Written Statements

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

Thursday 17 July 2025

Assimilated Law Report

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Justin Madders)]

Today the Secretary of State has laid a report before Parliament pursuant to the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 and published it on gov.uk. This report updates the House, in line with the obligations under section 17 of the REUL Act, which requires a report to be published and laid before Parliament every six months, detailing all revocations and reforms of assimilated law. This is the fourth report being laid before the House.

The report today summarises the data on the assimilated law dashboard, providing the public with information about the amount of assimilated law there is and where it sits across Departments. The dashboard reflects the position as of 23 June 2025, showing a total of 6,911 instruments of REUL/assimilated law concentrated over approximately 400 unique policy areas on the dashboard. Since the previous update to the dashboard, 137 assimilated law instruments have either been revoked or reformed, meaning that 2,532 have now been revoked or reformed in total.

The report gives details of a further 41 statutory instruments using powers under the REUL Act and other domestic legislation that amend assimilated law, and that the Government have laid before the House since the previous report in order to deliver on their priorities. They include, for example, the Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025, which were made under the REUL Act and amend the number of slots an airline can hold to be categorised as a new entrant, aligning the UK with worldwide airport slot guidelines, and the Human Medicines (Amendment) (Modular Manufacture and Point of Care) Regulations 2025, which were made under the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 and are intended to pioneer access to innovative treatments through a tailored regulatory framework for new ways of manufacturing medicines closer to the patient.

The Government remain committed to reforming assimilated law, where desirable, to foster a pro-business environment through a streamlined regulatory framework that drives growth and supports innovation. The reform of assimilated law will also support the delivery of key strategies while maintaining consumer and environmental protections. These strategies include the UK’s modern industrial strategy, the trade strategy, the 10-year infra- structure strategy, and a strategy for small and medium-sized enterprises.

[HCWS838]

Unpaid Internships: Call for Evidence

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Justin Madders)]

The Government plan to make work pay is a core part of our mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country, and create opportunities for all. This will help tackle low pay, poor working conditions, and poor job security, all of which have been holding our economy back.

In our plan, we committed to banning unpaid internships, unless they are part of a formal educational or training course. This Government believe that a fair day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay and employers must pay their workers the pay they are entitled to.

Today, we are launching a 12-week call for evidence on unpaid internships.

The call for evidence relates to internships which are unpaid or paid below the national minimum wage, work trials, voluntary workers, volunteers, and work shadowing.

While voluntary workers, volunteers, and individuals who are work shadowing are not entitled to the national minimum wage, some employers are engaging individuals, particularly young people, under these terms incorrectly to avoid paying them.

This Government are committed to striking a balance between giving individuals a choice in the type of work they do, and how they do it, while not allowing employers to be tempted to take advantage of individuals, especially our young people, by making them work for free.

The call for evidence seeks views from employers, individuals, and interested stakeholders on unpaid internships and internships paid below the national minimum wage, and other similar categories of people who may be conflated with interns.

This Government are committed to tackling practices where workers who are entitled to at least the national minimum wage are not paid or are underpaid. The responses to this call for evidence will help shape future policy on these issues.

[HCWS839]

Special Advisers: 2025 Annual Report

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Ms Abena Oppong-Asare)]

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 2024 to March 2025.

Departments also routinely publish data quarterly on special advisers’ gifts, hospitality and meetings with senior media figures. Alongside the 2025 report, we will be laying in Parliament the 2024 report, which has been available on gov.uk since November 2024.

[HCWS853]

Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Emma Reynolds)]

The integrity and resilience of the UK’s financial system are fundamental to our country’s prosperity and security. A strong financial system supports jobs, businesses and families up and down the country, and helps to make Britain a safer and more prosperous place to live and work. However, the same openness that makes the UK attractive for trade and investment can be exploited by criminals and terrorists who try to move and hide their illicit money through our financial system. These activities are not victimless crimes; they fund serious criminal activity, undermine trust in our economy, and threaten the safety and wellbeing of our communities.

Today the Government are publishing two key documents that lay out our approach to identifying and managing these risks to UK citizens and their interests. The UK’s fourth national risk assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing, published jointly between His Majesty’s Treasury and the Home Office^[1] and HM Treasury’s response to the consultation on improving the effectiveness of the money laundering regulations^[2] together represent a robust, risk-based approach where regulation is underpinned by a comprehensive assessment of current and emerging threats. Our aim is clear: to keep criminals’ money out of our economy, strengthen the defences of our financial system, and ensure the UK remains a secure and attractive place to do business.

The NRA takes account of the latest developments and information since the previous publication in 2020. The report has been laid before Parliament.

The key findings from this assessment are as follows:

The UK continues to be exposed to a high level of money laundering risk. Since 2020, the wider context has shifted due to increasing global insecurity, which has altered the risk landscape and the methodologies used by criminals

Money laundering increasingly overlaps with kleptocracy and sanctions evasion, as sanctioned actors use established laundering networks to hide funds.

