I wish to make a statement on British Steel.

The public interest test

The Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act 2026 grants powers to allow the Secretary of State to bring a steel company into public ownership where it is necessary in the public interest. Ministers must carefully consider the public interest test and the likely costs prior to exercising the powers. In the case of British Steel Ltd, it has important capability in the production of several essential steel products, which are integral to the construction and maintenance of our critical national infrastructure.

Given the financial challenges that the company is facing and has faced for some time, the Government’s assessment is that, without taking it into public ownership, where a plan could be developed for a sustainable future, there is a significant risk that it would fail and this capability would be lost. Such an outcome would directly disrupt the national rail network and increase supply chain risk for industry, including major infrastructure projects. It would reduce UK steelmaking capacity to around half of the requirements anticipated by 2035, leaving the UK vulnerable to volatility in international markets and international supply chains. All of these outcomes would be significant and difficult to reverse.

The Government’s assessment, based on the relevant factors, including cost considerations, is that it is necessary in the public interest to nationalise British Steel Ltd. We have not taken this decision lightly but we consider that it is the only viable route forward in these circumstances.

Nationalisation

The Government have nationalised British Steel Ltd. Its transfer to public ownership took place this morning, using powers granted by the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act 2026.

Steel underpins the growth-driving sectors of the Government’s industrial strategy, and British Steel is among the largest steel producers in the UK. The decisive action taken today secures its immediate future, secures steelmaking in support of our steel strategy, and supports the jobs and steelmaking communities that have underpinned the business for decades.

Nationalisation brings to an end the temporary special measures that were applied under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025, which secured the continued operations of Scunthorpe’s blast furnaces. The Government would like to place on record our appreciation for the continued dedication and professionalism of the company’s workers and management throughout this period of uncertainty.

Nationalisation brings stability to the firm and its workforce, and allows it to look forward, making steel in the national interest, owned by the people of this country. All business, jobs, customers and suppliers continue as normal through the transfer into public ownership.

Company governance

British Steel is now a Government-owned company and public non-financial corporation, with the Secretary of State as its sole shareholder. The Government are putting in place a new board of directors who will bring extensive commercial and industrial expertise to support the company and management in stabilising operations and moving the firm on from its current poor commercial position. The board will prioritise the health and safety of the firm’s workforce. The board will be set clear objectives by Ministers, and will include representatives from UK Government Investments and the Department for Business and Trade to support the Government’s shareholder interests.

The board will be responsible for developing a plan to transform British Steel into a commercially and environmentally sustainable steelmaking enterprise, and for exploring possible options for private sector investment. The board will also be tasked with ensuring that the voice of workers is at the heart of the company, working with management, employees and trade unions, including worker representation on the board.

Compensation

The Government recognise that this is a significant intervention. The Government have and will always respect and adhere to our legal obligations under domestic and international law.

The former owner of British Steel Ltd was Jingye Group. The Government held commercial negotiations with the group over the potential acquisition by Government of British Steel, but unfortunately it was not possible to reach an agreement that represented value to the taxpayer. The Government’s view is that the commercial value today of the business, given its history of loss making and its current poor financial position, is nil.

Following nationalisation, the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act 2026 requires the Government to introduce a compensation scheme through regulations. These will be laid and debated by Parliament in the autumn. The regulations will provide for the appointment of an independent third-party valuer, who will assess what compensation, if any, is owed to the company. We will abide by the final outcome of this process and pay any compensation accordingly.

The compensation scheme regulations will include a right to appeal the determinations of the independent valuer to the upper tribunal. We expect that the independent valuer will invite submissions from the affected parties. The Government will publish the final determinations of the independent valuer and lay those before Parliament.

Throughout the negotiations mentioned above, the Government have engaged in good faith.

Financial assistance

The Government understand the interest from parliamentarians in the public funding offered to British Steel and the plan for its future.

All financial assistance offered to British Steel under the provisions in the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act 2026 will be reported in the ordinary way. In addition, the Government will publish on a quarterly basis for at least one year, written ministerial statements to give contemporary information on financial assistance offered. These will replace the written ministerial statements offered pursuant to the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025, since the special measures applied under that Act have now been superseded by nationalisation.

The Government anticipate that the relevant committees in Parliament will take an interest in the company’s annual report and strategic plans, and will be pleased to support its scrutiny of these.

The Government are ambitious for the future of British Steel and committed to working collectively with the workforce to achieve the best possible outcome for the business.

[HCWS273]

I am today informing Parliament of a consultation on fireworks which has just been launched.

Millions of people enjoy fireworks responsibly as part of cultural, religious and community celebrations. There is an existing legal framework in place to address situations where fireworks and other pyrotechnics are misused. However, I am also aware of the concerns raised by charities, parliamentarians and members of the public about the impact of fireworks.

Many people have been in touch with me to share their own experience of how fireworks have affected them, their family, their animals, or their wider community. I am grateful to them for taking the time to set out their concerns. These accounts add valuable context alongside the data provided by local authorities, emergency services, animal welfare organisations and the fireworks industry.

In response, I am launching this consultation which proposes reforms to fireworks legislation. These proposals focus on addressing the key harms raised, particularly noise from non-professional fireworks displays and the contribution of fireworks to antisocial behaviour, while continuing to allow people to enjoy fireworks safely and responsibly, including as part of important community and cultural celebrations. Specifically, the consultation seeks to gather evidence and capture a wide range of views on proposals to:

Restrict the availability of the noisiest fireworks to the general public, with louder products only available to professional users.

Add products deemed to be carrying unacceptable risks to the existing list of banned pyrotechnic products.

Review the regulations for the broad range of fireworks and pyrotechnic products currently classified as lower risk, to better reflect the different levels of risk they pose.

The responses and evidence gathered will be used to refine these proposals, making sure that we keep public safety, and the impact on people, animals and property, central to this work. Please be assured that all perspectives and evidence will be considered carefully.

This consultation will run for 12 weeks, and a copy can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fireworks-and-pyrotechnics-in-the-uk

[HCWS275]

Special advisers are a critical part of the team supporting Ministers. They add a political dimension to the advice and assistance available to Ministers while reinforcing the impartiality of the permanent civil service by distinguishing the source of political advice and support.

Special advisers are temporary civil servants, and their costs are met by the Government Department in which they are based. Each year, the Cabinet Office publishes a report on the total cost and number of special advisers across Government. Today, the Cabinet Office will be publishing its report for the previous financial year (April 2025 to March 2026).

Departments also routinely publish data quarterly on special advisers’ gifts, hospitality and meetings with senior media figures.

[HCWS289]

The UK covid-19 inquiry is examining the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic. The Government are fully committed to supporting the work of the covid-19 inquiry and to learning lessons from the covid-19 pandemic to ensure the UK is better prepared for a future pandemic.

The Government recognise the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic. The inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile.

The independent UK covid-19 inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the inquiry’s work and has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK covid-19 inquiry.

Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant Departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures, and different Departments organise their response teams in different ways, according to business need. As such, these are not precise figures for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the inquiry requires significant input from a number of key Government Departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the inquiry alone.

It should be noted that alongside full time resource within Departments, inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. These costs, including those associated with staff taking time to provide written or oral evidence, are not included in the costs below.

Breakdown of staff and costs 2025-26

The Government response to the UK covid-19 inquiry is led by inquiry response units across Departments. These associated staff costs for Q4 2025-26 are below and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-3.

