Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, I want to begin on behalf of the UK by thanking High Commissioner Hussein for his service and for his tireless efforts for speaking up for human rights around the world.

And I’m delighted to be here because, at its best, this Council has shone a spotlight on appalling violations of human rights in specific countries – as we’ve just heard – and given a voice to people who would otherwise have suffered in silence.

Britain considers this Council to be part of the rules-based international system in which we believe and that we strive to protect.

And I will say that we share the view that a dedicated agenda item focused solely on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace and unless things change, we shall move next year to vote against all resolutions introduced under Item 7.

But I stress that that does not mean that we in the UK are blind to the value of this Council – including the work it could do on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under the right agenda item – and we support its emphasis on freedom of religion and expression and the empowerment of women.

Which brings me to my main point because after flying around the world for two years as UK Foreign Secretary, I have concluded that we could solve the majority of the world’s most serious problems – from infant mortality to unemployment to civil war to the unsustainable loss of habitat because of population growth – indeed we could achieve virtually every sustainable development goal – if only we could provide every girl in the world with at least 12 years of quality education.

It is a global disgrace that, at this moment, 130 million girls are not in the classroom, female illiteracy in some countries is running at 60, 70 or 80 per cent, and there are bigoted fanatics who actually campaign to stop girls from going to school, including the numbskulls from Boko Haram who will raid schools, abduct children and inflict any atrocity in order to deny girls an education.

As recently as February, Boko Haram kidnapped 110 girls from a school in Dapchi and we all remember how 276 were taken from Chibok in 2014.

When I visited Borno state last year, I met girls who had been told they would be shot if they dared learn to read, as the Taliban shot Malala.

I am lost in admiration for those who press on with their studies in defiance of these threats – and for teachers who are brave enough to help – but the problem is global.
Today, almost 800 million adults across the world cannot read or write – and two thirds of them are women.

Think of the wasted talent, the appalling opportunity cost to humanity.

But just imagine what we could achieve if we turned this upside down and ensured that every girl went to school and received the education they deserve?

If all girls went to secondary school, then infant mortality would be cut in half, saving three million young lives every year.

About 12 million children would not have their growth stunted by malnutrition.

The future wages of girls would rise by 12 per cent for every extra year in the classroom and with that prosperity you create jobs and therefore you strike a blow against the Boko Harams and the maladjusted chauvinist fanatics who overwhelmingly come from countries where women are under-educated.

And the conclusion is obvious: educating our daughters with the same care that we educate our sons is the single most powerful spur to development and progress, which is why, this year, the British Government has devoted an extra £500 million to the cause of female education.

We are helping another 1.4 million girls in 15 countries to receive a minimum of 12 years of quality education.

When we welcomed the representatives of 52 countries to London for the Commonwealth summit in April, all of them endorsed that target.

And I should say by the way, in case you don’t know, Britain is one of a handful of countries that has a female Head of Government, a female Head of State and a female Head of the Judiciary.

And I have joined my friend Amina Mohammed, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary, to form a Platform for Girls Education, a group of 12 influential people drawn from across the Commonwealth who will keep up the momentum.

But resources and political will are not the only constraints: even when schools and teachers are available, girls may still miss out.

If physical or sexual violence are commonplace, if dormitories are unsafe, if sanitary facilities are inadequate, then girls will be deterred from entering the classroom.

If they are married at an early age this may deprive them of the chance to go to school and the reality is that one girl in every 12 in the developing world is married before the age of 15.

Today, there are about 700 million women who were married in childhood and if the prevalence of child marriage remains unchanged, then that number will rise to nearly 1.2 billion by 2050.

All of these problems – including the prejudice and sexism that hold women back – will need to be addressed if we are to achieve the goal of universal female education.

I would respectfully appeal to every member of this Council to do whatever is necessary to eliminate child marriage, whether by passing new laws or enforcing existing ones.

And I would urge every country here today to sign the joint statement of principles on girls education and support resolutions during this session that condemn female genital mutilation and violence and discrimination against women.

And we should remember that mere attendance in school is not enough: we have to ensure that girls actually learn when they get there, which means that teachers need to be properly trained and opportunities improved for the most disadvantaged, including disabled girls.

But all these measurable and material benefits of which I have spoken cannot be the sole or even the primary reason why we must ensure that all girls go to school.

