Politics

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News story: Prince Harry unveils the UK team for the Invictus Games 2017

Prince Harry joined the 2017 UK team of Wounded, Injured and Sick (WIS) Service personnel and veterans for their first official team photograph at the Tower of London today. Following the unveiling, Prince Harry, who is patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, joined competitors at a reception in Plaisterers Hall.

The Invictus Games harness the power of sport to inspire recovery and generate wider understanding and respect for those who serve their country. Getting involved in sport provides significant physical and mental health benefits including increasing self-confidence and psychological empowerment.

More than 300 WIS personnel and veterans applied for one of 90 places available on the team. Selection criteria included the benefit the Invictus Games will give an individual as part of their recovery, combined with performance and commitment to training. 62% of the team are new to the Invictus Games with only 8% having competed in the two previous games, London 2014 and Orlando 2016.

The UK team will join 16 other nations at the third Invictus Games from 23-30 September in Toronto, Canada. They will compete across 12 sports: athletics, archery, wheelchair basketball, road cycling, powerlifting, indoor rowing, wheelchair rugby, swimming, sitting volleyball, wheelchair tennis, the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge, and a new sport for 2017, golf.

The 2017 UK team captain has been named as former Army Major Bernie Broad. He served in the Grenadier Guards for around 30 years and due to injuries sustained in an explosion in Afghanistan 2009 lost both his legs below the knee.

He said:

The Invictus Games are empowering and inspire all of us as competitors to be the best version of ourselves. It allows us to be judged on what we can achieve, rather than what we can’t.

To simply be selected for the UK Team was an amazing achievement. To then be further selected as the UK Team Captain filled me with such immense pride and it is a huge privilege to be given this honour.

Between now and the Games, training will take place across the country at recovery centres and other external venues to train and develop the team.

The UK delegation to the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 is being delivered by a partnership comprising The Ministry of Defence (MOD), Help for Heroes, and The Royal British Legion.

The full team list can be found on the Help for Heroes website.

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HM Government

Cardiff set for ‘busiest ever weekend’ as UEFA Champions League comes to town

In welcoming the first wave of fans to Wales, the Economy Secretary highlighted the different options available to those wishing to travel, stressing the importance of leaving plenty of time to avoid disruption. 

Ken Skates said: 

“The long wait is almost over. This weekend will see Cardiff host the greatest sporting event of 2017, the UEFA Champions League Final. The final is  the culmination of months of planning that has been  focussed on ensuring visitors from across the world are safe, well looked after and afforded a fantastic Welsh welcome as they enjoy the occasion.   

“With around 200,000 additional visitors expected in Cardiff over 1-4 June, 2,500 members of the media and an estimated global live TV audience of 200 million, few events can match the Champions League Final for size and scope. The challenges that come with being the smallest city ever to host such an event should not be underestimated, not least in ensuring that every aspect of the infrastructure and transport network is primed  to best serve South Wales and it’s many visitors. 

“The weekend will see additional trains providing capacity for up to 60,000 passengers,  with partners from across the UK helping ensure increased rail capacity and frequency. 

“There will be over 1250 coaches, an additional temporary terminal at Cardiff airport helping welcome up to 10,000 air charter passengers to Wales and  the Eastern Bay link road which will open to coaches. There will also be a number of park and ride/walks in full operation, the newest of which, in Llanwern, will add 4,000 additional spaces. 

“These are amongst the many, many measures in place to support what will be the busiest ever weekend on our transport network. For those travelling in and around Cardiff, please leave plenty of time and carefully consider all available modes of transport to avoid disruption.” 

To plan your travel over the Event period download the Cardiff 2017 Travel Guide App from cardiff2017.wales/travelapp. More detailed information on transport options for 1-4 June can be found at: www.cardiff2017.wales/travel (external link) or on Twitter: @cardiff17travel
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Welsh Government •

Childcare for the many: Labour’s universal childcare plan will transform the lives of more than a million children

More than a million children and their families will benefit from Labour plans for universal provision of 30 hours of free childcare a week for all two to four-year-olds.

Labour will extend 30-hour childcare to more children by eliminating means testing for two-year-olds and no longer restricting provision for three and four-year-olds to children whose parents are working.  This will benefit an additional 1.3 million children.

At the moment, only 40% of two-year-olds qualify for childcare and many working parents with three and four-year-old children are not getting the childcare they were promised by the Conservatives at the last election because of the complexity of the rules. Meanwhile, Tory cuts have also led to the loss of 1,240 Sure Start centres.

Labour’s universal childcare policy will help ensure all children have a good start in life and remove barriers to parents, especially women, participating in the labour market.

Labour’s National Education Service will create a high-quality, universal childcare system that will bridge the gap between maternity leave and full-time schooling in the long run.

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, said:

“The Labour party believes every child, no matter what their background, deserves a good start in life, and that childcare costs shouldn’t be a barrier for parents who want to go back to work. The current patchy support for childcare is holding back too many families.

“High quality childcare can transform a child’s life chances and make it much easier for parents to work. Labour will roll out 30 hours of free childcare a week to all 2-4 year olds to give all our children the best possible start in life, as part of our plan to build a country for the many, not the few.”

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“The Conservatives’ 2015 promise to provide parents 30 free hours of childcare a week has unravelled, as they have failed to give the policy the funding it needs. Too many parents have been let down, unable to go back to work due to the cost of childcare.

“Unlike the Conservatives, Labour will properly fund childcare to help parents get back into work and ensure all children, no matter what their background, have access to the high quality childcare they deserve. The Conservatives are failing to deliver on early years education, there are now over 1,240 fewer designated Sure Start children’s centres than when the Conservatives entered government. It is clear Theresa May and the Conservatives can’t be trusted with our children’s futures.”

Childcare costs represent a significant proportion of family expenditure, with many families made up of two or more children saying it does not make financial sense for both parents to work. 

Research by the Family and Childcare Trust revealed that on average British parents are spending almost twice as much on part-time childcare as they do on food per year. 

In a survey conducted by the Resolution Foundation and Mumsnet, 67% of mothers in work and 64% of those not working said the high cost of childcare is a barrier to taking on more employment. 

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Labour •