Q4 number of UK covid-19 inquiry response unit staff— 111 full-time equivalents.

Q4 cost of UK covid-19 inquiry response unit staff—£2,345,000 (including contingent labour costs).

Financial year 2025-26 (Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4), total cost of UK covid-19 inquiry response unit staff—£15,145,000 (including contingent labour costs, and retrospective adjustments for Q1-3).

Table: breakdown of staff and costs 2025-26

Inquiry response unit legal costs 2025-26

Inquiry response units across Government Departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and legal counsel. These associated legal costs—excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs—for Q4 2025-26 are below and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-3.

Q4 legal costs—£1,226,000.

Financial year 2025-26 (Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4), total legal costs—£16,346,000 (including retrospective adjustments for Q1-3).

Table: inquiry response unit legal costs 2025-26

[HCWS276]

My hon. Friend Lord Vallance of Balham, Minister of State for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, has today made the following statement:

My Lords, the nuclear regulatory review set out a stark challenge for all of us: Government, regulators and industry.

The Government are meeting this challenge by taking forward all 47 recommendations. Delay has a cost, so we have committed to implementing these reforms by the end of 2027.

As part of this we have set out our plan to introduce the nuclear regulation Bill in this parliamentary Session.

We know that simply announcing reforms is not enough. I have chaired the first Nuclear Regulatory Implementation Panel.

This panel will hold industry, regulators and the Government to account for implementing the delivery plans for each recommendation and driving the culture change required to build our nuclear nation.

I am today informing the House of the Government’s intention to review and update the national policy statement for nuclear energy, EN-7, in response to the nuclear regulatory review. This statement is made in accordance with section 6(4A) of the Planning Act 2008, which requires the Secretary of State to lay a statement before Parliament announcing the review.

EN-7, designated in 2025, established the planning policy framework for nuclear energy infrastructure in England and Wales, and introduced a modular approach that enables targeted updates while providing regulatory certainty.

Since its designation, there have been developments in the regulatory and policy landscape, including the nuclear regulatory review, which identified opportunities to clarify and improve the operation of the regulatory and planning framework for nuclear infrastructure.

The Government therefore intend to review EN-7 at pace, making use of its modular structure to ensure that it continues to reflect these developments and remains effective. The Government expect to consult on any proposed updates in due course. Parliamentary scrutiny will take place as required once any amended national policy statement is laid before Parliament.

The Government intend to conclude the review by the end of 2026, with any updates to EN-7 published in 2027, subject to parliamentary scrutiny. The current form of EN-7 will continue to apply while the review is under way.

In parallel, the Government intend to initiate a review of the national policy statement on geological disposal infrastructure, and of the previous national policy statement on nuclear power, EN-6. This approach reflects the Secretary of State’s duty under section 6 of the Planning Act 2008 to keep national policy statements under review, including reviewing all current national policy statements by February 2028.

Only through ambitious reforms and cultural change can we deliver what is needed: less duplication, bureaucracy, and a process that is more appealing for investors.

[HCWS282]

Over the last year we have taken significant action on nature recovery. In December 2025 we launched our revised environmental improvement plan to restore nature, move to a more circular economy and protect our environmental security. We know the scale of the challenge, and we are matching our ambition with action.

Today I am laying our annual progress report in delivering the EIP over the reporting period April 2025 to March 2026, as required by section 9 of the Environment Act 2021. This includes progress towards achieving Environment Act targets, and the latest evidence of changes in the natural environment.

We have progressed a broad and ambitious programme of reform, investment and delivery over the reporting period. This includes:

publication of the land use framework to transform decision making so that we use land more effectively

securing over £7 billion for nature recovery through the farming budget, the largest investment into nature in history.

setting a new vision for water and plan to reform our water sector and the wider water system through the water White Paper

quadrupling water company investment under “Price Review 2024”, to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas announcing a ban on wet wipes containing plastics

publication of the UK’s first ever perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances plan

committing £1.1 billion to improve local recycling services across England, enhancing waste management and community outcomes

publication of the good food cycle strategy and delivery of priority outcomes for healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient 21st-century UK food system

publication of the carbon budget growth delivery plan and methane action plan

announcing that at least £10.5 billion will be invested by March 2036 to construct new flood and coastal erosion schemes and repair existing defences

announcing investment of over £1 billion in the next stage of development of a new national biosecurity centre at Weybridge

announcing two new national forests, in addition to the Western forest

opening the King Charles III England coast path, the world’s longest managed coastal path, and delivering the first of nine new coastal paths, the Mersey valley way.

The revised EIP sets us on a clearer path to deliver Environment Act targets by setting ambitious yet achievable interim targets and publishing detailed delivery plans to drive progress. This will require sustained delivery at pace and scale over several years. The Government remain committed to delivering our environmental targets. We are making good progress in meeting the targets in some areas, while we face challenges in others. For several target areas, it is still too early to draw reliable trends on progress from the data, but we will continue to develop and improve environmental monitoring.

I am also laying the Government’s response to the Office for Environmental Protection annual assessment of progress for 2024 to 2025, well ahead of the statutory deadline in January 2027, to streamline the EIP reporting cycle and support the important role that the OEP plays in monitoring and reporting progress towards the EIP’s environmental targets. I have also laid a revised statement that explains the Government’s approach to monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the condition of the natural environment, in line with the requirements of section 16 of the Environment Act.

Together, these reports better enable external scrutiny and transparency of our progress and ensure that delivery planning is informed by monitoring and evaluation learning. The EIP is a long-term, whole-of-Government plan delivered in partnership across society. We are taking positive steps and strengthening our evidence base to support long-term environmental improvement. I am grateful to Parliament and stakeholders, including the Office for Environmental Protection, whose scrutiny helps to shape our approach.

[HCWS283]

I wish to update the House on the decisive action that we are taking to secure the long-term future of Dartmoor’s iconic pony populations through a package of new protections and financial support.

Dartmoor’s pony populations and environmental land management schemes

Dartmoor’s heritage rare breeds and semi-wild ponies are a much-cherished part of Dartmoor’s landscape and cultural heritage. They also play an important role in conserving protected environmental sites, including sites of special scientific interest, on the moor. This Government are committed to ensuring that their numbers do not fall below current levels

From today, we are going beyond recommendation 27 of the Fursdon review of protected site management on Dartmoor in 2023 to delink ponies and cattle for the calculation of agri-environment scheme stocking rates. Dartmoor’s ponies will be completely removed from stocking rate calculations in new environmental land management agreements, so that farmers do not face a choice between keeping ponies and maintaining sheep or cattle. Pony numbers will also be monitored across the moor to ensure that they remain at least at current levels. As part of the overall grazing management approach on protected sites in Dartmoor, I have asked Natural England only to consider where existing populations of ponies graze, rather than their overall numbers.

New ELM agreements on Dartmoor will be negotiated on an individual basis, reflecting the needs of the sites they are managing. I want to make it clear, however—by affirming our commitment to maintaining current pony populations on Dartmoor—that if any reductions in the existing pony populations were to occur, this will not release any capacity to increase levels of sheep or cattle grazing on the moor agreed under ELM schemes.

Dartmoor’s resident ponies will continue to remain exempt from being included in any seasonal livestock removal requirements in the shepherding actions within the sustainable farming incentive and the countryside stewardship higher tier—CSHT ELM—scheme offers.

