Trinity Mirror plc took over part of Northern & Shell Media Group Limited, including the Express and Star newspapers, in February 2018.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will now assess whether this deal could significantly reduce competition within the UK media sector, in line with its merger guidance.

The deadline for the initial decision is 7 June 2018. Further details, including how interested parties can submit evidence, are available on the investigation case page.

Our efforts to crack down on the diversion of Prescription-Only Medicines (POM) onto the black market are working, as recent figures highlight a drop in large scale orders of prescription medicine.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) analysed bulk orders of diverted medicines* between January – May 2017 compared to January – May 2016. The figures show:

• trading of Diazapam is down by 64%
  • trading of Nitrazepam is down by 24%
  • trading of top strength Temazepam is down by 20%
  • trading of Zolpidem is down by 14%.

We recently updated the public about the diversion of medicines onto the criminal market, said to be worth up to £200m. Our enforcement team is running 17 active investigations, and we are disrupting organised criminal networks diverting medicines from the legitimate supply chain onto the illegal market.

44 arrests have been made thus far, for offences such as possession with intent to supply a controlled drug, and offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Last year, Mohammed Urfan pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful supply of class C controlled drugs contrary to section 4(3) a Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and a suspended sentence of 18 months imprisonment was imposed on him, with a requirement that he carry out 260 hours of unpaid work.

Alastair Jeffrey, MHRA Head of Enforcement, said:

It is a serious criminal offence to sell medicines outside of the regulated supply chain and the latest figures show our unabated efforts to identify and prosecute criminals are having an effect.

The criminals involved are exploiting people to make money and have no concern about the health and wellbeing of people who buy the medicines.

We will work tirelessly to investigate and prosecute those breaking the law.

Prescription only medicines are potent and should only be taken under medical supervision.

Over £600,000 has been awarded to 8 standout schemes, including projects that train women to become leaders in their communities, and events that celebrate the lives of prominent suffragettes.

The funding announced today is part of the Centenary Grant Scheme’s £1.1 million Large Grant Fund, which is available to large-scale schemes up to a value of £125,000 that aim to increase young people’s engagement with democracy and encourage more women to take part in public life.

Minister for Women, Victoria Atkins, said:

It is vital that we honour the legacy of the brave and determined women who fought for the equal rights of women and men, and have paved the way for the freedoms we enjoy today.

I am delighted to be awarding funding to these innovative, exciting projects that will inspire women and young people from all over the country, and follow national celebratory activity that has already begun under the small grant scheme.

I am determined that this government will continue to open up modern politics and build a diverse political system that reflects the nation it serves.

The grant scheme is part of a £5 million centenary fund created by the government to celebrate the centenary and to open up public life to more people.

The Government Equalities Office is leading a programme of activities across 3 themes that celebrate 100 years of women’s suffrage, educate young people about its significance, and encourage more women to participate in public life so that they have an equal voice in the decisions that affect them.

The rest of the funding will be spent on:

• the first ever statue of a woman in Parliament Square – Millicent Fawcett
• initiatives to encourage more people to participate in politics
• smaller-scale local events and activities in Centenary Cities, which are 7 cities and towns in England with a strong suffrage history

• Saathi House
• Good Things Foundation
• The British Federation of Film Societies
• National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
• Jacksons Lane will work in 3 Haringey schools’ sixth forms to create 3 learning installations exploring women’s rights and role in society
• YWCA England and Wales
• Essex Cultural Diversity Project
• Feminist Archive

Prime Minister Theresa May will today announce that £70 million of investment will be earmarked to transform Alexander Stadium into a world-class athletics venue for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The stadium will host athletes from across the Commonwealth competing in track and field, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

The Prime Minister, whose visit comes as Birmingham gets ready to take on the baton from the Gold Coast at the closing of the Commonwealth Games this Sunday, will announce the investment while visiting Alexander Stadium, where she will meet young athletes hoping to be the stars of future Games.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Birmingham’s dynamism, diversity and ambition capture exactly what it is to be part of the Commonwealth and I’m sure that in four years’ time, the people of this city will host an incredible event which showcases the very best of Britain to the world.

