Thank you Madam President and welcome back to the Security Council. And thank you to Special Coordinator Mladenov and Commissioner-General Krähenbühl for your briefings.

Since the Council’s last monthly meeting on this issue, we have witnessed the worst violence in Gaza since 2014. The United Kingdom was gravely concerned by this escalation, during which both Israeli and Palestinian civilians were killed. We utterly condemn all rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel, and we are clear that it must stop. It is ultimately the ongoing decision by Hamas, to embrace violence and reject the Quartet Principles, which lies at the heart of the Gazan tragedy.

The United Kingdom’s support for Israel’s right to self-defence is unequivocal. But we are equally clear that Israel’s action must be proportionate, and must guard against civilian casualties.

Madam President, we welcome the ceasefire brokered by the UN and Egypt, and support their efforts to maintain calm. We urge all parties to demonstrate restraint and to make progress towards a long-term agreement.

As well as creating fear amongst the Israeli and Palestinian populations, and damaging the prospects for peace, this hopeless cycle of violence further undermines the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Against this backdrop, UNRWA is a necessary humanitarian and stabilising force in the region, providing vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees. The United Kingdom remains a firmly committed supporter of UNRWA, and of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, and we will do everything we can to maintain continuity of essential services at this time. Last year, the UK almost doubled our original core support to UNRWA, and over the next two years, the UK will provide the Agency with up to $100 million dollars.

We also recognise the need for UNRWA to reform in order to ensure its sustainability. UNRWA has undertaken significant cost-cutting measures to respond to budget cuts and growing need. We welcome UNRWA’s efforts to broaden its donor base, and we encourage others to step up with more funding and more predictable disbursements.

Madam President, the United Kingdom remains worried about the impact of Israel’s decision to withhold tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli decision will have significant consequences for stability and security; it is impacting ordinary Palestinians and it risks exacerbating the already dire humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza.

The United Kingdom continues to have concerns about aspects of the Palestinian system of payments to detainees. We encourage the reform of the system to be needs-based, transparent and more affordable. But this is not a justification for withholding agreed tax revenues.

A stable Palestinian Authority is in the interest of both Palestinians and Israelis. This is the PA’s money. We encourage Israel to reconsider this decision or find other ways to counteract the risks, while abiding by all signed agreements. Given the risk of fiscal collapse is very real, we also urge the PA to accept the remaining tax revenues.

We welcome the calls made at the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for enhanced dialogue between the Israeli and Palestinian governments to address the current fiscal crisis, as well as the offers made to assist the parties in addressing the outstanding fiscal issues adequately and urgently.

Madam President, the United Kingdom continues to believe that substantive peace talks between the parties – leading to a negotiated two-state solution based on 1967 lines, with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as a shared capital and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees – is the way to end the Arab-Israeli conflict; provide security and justice to both Israelis and Palestinians; and preserve Israel’s Jewish and democratic identity.

I want to thank the representative of the United States for his comments, including on the proposed meetings in Bahrain. We look forward to studying the United States Administration’s proposals for a viable Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement which addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties.

Madam President, to have the best chances of success, the peace process must be conducted in an atmosphere free from violence and we call on all parties to work together to maintain calm.

Thank you.

Lucy Frazer QC MP has been sworn in as Solicitor General for England and Wales.

The Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox QC MP, and the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, David Gauke MP, spoke at the ceremony to welcome the Solicitor General to her role.

Speaking after the ceremony the Attorney General said:

I am delighted to see Lucy Frazer officially sworn in as Solicitor General. I look forward to working with her in the unique roles we each play in upholding the rule of law at the heart of the UK constitution.

The Lord Chancellor said:

Lucy Frazer’s insight as a former barrister made her an esteemed Justice Minister and I am in no doubt that she will draw on her extensive experience to be a successful Solicitor General.

Commenting on the ceremony, Lucy Frazer QC MP said:

I am honored to be sworn in as Solicitor General for England and Wales. The role of Solicitor General is an important one and I look forward to working on the variety of interesting legal problems which cross the desk of a Law Officer.

I am grateful for the warm welcome I have been given from both the Attorney General and Lord Chancellor and I thank them for their kind words.