We also intend to introduce a separate pony supplement into SFI and CSHT scheme offers to ensure that there is no economic incentive to reduce pony populations as a result of participating in DEFRA schemes and provide additional support to allow ponies to continue their vital conservation grazing role on the moor.

We will also review the native breed actions in these schemes to see whether the approach could enhance support for “at-risk” native breeds, working with interested parties.

Making a real change to the condition of protected sites on Dartmoor

Dartmoor is one of England’s most important and distinctive landscapes, home to internationally important habitats, wildlife and SSSIs, but large parts of Dartmoor are in long-term ecological decline. Achieving the right balance of grazing is essential to supporting both nature recovery and the long-term future of the moor’s farming communities.

There is broad agreement that grazing approaches on Dartmoor need to change to improve the condition of the valuable habitats found on Dartmoor. DEFRA remains committed to finding flexible and nuanced approaches to grazing on Dartmoor and to doing so through the work of the Dartmoor land use management group—DLUMG—set up following the Fursdon review.

The DLUMG is bringing together a land use framework for Dartmoor and undertaking trials to demonstrate what works to improve condition of its protected sites. Subject to agreement of a clear workplan for DLUMG work going forward, I have asked the group:

to help ensure that their trials complement projects under development on Dartmoor through landscape recovery. I want this work to help to build the evidence base, test adaptive grazing approaches and inform improvement of protected site management.

to develop a Dartmoor-wide management framework that allows for approval of a whole Dartmoor set of grazing principles for ponies, cattle and sheep. This framework will take time to develop but I see it as essential to enabling improvements to the environmental condition of the moor so that future generations can enjoy the wide diversity of species and habitats Dartmoor offers.

Agreeing proposals for ELM agreements on Dartmoor

Finally, I want to ensure that ongoing discussions around landscape recovery projects, new CS higher tier and continuing higher level stewardship agri-environment agreements on Dartmoor demonstrate an openness to flexible and adaptive approaches to grazing on the moor while we await the results of the DLUMG trials. With respect to ponies, these discussions will also be conducted fully in line with the principles set out above.

While we await results from the DLUMG trials, I have asked Natural England that any proposed changes to grazing on Dartmoor through ELM schemes should be approached sensitively. To support their negotiations, DEFRA will work closely with Natural England, with support from the DLUMG, to collectively agree:

short term grazing management on Dartmoor under ELM schemes;

any transitional approaches that might be required to bring existing stocking rate levels in expiring agreements to those required to support improvements in habitat condition under new CSHT agreements; and

the evidence used to support grazing management, working with Defra’s chief scientific adviser and her team.

Conclusion

I believe the approach I have set out here will help us ensure that collectively we are able to agree a balanced approach to help improve management of protected sites on Dartmoor, maintain pony populations and to support farmers and commoners who play a vital role on Dartmoor’s landscape.

[HCWS274]

I wish to update the House on the action this Government are taking to strengthen water company resilience to heatwaves and sustained hot weather.

The Met Office outlook for July to September 2026 indicates that a hotter than usual three-month period is more likely than normal. Higher temperatures can place significant pressure on water resources and infrastructure, increase customer demand, and heighten the risk of localised supply interruptions. It is therefore essential that water companies maintain robust plans to protect customers and sustain supplies during periods of severe and prolonged heat.

This year has already been challenging for water supplies. Some parts of the country have received lower than average rainfall this spring, such as the Anglian region where only 39% of expected rainfall fell. Combined with record spring temperatures, this has reduced reservoir and groundwater storage and river flows across a number of regions.

Alongside recent heatwaves, water companies have increased supply to meet rising demand. During the Met Office red heat warning, Thames Water supplied an additional 316 million litres of water per day compared with the previous year, while Anglian Water increased production by up to 30%, equivalent to supplying a county the size of Lincolnshire. Despite these pressures and some localised supply interruptions, the sector avoided widespread disruption and maintained supplies to the vast majority of customers.

On Thursday 2 July, I brought together the senior leadership of Water UK and those water companies most affected by the recent Met Office amber and red heat warnings to review the sector’s response to the recent period of extreme heat, assess preparedness for the remainder of the summer, and agree the actions necessary to strengthen resilience and protect customers during any future periods of sustained hot weather. The meeting examined lessons from recent heatwaves and the actions needed to reduce future risks to customers.

Temporary use bans are in place across a number of regions in response to high levels of demand. TUBs are currently in place for South East Water customers in Kent, Southern Water customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, South West Water customers in mid-Devon and parts of east Devon, and across the Anglian Water region. Cambridge Water and Affinity Water have also announced TUBs which will come into force shortly. Such measures can help manage demand and protect supplies during periods of sustained pressure.

Everyone has a role to play in using water wisely, particularly during periods of sustained hot weather. I expect water companies to provide customers with clear and timely information on the practical steps they can take to reduce the amount of water they use during periods of peak demand.

The Government will maintain close oversight of water sector resilience throughout the summer. My officials remain in regular contact with the sector, regulators and resilience partners to monitor demand, water resource availability, infrastructure resilience and incident preparedness. I expect all water companies to manage periods of exceptional demand, protect vulnerable customers and respond effectively to incidents. Where performance or preparedness falls short, I will not hesitate to take the action needed to minimise impacts on customers.

I welcome Ofwat’s announcement of a £30.5 million redress package for South East Water for failures that left thousands of households without water for days. The package was developed following a joined-up approach between water regulators, targeting the best possible action to address SEW’s failures. This is in line with the Government proposed water reforms, which will involve the new regulator taking a supervisory approach—enabling a broader and better understanding of company performance, earlier intervention and prevention of further decline. The package also includes requirements to produce a performance improvement plan, setting out how the company will deliver sustained improvement in its performance, and an independent monitor to support Ofwat to assess progress against the plan.

A reliable supply of clean water is fundamental to public health, economic growth and community resilience. Alongside immediate action to prepare for summer pressures, this Government are delivering the long-term reforms needed to build a stronger and more resilient water sector.

Through our programme of water reform, we are strengthening regulation and accountability while ensuring companies deliver the investment needed to improve infrastructure and resilience. We will create a single, powerful regulator, giving Government and regulators, for the first time, a clear system-wide view of company performance and stronger tools to intervene where companies fall short. We will also introduce a water ombudsman, ensuring that customers have a stronger voice and clearer routes to redress when things go wrong.

This builds on the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which introduced the toughest sentencing powers ever applied to lawbreaking water company executives and powers to ban unjustified executive bonuses. Together, these reforms will strengthen accountability and help restore public confidence in the water sector.

We will also introduce statutory resilience standards, improve asset mapping and strengthen oversight of critical infrastructure to help water companies prepare for climate change and more frequent periods of extreme heat.

[HCWS279]

My noble Friend the Minister of State for International Development and Africa, the right hon. Baroness Chapman of Darlington, has today made the following statement:

The FCDO’s annual report and accounts 2025-26 reports that in 2025, on a provisional basis, the United Kingdom did not meet its target to spend the equivalent of 0.7% of gross national income on official development assistance.

The International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 envisages situations in which a departure from meeting the target of spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA may be necessary, including due to economic circumstances, fiscal circumstances and circumstances arising outside the UK. The fiscal circumstances did not allow for ODA spending to be returned to 0.7% of GNI in 2025.

