LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens has held her first call with the new First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth. In the call the Welsh Secretary congratulated the First Minister on his party's results in the recent Senedd election and outlined the importance of the First Minister and the Secretary of State for Wales working constructively on shared issues and priorities. The Secretary of State made clear t...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: * Funding of up to £1m available for existing veterans' hubs across the UK to join VALOUR - the Ministry of Defence's new support system * Later this spring, the network will include 14 organisations - including one in Wales- that have already secured £13m of funding and an online support platform * Delivers on UK Government's Veterans Strategy which recognises veterans as a national asset An estimated ...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: This is a deal that: - Delivers growth and prosperity across the UK This Free Trade Agreement (FTA) delivers on the Government's core mission to generate the economic growth that will put money in people's pockets and raise living standards right across the UK, in line with the Government's growth agenda. On its own, this deal is estimated to add £3.7 billion to our economy each year in the long run when co...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: * Deal could boost the UK economy by an estimated £3.7 billion every year and increase wages by £1.9 billion annuallyin the long run. * UK becomes the first G7 country to agree trade deal with the GCC, bolstering our partnership with a strategically vital region and securing economic resilience at home. * Deal removes tariffs on food exports, medicalequipmentand advanced manufacturing, plus first...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: * Wider access to credit unions for consumers, simplifying regulation and reducing the number of regulators are some of the changes being brought forward. * This is part of the Government's plan to build a stronger and fairer economy, building on good growth in the first quarter of this year. British business will become more globally competitive, growth and investment will be unlocked across the country and...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: An RAF Rivet Joint aircraft was repeatedly and dangerously intercepted by two Russian jets last month over the Black Sea. One Russian Su-35 aircraft flew close enough to trigger emergency systems on the Rivet Joint, including disabling the autopilot system. In another dangerous intercept, a Russian Su-27 aircraft conducted six passes in front of the British aircraft, flying as close as six metres of the Rivet Jo...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: The Prime Minister spoke withPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine this evening. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the UK's steadfast support for Ukraine and set out our ongoing commitment to do everything possible to debilitate and degrade Putin's war machine. He outlined how the UK was ramping up measures to crack down on Russia's economy including through the new package of sanctions announced yesterday, and t...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: * Free bustravel for childrenthroughout August, helping families across England get out and explore * Comes as products including biscuits, chocolate, driedfruitand nutsset to seetargeted cuts to agri-food tariffs,to help to reduce pressure on food prices. * Move is latest ingovernmentdriveto support families and help ease pressures on household budgets. Familiestravellingthis summerwillbenefitfrom freebu...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: A man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into large-scale, illegal dumping of waste at multiple sites across England, including the notoriousBolton House Road in Wigan. Officers from West Midlands Police, working in support of the Environment Agency, secured the arrest of the suspect. A 58-year-old male from the Birmingham area was arrested for environmental, fraud and money laundering offences...
LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: * first Great British Railways-branded train unveiled as Britain's biggest train operator's services are nationalised * Union Jack livery and branding will begin rolling out gradually across England's rail network * once GTR transfers, more than 11,000 services that GBR will ultimately be responsible for will run each weekday A historic moment for Britain's railway was marked today (21 May 2026), as the first Gre...