It’s not just that this ambition will make us more prosperous and expand our GDPs – though it will do all of that and more.

I am here to appeal to all the men in suits, who are so adequately represented here and in positions of power around the world – there are quite a few – to do what is right.

We can build the schools and train the teachers and surmount all of the other barriers: in the end, it is only a question of priorities and of will.

This is one cause which attracts no dissenting voice and there is no reason to question the benefits or morality of what needs to be done.

So Mr President may I say for the sake of our common prosperity, for the sake of peace and for economic progress – but above all in the name of simple justice and fairness – let us give every girl in the world 12 years of quality education.

Thank you very much for your attention this morning.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration has begun work on an inspection of the Home Office’s charging for services in respect of its asylum, immigration, nationality and customs functions.

The inspection will look at the rationale and authority for particular charges, including the amounts charged.

It will also look at whether the Home Office is providing the services in question efficiently and effectively, including meeting agreed service levels where these exist, and at the means of redress where individuals are dissatisfied with the service they have received.

Where the charged service is a premium option and a free service exists, the inspection will look at the relationship between the two, including how both are resourced and managed.

The Independent Chief Inspector will be seeking inputs from the ICIBI’s regular stakeholders, but would also like to encourage contributions from anyone with first-hand knowledge or experience of Home Office charging for services.

Please submit your evidence by 16 July 2018.

Please email the Chief Inspector: chiefinspector@icinspector.gsi.gov.uk

or write to:

Hundreds of students will be trained to become experts in engineering and digital technology to help deliver the skilled workers local businesses need at a state-of-the art new college in Doncaster announced today (Monday 18 June).

Doncaster University Technical College will train up to 750 13 to 19-year-olds in the latest rail engineering techniques, as well as coding and 3-D design skills when it opens its doors in September 2020, helping to meet the needs of the local economy.

Plans for the college have been led by the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, working with both the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University alongside leading businesses from across South Yorkshire, including Volker Rail and Keepmoat.

Today’s announcement is part of a wider government drive to deliver a world-class technical education system that rivals the best performing countries, giving young people genuine choice about their future and developing the skills that are truly valued by employers.

This announcement follows the recent unveiling of the first 52 colleges and post-16 providers selected to teach new T Levels from 2020 by Education Secretary Damian Hinds. T levels will provide a high-quality, technical alternative to A levels and is part of a £500 million a year programme to ensure people across the country have the skills we need to compete globally.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System Lord Agnew said:

Technology and the world economy are fast-changing, and we need to make sure our young people have the skills they need to get the jobs of tomorrow. There is a clear demand from local businesses for these specialist skills and Doncaster UTC will provide a strong mix of academic and technical-based study that nurtures the talents of all its students.

I am greatly impressed by the commitment of those who have driven the proposals forward, and work now begins to design an exciting curriculum that will arm pupils with skills that employers need to build a Britain that’s fit for the future.

As part of the Industrial Strategy, investments are being made in digital and technical education to help generate well paid, highly skilled jobs across the country. Digital sectors contributed £118 billion to the economy in 2015 and it is predicted that within 20 years 90% of all jobs will require some element of digital skills.

The Government is also working with hundreds of industry partners as part of the Year of Engineering to offer a million direct and inspiring experiences of engineering to young people throughout 2018 and help tackle the estimated shortfall of 20,000 engineering graduates a year facing the UK.

Pupils at Doncaster UTC will study core GCSEs and A levels alongside a high-quality technical curriculum that focuses on teaching them key digital and engineering skills, designed with local and national employers. It will join the 49 University Technical Colleges (UTCs) – colleges that specialise in subjects that meet the needs of employers and the economy by integrating academic study with practical learning – already open nationwide.

Doncaster is one of 12 Opportunity Areas, identified by the Government as social mobility ‘coldspots’, which are receiving a share of £72 million to raise aspirations and opportunities for the young people who live there – Doncaster UTC will provide more good places for parents and pupils to choose from. A site for the school will now be finalised at a cost that meets the needs of the curriculum and offers value for money to the taxpayer.

Today’s announcement will transform the educational landscape in Doncaster and across South Yorkshire and the “fantastic news” has been widely welcomed by a number of leading businesses, local politicians and other institutions in the region including both Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam University.