This Government are committed to restoring ODA spending at the level of 0.7% of GNI as soon as fiscal circumstances allow. The principles for a return will be met when, on a sustainable basis, the Government are not borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling. We will monitor future forecasts closely against these tests. The latest forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility indicates that the tests will not be met in this Parliament. The Government are working hard to create the conditions to enable the ODA fiscal tests to be met by prioritising growth—stronger growth will help in time to get underlying debt down.

As required by section 2 of the 2015 Act, an Unnumbered Act Paper has been laid before Parliament and is in the same terms as this statement.

[HCWS288]

Today I am updating the House on the UK’s ongoing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and setting out how the Government will continue to support the Afghan people in the years ahead.

Nearly five years after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the humanitarian situation remains severe and at risk of further deterioration. Nearly 22 million people will require humanitarian assistance this year, including 17.4 million facing acute food insecurity. Afghanistan faces one of the highest global burdens of child and maternal malnutrition, with nearly 5 million women, girls and boys expected to require treatment in 2026. Recurrent climate shocks, including drought and flooding, continue to drive food insecurity and vulnerability, and ongoing structural challenges continue to impact access to essential health services. These pressures are compounded by regional instability, economic fragility and disrupted supply chains.

The Taliban’s severe restrictions on women and girls, including on access to education, employment and participation in public life, continue to undermine fundamental freedoms and contribute to broader human rights concerns in Afghanistan. Women and girls should have equal access to opportunities and be able to participate fully in society. The ongoing denial of these rights presents a significant barrier to Afghanistan’s long-term development, stability and prosperity.

As we enter a new spending review period, this is an opportunity to reaffirm and renew our long-standing commitment to supporting the people of Afghanistan. As set out today by the Minister of State for International Development and Africa in her written ministerial statement to Parliament, and in the FCDO’s annual report and accounts published today, the UK will provide £105 million per year over the next three years—2026 to 29—to support the Afghan people. Afghanistan will remain one of the UK’s largest official development assistance portfolios during this period, reflecting both the scale of need and our continued commitment.

This funding will continue to focus on addressing the most severe impacts of Afghanistan’s protracted crisis. We will prioritise lifesaving services, including health and nutrition; support essential education; protect the most vulnerable at great risk of harm, abuse and discrimination; and strengthen livelihoods and climate resilience. We will also increase engagement with non-Taliban-affiliated Afghan partners to support locally led solutions, including assistance for Afghans returning to Afghanistan from neighbouring countries. Women and girls will remain central to this approach, as highlighted in the UK international strategic framework on women and girls 2026. Across UK-supported programmes, we will prioritise their rights and needs, and remain steadfast in our commitment that at least half of those reached by UK aid are women and girls.

We continue to engage third-party monitoring in addition to FCDO oversight, to ensure that aid is directed to those most in need. We expect to publish full results for 2025-26 in the summer. This will build on the 2024-25 FCDO bilateral ODA results, which supported at least 2.7 million people, including more than 1.7 million women and girls.

The UK continues to demonstrate solidarity with Afghan women. For example, we hosted events with the exiled Afghan women’s refugee cricket team during their visit to the UK in the summer, including an audience with His Majesty the King and engagements with the Foreign Secretary and me. The UK will continue to provide platforms for Afghan women to advocate for their rights and ensure that their voices inform UK policy and programming. The Foreign Secretary’s “All In” campaign, launched in December, reinforces the Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls globally. In addition, the UK special envoy to Afghanistan visited Kabul in May and met a wide range of Afghan women and civil society groups to hear directly about their situation and their requests of the UK Government, and UK humanitarian advisers travelled to Islam Qala to understand at first hand the situation for vulnerable Afghans returning from Iran.

We continue to use our leadership to ensure an effective humanitarian response across the international community. We are taking forward with donors and partners the joint commitments we developed in the London compact on food security and nutrition in Afghanistan in late 2025. We continue to use our bilateral investment and engagement to work with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to support vital financing of basic services, especially in health, where the international funding outlook remains challenging.

The UK will continue to stand with the people of Afghanistan, providing lifesaving assistance, supporting the rights of women and girls, and working with partners to sustain essential services and support longer-term resilience.

[HCWS293]

On 6 December 2018, the UK signed the Council of Europe convention on the manipulation of sports competitions (the Macolin convention).

The Government laid this convention in Parliament on 4 June 2026 in the Miscellaneous Series under Command Paper number CP 1595, accompanied by an explanatory memorandum.

In accordance with section 21 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG), I wish to inform the House that the 21 sitting day period that relates to this convention pursuant to section 20(1) CRaG is to be extended. The 21 sitting day period is to be extended by 15 sitting days.

This extension follows a request from the House of Lords International Agreements Committee for further time to consider the convention.

[HCWS284]

The Minister of State for International Development and Africa, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Chapman of Darlington, has today made the following statement:

The FCDO official development assistance programme allocations that I set out on 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425) reflect how we are modernising and improving our approach to international development, following a year spent reviewing our priorities and redefining how we work.

In that statement, we did not publish individual country allocations. This was to allow our teams across the network to communicate with their host Governments before we published country allocations. Today I am updating the House with the FCDO’s ODA programme country and regional allocations from 2026-27 to 2028-29.

As I set out in March, the world has changed dramatically in the last three decades. Crises and instability across the world undermine our security and prosperity at home, as we have seen play out in the strait of Hormuz. Poverty, insecurity and climate risks are increasingly concentrated in fragile and conflict-affected states. New actors are shaping global development, and the countries we work with today want genuine partnership, not the paternalism of the past.

In reaction to this, we are modernising and improving our approach to have the greatest impact abroad and secure the best value for money for taxpayers at home. We are sharpening our focus on priorities that align with partner needs, UK public interest, and where we can drive real change. The changes we are making are encapsulated in four shifts, as we move from donor to investor, from service delivery to systems strengthening, grants to expertise, and international intervention to local leadership. Our policy paper, published today on gov.uk. sets out our approach in greater detail.

Our bilateral programmes are being transformed. We will prioritise bilateral ODA where humanitarian needs are most acute, including fully protecting bilateral ODA allocations to Ukraine, Palestine and Sudan. The proportion of spending in FCAS will increase by around 13 percentage points to over 70% of all country and regional spending by 2028-29.

In other contexts, we will transition away from spending high levels of grant ODA, but our ambition and effort will remain high—our bilateral programmes will support partnerships with Governments to strengthen systems, leverage finance and move away from reliance on aid. Our work will be focused on areas that transform lives and build stability, and it will be demand-led, including: meeting the most basic need with lifesaving humanitarian assistance; supporting women and girls and helping them thrive; keeping children learning, even in conflict; upholding international humanitarian law and protecting vulnerable populations; strengthening health security; creating jobs and economic opportunity; and investing in climate action that protects people and prevents future crises.

We are limiting reductions of bilateral aid to humanitarian crises across the middle east and north Africa, and south Asia and Afghanistan, including in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. We will phase out FCDO bilateral country allocations to G20 countries, except in Turkey, where we help to share the burden on account of their hosting of refugees.

We expect that well over £1 billion per year of UK multilateral ODA will go to sub-Saharan Africa, as measured by imputed multilateral share statistics. That is because of our choices to increase our contribution to the World Bank’s International Development Association—which delivers around two-thirds of its work in Africa—and maintaining strong support for the African Development Fund. Factoring in imputed multilateral ODA and bilateral programmes that operate in sub-Saharan Africa but which are managed from the UK, we expect the share of FCDO ODA to sub-Saharan Africa to stay approximately the same—at around one third—compared to recent years.¹ Moreover, British International Investment—the UK’s development finance institution—invests 60% of its portfolio in Africa. The UK’s new Africa approach recognises that delivering strong partnerships requires looking beyond aid, consistent with our modern international development approach. It is a shift towards modern, equal partnerships based on shared interests and using the full range of UK tools, not just ODA.