The investment I am announcing today will transform the stadium into a state-of-the-art facility benefitting the local community and the region well beyond 2022.

Birmingham was awarded the right to host the Commonwealth Games last year after the city impressed the Commonwealth Games Federation with its ambitious bid to create a lasting sporting legacy with its focus on inspiring young people and celebrating the diversity of the Commonwealth.

Plans are underway for Alexander Stadium’s capacity to increase from 12,700 to 40,000 in time for the Commonwealth Games, and to retain 20,000 permanent seats after the event.

The revamped stadium will also include new community sports facilities within the new stand, a permanent warm-up track and a new conference meeting space created to host business and cultural events after the Games.

The Charity Commission, the charity regulator for England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into The Save the Children Fund (registered number 213890) over concerns about the charity’s handling, reporting and response to serious allegations of misconduct and harassment against senior staff members in 2012 and 2015.

The Commission was in regulatory engagement with The Save the Children Fund in 2015-16, after the charity reported a serious incident relating to allegations of misconduct and harassment against a senior staff member; the regulator also received an anonymous complaint about the charity’s response to further allegations against senior staff members. At that time, the Commission met with the Chair and instructed the charity to provide it with the findings of its independent review. It received direct assurance from trustees that all of these recommendations had been accepted and were being urgently acted upon.

The Commission re-engaged with the charity in February 2018 when they were responding to further public scrutiny about the 2015 issues. At this time, the charity announced a new review into workplace culture at the charity, which amongst other things will assess whether recommendations from a previous review have been fully and effectively implemented.

As a result of that more recent engagement with the charity, alongside new information from other sources that has recently come into the regulator’s possession, the Commission is concerned about:

• whether the charity adequately reported the full extent and nature of allegations to the Commission in 2015/16
• how the charity handled various complaints in 2012 and 2015 and, as a result, the extent of any reviews conducted at the time by the trustees into the charity’s response to the allegations
• the charity’s decision making since February 2018 on its public position regarding these allegations

As a result, the Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the charity on 4 April 2018. The new investigation will examine, among other matters, whether trustees have:

• adequately discharged their duties in handling the allegations at the time, and in fulfilling their duty of care towards their employees
• ensured the charity has implemented measures about operating to appropriate standards of work place conduct and staff safeguarding – including testing staffing misconduct allegations, complaints or incidents received by the charity since 1 January 2016
• made decisions around public handling and reputation management on the historic allegations appropriately
• disclosed fully, frankly and accurately, serious incidents relating to staffing matters to the Commission

The inquiry is confined to the issues of safeguarding in the context of misconduct and harassment of the charity’s staff; it is not examining safeguarding in the context of The Save the Children Fund’s programme delivery for beneficiaries.

Michelle Russell, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at the Charity Commission said:

This inquiry centres specifically on how the charity handled complaints in 2012 and 2015 about senior members of staff, and how the charity responded to and managed public and media scrutiny of those events in 2018.

Opening a formal investigation does not necessarily mean that we have concluded that there has been wrongdoing by the trustees of The Save the Children Fund. However, we do have questions that must be answered, and we need to hold the charity formally accountable for providing them in a clear and timely manner.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see the about us page on GOV.UK.
2. Search for charities on our check charity tool.
3. Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the Commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.
4. The Commission recently announced a new suite of measures on safeguarding including the establishment of a dedicated safeguarding task force.
5. The Commission will not seek to conduct work already commissioned by the charity in March 2018 in an Independent Review of Workplace Culture. The terms of reference of the Workplace Culture Review is wider, focused on understanding the current workplace cultures and levels of trust in the organisation. The Workplace Culture Review is however, looking at the implementation of the 2015 recommendations – considering the effectiveness of the implementation and actions identified in the 2015 review. The inquiry will expect to engage directly with the Independent Review of Workplace Culture on these aspects.