Lord Baker, Chairman of Baker Dearing Educational Trust, said:

We are delighted that Doncaster University Technical College has been given the go ahead by the Department for Education.

UTCs are based on local skills demand. This UTC bid was led by Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, Wabtec Faiveley and Keepmoat Group and has been supported by key employers in Doncaster including: Polypipe, VolkerRail, Agemaspark and Pennine Stone. Dan Fell, Chief Executive of the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, deserves much recognition for the work he and the bid team have put in to convince the Government that a UTC is a necessary addition to Doncaster’s education landscape. We are pleased that all their efforts have been successful.

Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones said:

It has been a long held ambition of the council, Doncaster Chamber, local businesses and the whole of Team Doncaster to bring a University Technical College to Doncaster so it is fantastic news that we now have the green light from government. We have just published a review of post 16 education across Doncaster and one of its key recommendations to improve outcomes for young people is to improve quality and choice in Doncaster’s further and higher education opportunities so our communities have clearer routes into employment which the UTC will be an integral part of.

The UTC will become a vital pathway into further education and employment for our young people and is part of our comprehensive plans to have a diverse educational offer that provides our young people with the best opportunity to learn and thrive.

The UTC will link our young people with local businesses so they gain the technical skills needed by industry. It will also complement the National College for High Speed Rail by providing another route for our young people to build a successful and rewarding career which supports inclusive economic growth. These are exciting times for Doncaster as we continue to build for the future.

Mayor of Sheffield Dan Jarvis said:

This is fantastic news for our young people in Doncaster. Gaining skills in advanced engineering and digital design, and being involved in industry-led projects, will give learners the perfect opportunity to secure those high-skilled jobs that are increasingly coming to the Sheffield City Region. My congratulations and thanks go to everyone who has worked so hard to secure this new college.

Dan Fell, chief executive of Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, said:

I am absolutely delighted by the Department for Education’s decision to approve Doncaster’s bid to open a University Technical College.

The UTC will provide exciting new opportunities for the borough’s young people to access outstanding technical education here in Doncaster. By equipping Doncaster’s fantastic young people with the skills and experience they need to thrive in industry, the UTC will play a key role in tackling the long term skills shortages that are apparent in key sectors such as: rail; construction; and engineering. This will ensure that firms in these industries have access to the skilled labour they need to grow and succeed in a competitive global economy; it will also make Doncaster an increasingly attractive destination for inward investors from these sectors.

The Chamber is a founding member of the UTC and I have been proud to lead the bid for a UTC in recent years on behalf of the local business community. We could not have got to this point without having a robust and dedicated partnership between the business community, local educationalists, Doncaster MBC and other key stakeholders. I would applaud everyone involved in this project to date for their vision, tenacity and commitment to Doncaster. We all now look forwards to working closely with DfE to open a brilliant UTC in Doncaster’s town centre in 2020.

Dave Sheridan, chief executive of the Keepmoat Group, said:

As an anchor business in Doncaster we welcome the announcement of a successful UTC application. Keepmoat construction have been involved in this project from the outset and continue to support this important project which will provide new and exciting opportunities for young people. As a key partner to the project, we look forward to supporting young people to ensure that they have the skills, knowledge and experience to ensure that they access the best career opportunities locally and that Doncaster economy continues to grow.

Helen Radford-Hernandez, Principal of Hungerhill School in Doncaster, said:

I am truly thrilled that Doncaster has been given final approval to set up a UTC providing students of all abilities with a much needed gateway into the highly specialist studies and industries of Engineering, Science and Digital Media.

It is testament to the existing strong collaborations between local businesses, universities and educational leaders that our young people will, as part of a highly innovative, employer led curriculum, have many opportunities to experience a world class education affording them the opportunity to compete globally for the best jobs, apprenticeships and places at the top universities. It is nothing less than Doncaster and our young people deserve.

Michael Wilkinson, deputy Managing Director of Frog Education and President of Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, said:

The announcement of the UTC marks another step change for Doncaster; giving confidence to our young people that they have quality opportunities ahead and are being invested in, giving confidence to business to continue to invest in Doncaster for the future, safe in the knowledge a new talent pool is developing, based upon a relevant curriculum which they contribute to engineering giving confidence to the nation and beyond that Doncaster is great place to work, live and enjoy.