This reflects the broader shift that we are making to our bilateral partnerships. To support progress on shared global challenges, we need long-term, resilient partnerships. Stakeholders increasingly expect a more equal partnership with the UK. We need a systematic and coherent approach to build trust and credibility and to shift toward genuine, equitable partnership. We need to build partnerships beyond short-term transactions; partnerships that foster long-term co-operation based on ideas of mutuality—mutual respect, interest, accountability and learning.

Although we will prioritise funding where humanitarian needs are most acute, in other countries our ambition and effort will remain high—shifting to a demand-led partnership model that makes the most of what the whole UK has to offer. Our country network will have the flexibility and autonomy to deliver development interventions in the sectors that our partners want and need.

Our bilateral allocations will be complemented by a full spectrum of work. We are increasing the share of FCDO ODA we spend through multilaterals, targeted strategically towards the most effective multilateral organisations, such as the World Bank’s International Development Association, where each £1 we invest unlocks £4 of additional finance. BII’s £6.6 billion portfolio will help deliver the UK’s shift from donor to investor. Our international climate finance will balance support between mitigation and adaptation and maintain a focus on nature. A range of communities of expertise will work with countries to access trusted policy advice and strengthen systems.

Setting three years of ODA programme allocations provides teams with the predictability required to manage the transition to spending 0.3% of GNI on ODA. All plans are subject to revision as, by its nature, the Department’s work is dynamic. Programme allocations are continually reviewed to respond to changing global needs.

See table “FCDO country and regional ODA programme allocations 2026-27 to 2028-29”, which is available at:

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-07-16/HCWS287

¹ Based on internal FCDO analysis forecasting FCDO region specific bilateral spend and UK imputed multilateral share data, compared to 2022-25 statistics on international development.

[HCWS287]

Today, I am proud to inform the House that this Government are setting out the details of the adult social care fair pay agreement, a landmark reform that will turn the page on decades of low pay, insecurity, and the exploitation of adult social care workers. In doing so, we are one step closer to delivering on our manifesto commitment.

Backed by £500 million in funding in 2028-29, the fair pay agreement will introduce annual negotiations between employer and worker representatives to agree improvements to pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce for the first time.

Led by an independent negotiating body, the fair pay agreement will strengthen the voice of workers and employers, support recruitment and retention, and help build a stable, sustainable, and growing domestic workforce.

Our response to the consultation sets out how the system will operate in practice, including how negotiations will be conducted, how agreements will be reached and implemented, and the role of the independent chair in overseeing the process. The Government will appoint a chair in the autumn and negotiations will begin in 2027.

Alongside the consultation response, we are also publishing part 3 of the care workforce pathway. The pathway is the first time the adult care sector, a workforce of 1.5 million, has seen a universal career structure with consistent standards and expectations around the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours required to deliver high-quality, personalised care and support. By adding 10 new role categories we are expanding the pathway’s coverage to nearly all adult social care workforce roles that are not health or social work, recognising and celebrating the breadth and diversity of the sector. Using the pathway, staff looking for progression can plot a route for their career and existing staff with specialist skills can be recognised for what they do, such as enhanced care workers.

Since coming into office, this Government have passed the Employment Rights Act, strengthened sick pay, supported professionalisation and raised the minimum wage. These much-needed reforms will mean that care workers have better job security, take home higher pay, and see improved professional recognition for their work.

There is more to do, but these important steps will help us lay the foundations for the national care service and demonstrate this Government’s ongoing commitment to tackling the recruitment and retention of the adult social care workforce, by ensuring that there are opportunities to develop and progress, and that people feel recognised and rewarded for the vital work they do.

[HCWS281]

Today I am publishing the Government response to the consultation on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children in England. The Government have decided to introduce legislation to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 in England. This action will help create the healthiest generation of children ever and supports our shift from sickness to prevention.

The Government have a manifesto commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children in England. This has been subject to consultation which ran from 3 September to 26 November 2025. Having considered the consultation responses and the available evidence, this Government are taking this decisive action to support the health of our children.

The consultation received 1,095 responses from individuals and organisations, including businesses, public health organisations and enforcement bodies. Overall, there was significant support with the proposal to introduce an age restriction on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks.

There is a large body of evidence consistently reporting an association between the consumption of high-caffeine energy drinks and a range of possible negative outcomes on children’s physical and mental health, as well as their education. We estimate that around 100,000 children consume high-caffeine energy drinks at least daily in England. Of particular concern, research highlights that children living in more deprived areas and households are more likely to consume these drinks. This means the possible negative outcomes on health and education are likely to be felt unequally across society.

The Government have decided to introduce a statutory age restriction as an effective and proportionate way to reduce children’s access to high-caffeine energy drinks.

The proposed legislation will:

Ban sales of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years.

Apply to drinks, other than tea or coffee, containing more than 150 mg caffeine per litre.

Apply in all retail settings both in-store and online, while excluding business-to-business sales

Ban sales of high-caffeine energy drinks through vending machines.

Provide a minimum implementation period of six months following the publication of the consultation outcome.

Be enforced by local authorities.

The Government will now take forward secondary legislation using powers contained in the Food Safety Act 1990. Subject to parliamentary approval, we intend for the ban to come into force in April 2027.

[HCWS292]

Today I am launching a consultation on the future of the undercover policing inquiry (UCPI). This Government are committed to delivering justice and to ensuring that public inquiries are able to provide answers, accountability and recommendations within a reasonable timeframe.

The UCPI was established in 2015 to examine undercover policing in England and Wales since 1968. Sir John Mitting, the current chair of the inquiry, will retire in 2027. His retirement provides an opportunity to consult those affected, core participants and others with an interest in the inquiry on how its remaining work should best be taken forward. I am grateful to him for his work on the inquiry.

The terms of reference of the inquiry are broad. In addition to examining the role of undercover policing in the prevention and detection of crime, the inquiry is required to examine the motivation for and scope of undercover police operations, their effect on individuals and the public, the extent of Government awareness of such operations, and the adequacy of the legal, policy and judicial framework governing undercover policing. The inquiry is also tasked with reviewing the extent of the duty of disclosure in criminal proceedings involving undercover police operations and the scope for miscarriages of justice where disclosure was inadequate.

The terms of reference envisaged the inquiry concluding within three years. It has made real progress in investigating the Metropolitan police’s special demonstration squad and produced an interim report on tranche 1 of its work (relating to 1968-82) and will publish an interim report concluding its work on the special demonstration squad next year. More than a decade after it was established, the inquiry remains ongoing. As at the end of March 2026, the inquiry has spent £137 million. Ministers remain concerned about the length and cost of the inquiry and the delay in providing outcomes to those affected.

The consultation will seek views on the future structure, scope and format of the work needed to bring to a conclusion the remaining matters that the inquiry is set to investigate. It is not a re-opening of evidence, nor a call for new factual material about undercover policing or individual cases. Respondents will be invited to focus on how the inquiry’s remaining areas of work should be prioritised and delivered.