Alongside the Attorney General, the Solicitor General will oversee the work of the Law Officers Departments which include the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office, and the Government Legal Department and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

The Solicitor General also carries out a number of functions in the public interest, such as considering unduly lenient sentences, and taking action when there has been a contempt of court. These functions are carried out independently of their role as a government minister.

Notes to editors

1. Lucy Frazer was appointed as Solicitor General on 9 May by the Prime Minister.
2. Lucy is the third woman to have held the position of Solicitor General. Dame Vera Baird and Harriet Harman preceded her.
3. Lucy was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice.
4. Lucy was first elected to be the Member of Parliament for South East Cambridgeshire in May 2015.
5. She has previously served on the Education Select Committee and as Parliamentary Private Secretary to both the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice as well as the Paymaster General and Minister to the Cabinet Office.
6. Prior to becoming an MP, Lucy practiced as a barrister and was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 2013, at the age of 40.
7. Lucy is a graduate of law from Cambridge University, where she was the 10th woman to have been elected as President of the Cambridge Union.

The Chancellor hosted a meeting of the Financial and Professional Services’ Business Council this afternoon at Downing Street. The Prime Minister joined the meeting.

The Council represents companies from across the financial and professional service industries and is co-chaired by Paul Manduca, Chairman of Prudential, and Shriti Vadera, Chairwoman of Santander UK.

It is one of five business councils set up by the Prime Minister to advise the government throughout the year on the opportunities and challenges facing sectors post-Brexit to improve the UK’s competitiveness and productivity. Since the beginning of the year, council members have been developing policy proposals and recommendations which are informing discussions and work across Whitehall to develop the best future conditions for businesses.

The Chancellor welcomed members of the council and championed the success of the sector in the UK. They discussed a number of opportunities and policy ideas, including both short-term actions and longer-term initiatives in areas of growth, competitiveness and regulation post-Brexit. They also spoke about how to remain at the forefront of FinTech globally, support start-ups to grow around the UK, and ensure the industry has the right skills and talent for the future.

All looked forward to developing the agreed proposals further over the next few months and coming together again to discuss progress. Work will continue in the Treasury and across Whitehall to look at these proposals in more detail ahead of the next meeting.

• Shriti Vadera, Chairwoman, Santander, Co-Chair
• Paul Manduca, Chairman, Prudential, Co-Chair
• Carolyn Fairbairn, Director General, CBI
• Jes Staley, CEO, Barclays
• Clare Woodman, Head of EMEA, Morgan Stanley & Co. International
• Jeffrey Sprecher, Chairman and CEO, Intercontinental Exchange
• Peter Harrison, Group CEO, Schroders and Chairman of the Investment Association
• Rachel Lord, Head of EMEA, Blackrock,
• Bruce Carnegie-Brown, Chairman, Lloyds of London
• Mark Tucker, Chairman, HSBC Holdings
• David Schwimmer, CEO, London Stock Exchange Group
• Hamish Forsyth, President – Europe & Asia, Capital Group Companies Global
• Nick Owen, Chairman, Deloitte UK
• Edward Braham, Senior Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Christine O’Neill, Chairwoman, Brodies LLP
• Christine Hodgson, Chairwoman, Capgemini UK
• Christian Sewing, CEO, Deutsche Bank
• Andrew Telfer, Senior Partner, Baillie Gifford & Co.
• Sir Adrian Montague, Chairman, Aviva

The French authorities have announced travel arrangements, restrictions and requirements for visitors to Normandy on 6 June 2019.

People intending to Normandy to attend D-Day 75 events should visit the English-language guide to read about the French authorities’ security arrangements.

Travel restrictions will be in force from 6am on 6 June. Vehicles wishing to enter the restricted travel zone at this time will need to display a D-Day 75 sticker.

If your vehicle is already inside the restricted travel zone at 6am on 6 June, you will only need to carry a sticker if you wish to leave and re-enter the zone on that day.

The vehicle stickers will be available from the D-Day 75 information office in the civic offices adjacent to the town hall in Caen, on Esplanade Jean-Marie Louvel. Visitors are welcoming during the opening hours:

• Saturday 1 June 9 to 11.45am
• Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 June 9am to 4.30pm
• Wednesday 5 June 9am to 11pm

Road travel will be heavily disrupted in certain sections of Normandy to prioritise official transport and some roads will be closed throughout the day. Full details are available on the prefecture’s website.

