The Insolvency Service confirms the outcome of its investigation into the directors of the collapsed BHS retail chain.

A spokesperson for the Insolvency Service said:

We can confirm the Insolvency Service has written to Dominic Chappell and three other former directors of BHS and connected companies informing them that we intend to bring proceedings to have them disqualified from running or controlling companies for periods up to 15 years.

We can also confirm that we have written to Sir Philip Green, also a former director of BHS, informing him that we do not currently intend bring disqualification proceedings against him.

As this matter may now be tested in the Court it is not appropriate to comment further.

The intention to bring disqualification proceedings follows an investigation by the Insolvency Service, an executive agency of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Leading counsel has confirmed all our findings.

Published 27 March 2018

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Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP

A man with previous violent offence convictions has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred it for being too low.

On 20 August 2017 Vandross Williams, 25, entered the Jack of Diamonds club in Bristol city centre with a large knife. After an altercation with 2 acquaintances inside the club, the group moved to the road outside where Williams proceeded to repeatedly stab his victim, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.

Williams was originally sentenced to 9 years imprisonment at Bristol Crown Court. Today, after the Solicitor General’s reference, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 13 years in prison.

Commenting on the sentence increase, the Solicitor General said:

Williams has a history of violence and has now caused serious physical harm to a victim. His crime deserved a tougher punishment, and I am pleased the Court has now seen fit to increase his sentence.

Published 27 March 2018

Defence Secretary meets UK personnel in Tapa, Estonia. Crown copyright.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has signed a £400 million deal to launch battle-winning Brimstone missiles from RAF Typhoon jets, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced.

The ultra-accurate Brimstone already has a successful track record, playing a critical role from Tornado fighter jets in the fight against Daesh in Syria and Iraq, and the deal will now see the missile upgraded to become compatible with Typhoons.

The £400 million Brimstone 2 Capability Sustainment Programme with MBDA UK will also build new equipment to support the capability and develop a stockpile of weapons available for operations, creating around 130 brand new jobs and sustaining hundreds more across the country.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

Our world-class defence industry is a key foundation on which our great military is built, and the weapons it produces like the pinpoint Brimstone missiles have been crucial in helping our fighter pilots on missions such as driving down Daesh territory in the Middle East. This massive £400m investment is a huge boost to the proud workforce equipping our Armed Forces and will create and protect hundreds of jobs across the country, bolstering both the power of the Typhoon jet and British prosperity.

The new variation is being developed through the Brimstone 2 Capability Sustainment Programme will replace all earlier variants in 2022 and have an upgraded seeker, rocket motor, warhead and guidance system, making it an even more effective weapon.

The new missile will arm Typhoon when it takes over as the RAF’s principal ground-attack aircraft in 2019.

The work has created around 130 new jobs and sustains a further 270 existing jobs at MBDA’s sites in Stevenage, Bolton and across the company’s significant UK supply chain.

Brimstone is currently in use by the UK’s Tornado squadrons in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Shader and has also been used on operations in Afghanistan and Libya.

Chief of Material Land at the MOD’s procurement organisation, Lieutenant General Paul Jaques said:

The Brimstone 2 CSP contract enables us to continue to deliver a world class air to surface missile in support of the RAF’s Typhoon Squadrons on operations worldwide.

It is excellent news not only for our troops but also for the UK economy, with jobs and skills being sustained across the country.

The programme will also allow the weapon to be further developed for use on future aircraft. Brimstone is among weapons being considered for use by the British Army’s new AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and the RAF’s next-generation Protector unmanned aerial system.

The Space Industry Act became law on Thursday 15 March unlocking an exciting new era of British space innovation, exploration and investment.

The Government committed to issuing a call for evidence, to seek input on liabilities provisions following Parliamentary debates. The UK Space Agency and Department for Transport are now leading that call to help inform future policy on liabilities and on insurance and charging arrangements as well.

Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

“We are ensuring the regulatory framework set out in the Space Industry Act leads to a safe, responsible and attractive environment for small-satellite launch and sub-orbital flight.

“This is a chance for interested parties to have their say on the important issues of liabilities, insurance and charging, as we take the next steps towards enabling launches from UK spaceports for the first time, as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.”

The Space Industry Act is the most modern piece of space industry legislation anywhere in the world and means UK businesses will soon be able to compete in the commercial space race from UK spaceports.

This will not only ensure Britain is capable of launching small satellites and scientific experiments from UK soil, but also enable the UK to take advantage of future developments like hypersonic flight and high-speed point to point transport.

The UK is already a global hub for satellite manufacturing, operation and application development. Access to space will allow companies to deploy satellites as well, making the UK a one-stop shop for satellites services and the best place in Europe to start and grow a space business.

The Government’s Industrial Strategy White Paper included £50 million to enable new satellite launch services and low gravity spaceflights from UK spaceports.