Respondents to the consultation might wish to share their views on alternative ways the inquiry might discharge its remaining areas of work. They might wish to consider fairness to victims and those who were affected by undercover policing, bearing in mind transparency and public confidence, proportionality of cost and duration as well as the ability of different approaches to deliver meaningful recommendations. The consultation has been published on the gov.uk website https://www.homeofficesurveys.homeoffice.gov.uk/s/UCPI-consultation and will close on Thursday 20 August 2026.

We plan to announce our decision on the future of the inquiry, informed by this consultation in autumn 2026.

[HCWS278]

Today I can announce that the first border security commander’s annual report, for the period 2025 to 2026, is being laid before Parliament.

In our manifesto, this Government promised to create a new border security command to tackle the organised criminal gangs behind illegal channel crossings, with the ability to deliver a response befitting the scale and urgency of this challenge. As this report shows, it has had a significant impact since becoming operational in July 2024. In 2025 alone, we have invested an additional £100 million into the system through the BSC, with a commitment to invest an additional £280 million per year by 2028.

Over the past year, investments across the system have enabled a substantial uplift for National Crime Agency officers tackling OIC, as well as building and enhancing operational capabilities. The NCA has made tackling OIC its main effort and has heavily pivoted resource and capability to tackle the facilitators and enablers of people smuggling, leading to a 55% rise in OIC-related arrests. UK law enforcement has collectively delivered 46% more disruptions—29% of those major disruptions with a long-term impact—74% more arrests and the seizure of hundreds of boats and engines. This has been supported by the passing of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025, which introduced new counter-terror-style powers and new offences to investigate and deter offending.

The BSAI Act also requires the border security commander to report on how they have exercised their functions over the previous financial year and set out their assessment of the performance of the border security system. This report outlines how the commander has strengthened, aligned and driven the system to deliver against clear strategic priorities to counter the threat we face.

The report also includes an evaluation of the collective contributions to outcomes and highlights the positive impact of the border security system in tackling illegal migration and reducing dangerous crossings, including increased investment in the border security command and across the system, strengthened co-operation with international and domestic partners, and a renewed international effort to disrupt organised immigration crime.

The public rightly expect us to control who and what enter this country. It is one of the most fundamental duties of the state and remains a top priority for me and the Government I serve in. This report sets out significant achievements which amount to a major upscaling of the UK’s border security system. It has been a strong start, but further work is needed. We know that illegal migration remains one of the defining issues of our time. The BSC will be at the forefront of our continued efforts to meet that challenge.

I thank all partners and agencies, both domestically and internationally, for their continued efforts to tackle this threat and protect the United Kingdom.

Copies of the report will be available in the Vote Office, and it will also be published on gov.uk.

[HCWS290]

This statement updates the House on the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s investigation into how MI5 came to provide false evidence to the courts on whether or not it had confirmed the status of “Agent X” as a covert human intelligence source. This follows the then Home Secretary’s written ministerial statement https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-07-03/hcws775 of 3 July 2025 and the Prime Minister’s written ministerial statement https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-09-16/hcws928 of 16 September 2025.

Following the direction provided by the Prime Minister in September 2025, Sir John Goldring, the Deputy Investigatory Powers Commissioner, has conducted a comprehensive investigation into how MI5 came to fall short of its high standards, ultimately misleading the High Court, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and associated special advocates. This investigation has now concluded, and Sir John Goldring’s report is complete. Its findings have been submitted to the Prime Minister and the courts.

I would like to thank Sir Brian Leveson, Sir John Goldring and the wider team at IPCO for the hard work that they have undertaken over recent months. I am grateful for their willingness to complete this investigation at the behest of the courts, which is outside the usual remit of IPCO’s work.

Sir John’s conclusions make stark reading. His report outlines a series of failings both individually and organisationally within MI5 that led to false evidence being included in its witness statements. The High Court and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal will now consider their next steps, and we will need to await the outcome of those judicial proceedings.

Nevertheless, I am taking decisive action to ensure that MI5 is held accountable for the failings identified in Sir John’s report and to strengthen the assurance mechanisms by which I hold the director general to account for the actions of the Security Service. This includes a package of measures to enhance accountability, increase independent challenge, review key operational policies, and improve scrutiny of MI5’s litigation strategy and practice. Specifically, I will:

Strengthen current structures where I hold the director general of MI5 to account. This will continue to sit alongside extensive wider assurance and oversight across Government, Parliament and the judiciary;

Increase independent senior-level challenge and external leadership and accountability of MI5’s internal reform and improvement programmes;

Enhance work across legal teams to better understand and scrutinise MI5’s approaches to litigation cases.

MI5 plays a critical role in keeping our country, and the public, safe. I am deeply grateful for the commitment and dedication of its staff. However, given the significance of its responsibilities, it is imperative that the service maintains the highest standards of integrity, accountability and rigour, particularly in its engagement with the courts. This case demonstrates the damage to public, parliamentary and judicial confidence in our security services when MI5 gets it wrong.

Over the last 12 months, MI5 has undertaken a comprehensive programme of work to learn from and rectify the errors exposed by Sir John’s report, as well as previous independent reviews into this case, as has been recognised in the IPCO report. This work has made significant progress, but there is more to do, and MI5 must continue to learn and to hold itself fully to account. I believe the new measures this Government are taking to strengthen oversight will ensure it does.

A copy of the IPCO report will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will be available on IPCO’s website https://www.ipco.org.uk/

[HCWS285]

This Government are driving the most ambitious programme of local government reform in a generation, replacing the inefficient two-tier system with new unitary councils so that all parts of our country can access strong services, and are ready for devolution.

We need to devolve power out of Whitehall so that we can rebalance wealth, power, and opportunity across our country. This is the second richest country in Europe, and yet England has seven of the ten poorest regions in northern Europe. That is the case for change.

But devolution requires strong local councils delivering good public services, supporting economic growth, which are closely connected to the communities they serve.

Doing this right means recognising the unique contributions that different areas make to people’s lives, as well as to the national economy. Some of our smaller cities are highly productive, but have been constrained by tight boundaries, set decades ago, which stop them from building the homes they need. Others are more rural, with significant demand for social care services and affordable housing. Local government should be set up to address the unique circumstances of each area and design public services tailored to each community.

Reorganisation provides us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that councils genuinely represent the communities they serve today and stand the test of time. We know that people care about their own villages, home towns, high streets and communities. But in many parts of the country, existing boundaries do not match local economies, public services, or local identities.

But we will not achieve effective devolution or enable effective place-based public services with outdated and misaligned structures that slow down delivery, fragmenting public services, hampering housebuilding and slowing down important decision making. We need to make sure that new councils are grounded in place and are genuinely connected to their communities.

Decisions

I am pleased to announce today further decisions for local government reorganisation, a key milestone for our ambitious programme. This follows the decisions previously announced on unitary government in Surrey, Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Fourteen areas were invited to put forward proposals by 28 November 2025. From this, my Department received 52 proposals. I would like to thank councillors and officers for their hard work and collaboration on these proposals. As the House was informed on 5 February, all the proposals received were taken to consultation, which closed on 26 March 2026.

Further consultations were also undertaken across May and June 2026 in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove and West Sussex.

I considered each proposal carefully against the criteria set out in the invitation letter, alongside the responses to the consultation, all representations and all other relevant information to assess the proposals. Each decision was made on a case-by-case basis, based on the merits of each proposal, respecting local circumstances and taking into account the views of local people.