Visitors will need to provide photo identification and details of the events they intend to visit in order to collect a vehicle sticker.

Many events in Normandy, including The Royal British Legion’s cathedral and cemetery services will only be open to those with the required accreditation. Passes will be required for event parking in Bayeux and public parking in the city will be limited.

Information on accreditation for The Royal British Legion’s events in Bayeux is available on their D-Day 75 website.

The United Nations International Day of Biological Diversity this year is encouraging everyone to consider the positive actions they can take to support ‘Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health’.

There is overwhelming evidence that human activity is impacting on the decline in biodiversity, outlined within a recent review of the Earth’s biodiversity by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

At Natural England, we are working with people across society including land managers, ecologists, planners and developers to protect and enhance our rich variety of life. Their work supports the important goods and services our biodiverse ecosystems provide such as food, clean water and carbon storage, but also the provision of education, recreation and heritage, some of which form part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – all needed for good health and well-being.

This work has been given greater drive by the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan which we help us to focus on the continued conservation and recovery of species, and restoration and expansion of habitats. We have also been working hard to enhance and expand Sites of Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves, and support environmentally friendly farming techniques both now and following our departure from the EU.

Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper said:

Globally, and on our doorstep, we need to work together to halt the loss of animals, plants and ecosystems. Our planet’s unique web of life is absolutely critical for our future health and prosperity.

The good news is it is not too late. The 25-Year Environment Plan provides a blueprint for action, restoring habitats at a landscape scale to reverse species decline while providing solutions to some of the climate change challenges we face.

I’ve seen first-hand the enthusiasm farmers and landowners have for conserving and restoring the natural environment. My ambition at Natural England is to work with them, and others, to deliver this 25-year vision and achieve the change we, and our natural world, so urgently need.

Through the conservation of nature, landscape and environmental management, over recent years we have:

• Helped farmers to successfully integrate the management of biodiversity and conservation of the environment into farm business through Catchment Sensitive Farming methods, Environmental Impact Assessments and the Environmental Stewardship Scheme, as well as through the restoration and creation of habitats such as woodlands and species-rich grasslands, and the protection of water, soil and air quality.

• Increased public access to the natural environment through the England Coast Path, Children and Nature Programme and Nature Recovery Network which aims to create 50,000 hectares of new green space in cities and the countryside to help improve health and well-being.

• Continued to ensure the notification of Sites of Special Scientific Interest to conserve the natural environment, and extend those existing to protect our most important areas of biodiversity and geodiversity. This included the new introduction of the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast SSSI to protect the coastal wildlife of the Tees Estuary and the introduction of SSSIs in Dorset and Halesowen to protect the fungi and grassland.

• Continued to manage around two thirds of National Nature Reserves in England, vital to the conservation of biodiversity and home to some of the most important sites for wildlife and geology in England such as Woodwalton Fen.

• Delivered restoration of over 4,000 hectares of rare lowland raised bog and associated habitats from funding from Defra and the EU’s LIFE+ programme such as Bolton Fell Moss.

• Helped to protect marine biodiversity and a ‘blue belt’ of marine protected areas around England such as our most recent proposals to strengthen the protection for the Isles of Scilly home to over 8,000 pairs of 13 different seabird species and pre-consultation advice to Defra on proposed Marine Conservation Zones.

• Saved 20 species from extinction and helped put more than 100 more species on the road to recovery in support of our ‘Back from the Brink’ partnership programme.

• Created a new award winning approach to protect great crested newt populations and support sustainable development by both creating and restoring better and more joined up habitat ahead of development to increase health and resilience.

At Natural England we continue to invest in new initiatives, technologies and efficiencies to provide a more modern, streamlined service across our biodiversity work. This includes seeking new sources of investment in biodiversity such as through largescale partnership projects, and using new mechanisms such as net gain. This also includes working with partners and stakeholders to restore priority habitats and species through the ongoing species recovery programme, and co-designing how we meet the opportunities of the 25 Year Environment Plan.