LONDON, March 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: * Skills England has developed a new battery manufacturing apprenticeship unit, following rapid consultation with employers and sector experts * this will help meet the skills needs of Agratas' new gigafactory under construction in Somerset and the UK's growing battery sector * the gigafactory is expected to deliver around 4,000 jobs and contribute over £700 million in annual economic value to the S...
LONDON, March 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: Chief executive of the Charity Commission, David Holdsworth, said: Our thoughts are with those affected by the horrendous attacks in North London. Such cowardly violence committed against those serving their community represents an attack on all of us: on the very meaning of charity, and on the respect, tolerance and community that are the hallmarks of the best of British society. The Commission stands with t...
LONDON, March 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: The decision, designed to protect stocks during spawning, is based on extensive analysis of the latest scientific and economic evidence, responses to a consultation last year and wider engagement with stakeholders. The closure area has been extended this year to include all English waters of 7e in response to evidence of scallop stocks being in decline. This decision is precautionary and will extend protection ...
LONDON, March 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: The government has accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on eligibility for the autumn 2026 COVID-19 vaccination programme. JCVI, the independent expert committee advising UK ministers on vaccination, published advice on COVID-19 vaccination for autumn 2026 on 16 July 2025. In line with this advice, a vaccination will be offered to those at higher risk of serious outcom...
LONDON, March 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: The Tallinn Mechanism members and observers, and representatives of the Government of Ukraine, gathered at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London on 9 and 10 March 2026. Tallinn Mechanism members have once again laid down a commitment to deliver civilian cyber security needs and projects to Ukraine, to support national resilience in the face of persistent state cyber attacks from Russia. ̈́...
LONDON, March 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: Following a successful pilot in theSouth Eastof England in autumn 2025, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is expanding its Faith in Safeguarding campaign nationally.The campaign raises awareness of the legal duty to refer-the process organisations must follow by law when there are safeguarding concerns about individuals in regulated activity. Faith organisations are currently among the lower-referring se...
LONDON, March 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: UK Packaging PROhas been appointed as theProducer Responsibility Organisation(PRO) for the UK's packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR)scheme,PackUKhas announced today (Monday 23 March 2026). UK Packaging PROis a producer-led organisation created tohelpdeliver one of the most significant environmental programmes in a generation. pEPRwill help drive the shift to more recyc...
LONDON, March 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: Full-time undergraduate students in England who are planning on going to university in 26/27 can apply nowfor student finance, as the Student Loans Company (SLC) open its application service . In the 24/25 academic year, SLC paid a total of £24bn in student finance, including maintenance loans and grants to 1.5m students, as well as tuition fees payments to education providers. And as students start to pr...
LONDON, March 22 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: The locations of seven new towns have been named for consideration as part of the most ambitious housebuilding programme in more than half a century. Built for the future from the ground up, the next generation of new towns will create well-connected new communities with homes, jobs, schools, greenspaceand transport links planned from the start. Each proposed location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 hom...
LONDON, March 22 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: In the latest drive by the government to bear down on the cost of living, thousands more parents will save on childcare costs as the government expands childcare to over 300 more schools from September. School-based nurseries are already providing a lifeline for families. Combined with the government's 30 hours of funded childcare, they are cutting childcare costs in half for working families, making the school...