Today, I have written to the leaders of councils for all sixteen remaining areas. I have decided to implement the following proposals, subject to parliamentary approval, in these areas:

Derbyshire and Derby: Two-unitary option submitted by Chesterfield borough council, Derby city council, Erewash borough council and High Peak borough council. In implementing this option, I will exercise the power to modify the proposal submitted by South Derbyshire district council to achieve the boundary change councils requested.

Devon, Plymouth and Torbay: Four-unitary proposal submitted by Exeter city council and Plymouth city council. I will exercise the power to modify the proposal to achieve the boundary change Exeter city council and Plymouth city council requested alongside the proposal.

East Sussex and Brighton and Hove: Two-unitary proposal submitted by East Sussex county council, Eastbourne borough council, Hastings borough council, Lewes district council and Rother district council. I will exercise the power to modify the proposal to achieve the boundary change requested by Brighton and Hove city council, with the exception of Falmer parish.

Gloucestershire: One-unitary proposal submitted by Cotswold district council, Gloucestershire county council, Stroud district council, and Tewkesbury borough council.

Hertfordshire: Four-unitary proposal submitted by Broxbourne borough council, Dacorum borough council, Hertsmere borough council, North Hertfordshire district council, Stevenage borough council and Welwyn Hatfield borough council. I will exercise the power to modify the proposal to achieve the boundary change requested by the proposing councils, with the exception of Arbury ward.

Kent and Medway: Four-unitary proposal submitted by Dover district council, Swale borough council and Thanet district council.

Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen: Four-unitary proposal submitted by Chorley borough council, Lancaster city council, Preston city council, Ribble Valley borough council, South Ribble borough council and West Lancashire borough council.

Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland: Two-unitary proposal submitted by Leicester city council. I will exercise the power to modify the proposal to achieve the boundary change Leicester city council requested alongside the proposal with the exception of the part parishes.

Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and north-east Lincolnshire: Four-unitary proposal submitted by the city of Lincoln council. I will exercise the power to modify the proposal to achieve the boundary change requested by the city of Lincoln council.

Nottinghamshire and Nottingham: Two-unitary option requested by Nottingham city council. In implementing this option, I will exercise the power to modify the two- unitary proposal submitted by Nottinghamshire county council and Rushcliffe borough council to achieve the boundary changes requested by Nottingham city council.

Oxfordshire: Three-unitary proposal submitted by Oxford city council, including the adjoining area of West Berkshire council. I will exercise the power to modify the proposal to achieve the boundary change Oxford city council requested alongside the proposal.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent: Two-unitary proposal submitted by East Staffordshire borough council, Stafford borough council and Cannock Chase district council, and also by Stoke-on-Trent city council.

Warwickshire: Two-unitary proposal submitted by North Warwickshire borough council, Nuneaton & Bedworth borough council, Stratford-on-Avon district council and Warwick district council.

Worcestershire: Two-unitary proposal submitted by Bromsgrove district council, Malvern Hills district council, Redditch borough council, Worcester city council and Wychavon district council.

Further detail on the decisions for these areas is provided in letters to council leaders in the areas, which will be published on gov.uk later today. A summary of the responses to the consultations for proposals in these areas will also be published in due course.

In both Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and West Sussex, I am not announcing decisions, and I believe that further time is required as it is vital that we get these decisions right.

I remain committed to meeting the existing deadline, aiming for elections to new unitaries in 2027, with new councils going live in 2028.

Transition support

A broad support offer is in place for councils, including support to councils through our sector advisers and through funding to the Local Government Association for an enhanced support offer. We have already announced £63 million in capacity funding to support the reorganisation process, and I am pleased to provide further detail today on how this funding will be allocated.

Of the £63 million capacity funding, as well as the unprecedented £900,000 transition support to each new unitary already announced, we are committing up to £150,000 per each new unitary as supplementary funding for leadership capacity and continuity in children’s services, adult social care and public health. This is part of a wider package of support worth up to £10 million for children’s services, adult social care and public health leadership, which will also fund targeted development, mentoring and peer support for current, new and aspiring leaders.

In addition, up to £1 million of funding overall will be available to support the small number of areas with complex fire and rescue authority transitions.

Taken together, this means that areas undergoing local government reorganisation will receive more than £1 million per new unitary created. This is the first time reorganisation has been supported in this way and shows this Government are committed to supporting councils to get these reforms right. We will confirm details of these allocations in due course.

My Department will also continue to work closely with the Home Office, Department for Education, other Departments and agencies, as well as existing and new councils in Kent to continue vital work to support the unaccompanied asylum seeking children operations.

Next steps

Reorganisation is a shared endeavour between central and local government and we will need to continue collaborating closely to deliver it successfully. Everyone involved wants to see stronger local councils delivering better services, which will improve the lives of the people we serve.

We remain fully committed to the timetable already set out, with elections to the new unitary councils scheduled for May 2027, ahead of vesting day for the new councils to begin delivering services in April 2028.

I will place copies of the letter and the documents I have referred to in the House Library, and these will also be published on gov.uk today.

[HCWS286]

It is essential that local planning authorities have the resources and skilled planners they need to provide a proactive, efficient planning service for local communities and support housing delivery, economic growth and the provision of infrastructure. Yet we know that planning departments across the country are experiencing challenges with resourcing, recruitment, retention, and skills gaps, and that in many cases these issues are having a negative impact on service delivery.

That is why the Government are investing heavily to boost local planning department capacity and capability. At the autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-26. At the Budget on 26 November 2025, the Chancellor announced a further £48 million of investment over three years to support local planning authorities to attract, retain and develop skilled planners over a sustained period.

However, we recognise that more must be done to better resource LPAs and drive better outcomes including faster determination times, improved service standards and stronger performance across the planning system. To address local planning department underfunding, we included in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 powers that allow the Secretary of State to delegate planning-fee setting to local planning authorities, enabling them to recover costs and reinvest to provide a more efficient and responsive planning service.

To inform the implementation of this local variation model, the Government consulted earlier this year on a new national default fee schedule, based on 90% of estimated costs, and the wider framework for local fee setting.

I am today publishing the Government’s response to that consultation, which can be found on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fees-for-planning-applications. The response confirms that the Government will proceed with a national default fee based on 90% of estimated processing costs, providing a significant uplift in resources for local planning departments and establishing a robust national baseline ahead of the introduction of local fee setting powers. The regulations required to increase national planning application fees have been laid today.

The national default fee will remain in place and apply to all LPAs, unless an authority chooses to vary from the default fee for any or all application fee categories to reflect their own costs. Regulations and guidance for local fee setting will be taken forward in due course.

To justify a variation in fees, LPAs will need to evidence that the national schedule does not cover their costs. Having considered the feedback received, we have decided that LPAs should be able to set planning fees up to a maximum of 30% above the national default fee. This strikes an appropriate balance between supporting local flexibility and cost recovery, while providing applicants and developers with greater certainty about the extent of local fee variation.

We recognise that a small number of LPAs may face exceptional cost pressures that cannot reasonably be addressed within this limit. Where this the case, LPAs will be able to consult the Secretary of State with a view to providing robust evidence to justify a proposed fee level above the 30% cap. The operation of the cap, including the use of the approval mechanism and intervention powers, will be subject to further policy development and set out through future regulations.

Taken together, these changes will enable LPAs to secure the funding necessary to strengthen their capacity, invest in skilled staff, and deliver a more efficient, high-quality planning service, helping to unlock growth and accelerate the delivery of new homes.

