Press release: PM call with Amir of Kuwait: 19 June 2017

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The Prime Minister spoke to the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah this evening.

She congratulated the Amir on Kuwait’s election to the UN Security Council next year and thanked him for his messages of support and condolence for the victims of recent terror attacks in the UK.

The Prime Minister welcomed the leading role Kuwait is playing in mediating between Gulf States to find a solution to the ongoing isolation of Qatar in the region, and offered to support this process.

They agreed on the need for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the situation and restore Gulf Cooperation Council unity at the earliest opportunity. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of ensuring the long-term stability of the Gulf, which is also fundamental to the security and prosperity of the UK.

Press release: PM chairs third meeting of the Grenfell Tower Recovery Taskforce

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Theresa May chaired meeting of the Grenfell Tower Recovery Taskforce and received updates on the support for those affected by the fire.

The Prime Minister has this afternoon (Monday 19 June) chaired the third meeting of the Grenfell Tower Recovery Taskforce.

She received updates on the support for those affected, including on housing, access to payments from the discretionary fund, healthcare and co-ordination on the ground.

While it was clear some progress is being made, the Prime Minister will continue to receive daily updates to ensure that the steps taken are being carried forward at sufficient scale and speed that help is getting to people who need it.

An officials-led taskforce meeting will take place tomorrow and the PM will chair a further Secretary of State level meeting on Wednesday when she expects to receive significant updates on the proportion of people who have received support across the areas identified.

Key updates include:

  • In line with the Prime Minister’s commitment to provide additional central government resource to bolster response efforts on the ground, as of this morning 5 government departments now have staff embedded within the Grenfell Fire Response Team on the ground, with a number of additional departments providing additional capability. Those Departments are: Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions, Home Office, Foreign Office, and Department for Transport.

  • DWP have today begun administering the first £5,000 payments from the discretionary fund directly into the bank accounts of eligible households affected by the fire.

  • Nearly 100 letters providing further advice on how to come forward and claim discretionary payments have been personally delivered to affected residents staying in temporary accommodation, to ensure nobody who is eligible for support misses out on this funding to help with immediate costs.

  • The Prime Minister received reassurances that the commitment to re-home people within the same or neighbouring borough would be met within the three-week deadline – and that reports of people being offered homes hundreds of miles away were false.

  • Work is ongoing to assess the housing needs of all residents who have had to leave their home – with the first rehousing offers made today.

  • A dedicated, 24/7 NHS mental health response line is now active to provide services and advice to anyone affected directly, or indirectly. Enhanced support has begun for first responders from today and the NHS London bereavement pathway has been put in place to support bereaved families in the longer term.

  • Local NHS primary care services are also providing enhanced support, including primary care and pharmaceutical services at rest centres and extended opening hours at local GP services.

  • By close of play today, DCLG expected to receive figures from all local authorities and housing associations in England on the total number of high-rise buildings across the country which would be subject to additional safety checks.

  • DCLG has written to the heads of Local Authorities providing more details to help councils identify a particular type of cladding which is being subject to additional checks – facilities have been set up for testing of samples to begin from tomorrow once the first returns are received from councils.

  • There will be a further boost to the number of council workers visible on the ground to provide direct assistance to residents.

  • The Lord Chief Justice is expected to appoint a judge to oversee the independent Inquiry in the next couple of days and the Prime Minister has reiterated her commitment that residents would be consulted on the terms of reference for the inquiry before they are finalised.

News story: Sir Michael Fallon reappointed as Secretary of State for Defence

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It has always been an honour to serve as Secretary of State for Defence and I am pleased I can continue our vital work. Defeating the evil of Daesh in Syria and Iraq, countering Russian aggression through NATO, working with the United States and other allies and supporting the Police in dealing with terrorist atrocities, our contribution is as important as ever.

Our £178 billion Equipment Plan will deliver the cutting edge equipment our soldiers, sailors and airmen need and I am determined to make the most of our rising Defence budget.

I also want to drive innovation within our supply chains and ensure the UK is a leader in the field of military technology.

With so much to be done, I would like to welcome back to the MOD Mark Lancaster who will take up his new position as Minister Armed Forces, Lord Howe (Minister in the Lords) and Harriett Baldwin (Minister for Defence Procurement). I would also especially like to welcome Tobias Ellwood who joins our highly experienced Ministerial team from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to become Minister (People and Veterans).

News story: Sir Michael Fallon reappointed as Secretary of State for Defence

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Commenting on his reappointment, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

It has always been an honour to serve as Secretary of State for Defence and I am pleased I can continue our vital work. Defeating the evil of Daesh in Syria and Iraq, countering Russian aggression through NATO, working with the United States and other allies and supporting the Police in dealing with terrorist atrocities, our contribution is as important as ever.

Our £178 billion Equipment Plan will deliver the cutting edge equipment our soldiers, sailors and airmen need and I am determined to make the most of our rising Defence budget.

I also want to drive innovation within our supply chains and ensure the UK is a leader in the field of military technology.

With so much to be done, I would like to welcome back to the MOD Mark Lancaster who will take up his new position as Minister Armed Forces, Lord Howe (Minister in the Lords) and Harriett Baldwin (Minister for Defence Procurement). I would also especially like to welcome Tobias Ellwood who joins our highly experienced Ministerial team from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to become Minister (People and Veterans).

‘Sexual violence is a threat to every individual’s right to a life of dignity’ – UN chief

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19 June 2017 – Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today paid tribute to the women, girls, men and boys who have suffered the atrocity of sexual violence in conflict, and reaffirmed &#8220our global commitment to eliminate this scourge.&#8221

&#8220Rape and sexual violence in conflict are tactics of terrorism and war, used strategically to humiliate, degrade and destroy, and often to pursue a campaign of ethnic cleansing,&#8221 the Secretary-General said in his message for the International Day.

&#8220They should never be downplayed as war’s inevitable by-product,&#8221 he continued. &#8220Sexual violence is a threat to every individual’s right to a life of dignity, and to humanity’s collective peace and security.&#8221

This year, the Day is being observed this year under the theme ‘Preventing Sexual Violence Crimes through Justice and Deterrence.’

Mr. Guterres underscored that the UN &#8220is making every effort to address the root causes of conflict-related sexual violence by using preventive diplomacy, fostering peacebuilding and development, encouraging national action, and ending gender discrimination.&#8221

&#8220We will continue to monitor, report, provide care for survivors and spare no effort in pressing for perpetrators to be held accountable,&#8221 he continued.

The Secretary-General stressed, &#8220The United Nations is constantly striving to enhance the capacity of our peacekeeping personnel to protect vulnerable civilians and to pursue justice in the case of all abuses. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to help put a stop to these crimes.&#8221

Mr. Guterres concluded by urging that everyone &#8220use this Day to rededicate ourselves, on behalf of every survivor, to ending sexual violence in conflict and providing peace and justice for all.&#8221

A panel discussion to commemorate the second annual International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict will be held at UN Headquarters in New York tomorrow.

In June 2015, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 19 June as the International Day to highlight the need to end conflict-related sexual violence, to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.