Troopers Stuart Finlay, Ross Woodward, James Astbury, Zak Davidson and Dean Priestley – for their medical response to the Las Vegas shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in American history

Hero Overseas – Unit

HMS Daring – for withstanding danger and aggression guarding vital shipping routes around the world

Best Reservist

Corporal Isabell Hutchinson – for sensitively preventing a young woman from taking her own life

Inspiring Others

Major Scott Mills – for his training of the England men’s football team ahead of the 2018 World Cup

Overcoming Adversity

Robert Long – for his success in Jiu-Jitsu since being blinded by an IED in Afghanistan

Innovation Award

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory – for its work on a sepsis diagnosis breakthrough

Support to the Armed Forces

There But Not There – for its success in commemorating the First World War and raising money for service charities

Judges’ Award for Special Recognition

RAF100 – for its success in celebrating the centenary of the Royal Air Force and inspiring a new generation