It is vital that increased fees translate into improved performance. We will continue to monitor the speed and quality of LPA decision making and will take action where performance does not meet expectations. We also intend to review the performance regime to identify opportunities to strengthen it further and drive sustained improvements.

Finally, we intend to undertake a further consultation before the end of the year on the detailed design and implementation of the proposed planning-fee surcharge, including how it should operate in practice and be linked to improved performance of statutory consultees.

[HCWS291]

Marriage is one of our most enduring and important institutions. For many couples, their wedding day is one of the most significant moments of their lives: a public expression of enduring love and commitment, through which two people enter into a legal relationship with the expectation that it will last a lifetime. The Government are committed to supporting and protecting marriage.

The current law governing weddings in England and Wales is rooted in legislation from the 18th and 19th centuries. It has not kept pace with the social and cultural changes that have shaped modern Britain. The result is a framework that is complex, inconsistent and restrictive, limiting where and how some couples can marry. As a result, many couples are unable to marry in a way which reflects their beliefs or are unable to afford the ceremony they want.

In response to the Law Commission’s report on marriage reform, the Government announced their intention to modernise weddings law in England and Wales. I am today publishing the consultation “Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and Wales” which seeks views on how these reforms should operate in practice.

The Government proposals are guided by four principles.

First, reforms will introduce a simple, fair and inclusive framework for all weddings. The consultation seeks views on a clearer and more consistent legal structure, with common rules applying to different types of ceremony. The proposals would also enable non-religious belief organisations, including humanists, to conduct legally binding weddings.

Second, the reforms will expand choice about how and where couples may marry. The consultation proposes moving away from a system based primarily on the building in which a wedding takes place, towards one focused on the officiant responsible for the ceremony. This would allow greater flexibility both over the location and the form of weddings, so that ceremonies can better reflect the couple’s beliefs and backgrounds, allowing them to marry in settings that are more meaningful to them. For instance, couples will be able to marry in areas of natural beauty such as forests or beaches.

The third principle is the importance of upholding the dignity and significance of marriage. As greater freedoms are introduced, the Government are clear that a wedding day must always reflect the serious and lifelong commitment that is marriage. The consultation therefore proposes a “dignity framework” which would set clear and consistent standards both for wedding ceremonies and locations and place a legal duty on officiants to ensure that weddings meet these standards.

The fourth and final principle is that reforms will strengthen the protections against forced, predatory and sham marriages. The consultation proposes modernising the preliminaries process that takes place before the wedding day, by introducing a digital system with more effective checks and greater visibility and transparency. These proposals seek to ensure that marriages are always entered into freely, with informed consent, and are not used to exploit vulnerable people or gain unfair advantage.

The consultation also seeks views on the role and regulation of officiants, including nominated officiants from religious and non-religious belief organisations, independent officiants and maritime officiants. It asks how officiants should be authorised, trained, monitored and held accountable and what role should be played by a central regulator.

Together, these proposals will make weddings cheaper, more inclusive and more accessible. This will allow more people who want to get married to do so in a way that is meaningful to them.

Next steps

The consultation will be open for 10 weeks and will close on 24 September. We welcome views from parliamentarians, religious and non-religious belief organisations, academics, charities, interest groups, independent celebrants, support organisations, local registration services and members of the public with an interest in the weddings law of England and Wales.

The Government will consider the findings of the consultation carefully before finalising our policy positions. Any finalised reforms would then be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.

Copies of the consultation will be available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tying-the-knot-reforming-weddings-law-in-england-and-wales. A Welsh language version and accessible versions will also be made available.

[HCWS280]

I am making this statement to provide an update on the coastguard rescue service. I would like to begin by recognising the extraordinary contribution made by coastguard rescue officers across the United Kingdom. For generations, HM Coastguard’s coastal response has depended on people from local communities who choose to serve with professionalism, commitment and courage. That tradition remains at the heart of the coastguard rescue service today.

On 14 January 2026, the Court of Appeal found against the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in the case of the MCA v. Groom. This clarified that, by providing modest remuneration, the MCA had inadvertently created a worker relationship with coastguard rescue officers. A change was therefore required to restore the volunteer model, or enact the worker model, to ensure compliance with the judgment.

On 1 June it was communicated that the coastguard rescue service would change to an expenses-only volunteer model from September 2026. This was judged at the time to be the best option, based on the advice provided by the MCA, taking into account a variety of factors.

I have listened to the views and testimonies of coastguard rescue officers about how these changes might affect them. I visited a coastguard station in Southampton, met officers from Hill Head and Portsmouth teams, and heard at first hand the impact that changes could have on CROs and their families.

MPs across the House, on behalf of their constituents, have raised concerns through parliamentary questions, a Westminster Hall debate and an urgent question. This engagement has been invaluable. I have also heard the deep concerns from many in the coastguard rescue officer community about this change.

Given these concerns, my Department has undertaken further work to scrutinise the information that was provided to inform decision making. Having done so, it has become clear that parts of the information gathering process to inform MCA operational decisions—in particular, the two surveys undertaken—were not sufficiently detailed to properly reflect the impact of these changes.

I can therefore confirm that plans to move to the expenses-only volunteer model in September will not go ahead, and current arrangements will remain in place.

CROs must feel that their views have been heard, and that they are valued, respected and empowered to carry out their duties and I am committed to ensuring that we now take the time to robustly gather the information required to understand the full operational implications of future decisions, as well as the impact on individual coastguard rescue officers and the choices they will make. This will involve engaging with CROs directly, and ensuring that their views inform the decisions that we will take on the shape of the coastguard rescue service.

Over the coming months, the MCA will carry out further engagement with trade unions, coastguard rescue officers and Members of Parliament, to understand more deeply the potential impact of changes on individuals and operations. The insight gathered from this engagement will support the MCA’s understanding of operational implications, and inform future decisions on the shape of the coastguard rescue service.

In the longer term, the Department for Transport will explore options for how coastguard rescue officers can continue to be rightfully recognised and rewarded and have the flexibility to continue to serve their communities.

Ensuring the safety of the public along our coastline and continuing to properly recognise those who protect our communities through their vital work remain my key priorities.

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On 5 February 2026 Sir Ross Cranston published the Cranston inquiry’s report into the tragic events of November 2021 when at least 30 people died attempting to cross the channel in a small boat. The Government have today published an interim response to the report.

Our deepest sympathies remain with the survivors and the loved ones of those who lost their lives. I wish to express my sincere thanks to Sir Ross, for undertaking this inquiry with great care and diligence, and to all those who participated.

Search and rescue in the channel looks very different today than in 2021. Many crucial changes have been made including closer working with France, additional people and assets, and the adoption of new technologies, but it is important that we continue to learn and improve wherever possible, including learning lessons from the Cranston inquiry’s report.

Of the 18 recommendations made by the inquiry, 15 were principally operational in nature and three were focused on policy matters. This interim response focuses on the 15 operational recommendations which have all been accepted in full. The response also sets out the actions that have already been taken, and additional actions that will be taken, against each recommendation.

The Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Coastguard, part of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, are dedicated to delivering our vital maritime search and rescue responsibilities and will continue to seek opportunities to learn and improve.

The Department is conducting a review of the MCA which will consider its functions, form, governance and performance. It will report to Ministers this year and inform the Government response to the outstanding recommendations of the Cranston inquiry.

I have laid a copy of the interim response in both Houses of Parliament.

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