Professor Wyn Morgan, vice-president of Education at the University of Sheffield, said:

The University warmly welcomes and supports the decision to locate a University Technical College in Doncaster. Focused on Advanced Engineering and Digital Design and working with local universities employers, the new UTC in Doncaster and the existing UTCs in Sheffield are aimed at developing skills which will drive innovation, attract inward investment from high-tech companies and help to create jobs.

Professor Sir Chris Husbands, vice-chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, said:

We welcome the news that the application to open a Doncaster UTC has been approved. Sheffield Hallam is proud to be a partner of the new UTC, building on the successful partnerships we already enjoy with both UTCs in Sheffield.

UTCs are a great example of how industry and education can come together to provide opportunities for students to get involved in innovative and applied learning whilst addressing the regional skills gap.

Paul Stockhill, Managing Director of Agemaspark, said:

This is marvellous news for Doncaster and will provide a new opportunity for all of the local region to participate in the future of our young people. To encourage diversity and insight for growth among the business and communities of the area. I wish to thank the local government and Doncaster Chamber of Commerce and local business for their determination and persistence to bring the UTC to a successful conclusion.

Cameron McLellan, Managing Director of Polypipe, said:

Polypipe welcome the recent announcement regarding Doncaster UTC. Having worked with the project team we are looking forward to being involved in the development of the UTC and see its opening in Doncaster as a real benefit to our future.

Polypipe’s roots are in Doncaster since we commenced in 1980 and we have continued to grow internationally. Further growth is dependent on new talent joining our organisation each year and we welcome the opportunity to be an integral part of developing young people with the skills and experiences needed to enter the engineering world.

Richard Walsh, Managing Director of Pennine Stone, said:

I am delighted that this scheme has been approved, Doncaster UTC will create a new offer for our young people which will develop the skills and behaviours that industry needs to continue to thrive. By securing Industry involvement in education delivery, we have an opportunity to ensure that our young people succeed in their careers and access the very best opportunities while driving local economic growth.

The UTC will provide young people with an exciting education alternative which will enable them to combine traditional study alongside stimulating new industry-based and applied learning pathways.

Jack Pendle, Engineering Director at Volker Rail, said:

Having worked with the Doncaster UTC team, we are delighted about the recent announcement confirming UTC approval. At Volker Rail we are passionate about building the next generation rail engineering workforce for Doncaster and will require talented young people with a good grounding in STEM subjects to deliver in the fast emerging digital railway.

The UTC will be of great benefit; not only to local young people, but the future local economy. We believe the UTC, alongside the National College of High Speed Rail, will provide fantastic opportunities for our young people and we are excited to be taking this project forward with other partners.

Public services in Scotland are to get a £2 billion funding boost from the UK Government. The cash windfall follows the Prime Minister’s announcement today that, in the NHS’s 70th year, she is investing an extra £20 billion a year in health services in England (by 2023-24, compared to today).

The announcement means the Scottish Government will receive additional Barnett funding worth £2 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24. It will be up to Holyrood how this money is used, but the Scottish Secretary has urged Scottish ministers to invest the windfall in the NHS in Scotland.

David Mundell said:

As a result of the Prime Minister’s significant new investment in the NHS, Scotland will get a £2 billion funding boost from the UK Government by 2023-24. In the NHS’s 70th year, I urge the Scottish Government to invest this extra money in improving health services in Scotland. Our NHS is hugely valued by people in Scotland, but we have seen services under severe strain in recent years. This additional UK Government investment in Scotland has the potential to make a real difference for people in Scotland.

The extra funding announced today comes on top of changes to visas to allow the NHS to recruit more doctors and nurses from overseas.

The Foreign Secretary lends his support to President Ghani’s announcement of an extension to the Afghan government’s ceasefire with the Taliban and calls on the Taliban to support peace.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

I welcome President Ghani’s announcement that the nationwide government ceasefire with the Taliban will be extended beyond Eid al-Fitr. This shows that the Afghan government is listening to its people, who overwhelmingly support peace.

I hope that the Taliban will respect the wishes of the Afghan people and respond in kind.

The UK strongly supports steps towards peace in Afghanistan, including President Ghani’s unprecedented offer of talks without preconditions in February.

Further information

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