The increasing adoption of new technologies are enabling novel methods for laundering and terrorist financing.

Cash-based money laundering remains a significant threat, including cash smuggling, use of cash-intensive businesses, money mules and misuse of legitimate channels including post offices to introduce criminal proceeds into the financial system.

Terrorist financing in the UK typically involves small sums for basic needs or overseas transfers, using both illicit and legitimate routes.

The NRA highlights both a strengthening of the UK’s defences and the evolving nature of the risks we face. Since the previous assessment, significant steps, including under the economic crime plan 2023-26, have enhanced the UK’s response. These steps, including expansion of public-private partnership working and legislative reforms, support the UK’s alignment with international standards, including those set by the Financial Action Task Force.

The findings of the NRA will directly inform policy, regulation and operational priorities for Government, law enforcement, supervisors and regulated businesses. By equipping these partners with up-to-date risk intelligence, we are ensuring that everyone involved can respond proportionately to the threats we face, protecting the UK’s reputation and making it a safer place to live, work and invest.

Alongside the NRA, the Government are publishing their response to a recent consultation on the money laundering regulations, which attracted over 200 responses from industry, law enforcement, supervisors and civil society. The Government will introduce targeted changes to the MLRs reflecting an evidence-led, risk-based approach, ensuring that regulation is focused on the highest risk activities and threats to the UK system, while closing loopholes such as those related to the registration of certain trusts.

The amendments include changes to requirements for enhanced due diligence for complex transactions and high-risk countries; clearer customer due diligence requirements for pooled client accounts and non-financial firms; closing a key loophole on registration of trusts owning UK land or property on the trust registration service; improved onboarding in bank insolvency scenarios; better information sharing between supervisors; and updated rules for crypto asset service providers and the sale of “off-the-shelf” companies. Other issues will be addressed through guidance, working closely with supervisors to ensure that regulated firms are taking a consistent and risk-based approach.

These reforms, together with the updated NRA, will further strengthen the UK’s defences against illicit finance, while supporting responsible businesses and protecting people’s savings and livelihoods. We remain committed to ongoing engagement with stakeholders and will keep the MLRs under review to respond to emerging risks.

These publications mark an important milestone in our plan for change, supporting economic growth while ensuring that our financial system works for people and businesses, and denies criminals and terrorists the resources they need to do harm.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-assessment-of-money-laundering-and-terrorist-financing-2025

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-effectiveness-of-the-money-laundering-regulations

[HCWS847]

Civil Society Covenant

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)]

I am proud to launch today the civil society covenant, a new chapter in the relationship between this Government and the remarkable civil society organisations that form the backbone of our communities, paving the way for a future where we can truly achieve our national ambitions together.

Through the covenant, I want to build a new trusted partnership between Government and civil society that harnesses the strengths of each to tackle shared challenges, deliver our plan for change and drive long-term economic growth across the United Kingdom. This Government believe that civil society has a powerful voice that must be heard in the rooms where decisions are made and that it is only by working together that this Government will build a self-confident nation where everybody’s contribution is seen and valued, and all people have the chance to live the richer, larger and dignified lives that they deserve.

In the spirit of partnership, the covenant has been co-produced through extensive engagement with civil society and Government to develop a guiding set of principles that form a framework for this future relationship:

Recognition and value that builds solid relationships of mutual respect and value;

Partnership and collaboration to inform decision-making and service design to deliver better solutions for all;

Participation and inclusion in greater opportunities for people to be involved in decisions and activities affecting their lives; and

Transparency and data championing more open sharing of information and data and evidence-based solutions.

This framework of principles is intended to be relevant to and guide relationships between the full diversity of civil society organisations and public bodies and Government at every level. A copy of the civil society covenant will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Making the covenant’s principles a lived reality will require sustained action and commitment across both sectors and the Prime Minister, and I expect every Government Department to publicly support and drive implementation of the covenant in order to become a better partner for civil society. To drive momentum and provide leadership, I am establishing a new co-chaired “joint civil society covenant council”, which will bring Government and civil society together to spearhead implementation of the covenant.

My Department will also be developing a local covenant partnerships programme to support civil society organisations to work collaboratively and in innovative ways with local authorities and public service providers. This will deliver services that tackle local policy priorities more effectively and better meet the needs of local communities.

As a sign of this Government’s commitment to a new relationship with civil society, the covenant is today being launched as part of a major summit, bringing together key representatives from Government, civil society and the impact economy, to celebrate and explore how we can deliver better together, collaborating for a better future for our country.

[HCWS835]

Historical Abuse Redress Scheme: MOD Contribution

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Veterans and People (Al Carns)]

Queen Victoria school is a co-educational, non-denominational, non-selective boarding school in Dunblane, Perthshire, owned and operated by the Ministry of Defence. Following investigations carried out by the Scottish child abuse inquiry, covering the years 1951 to 2021, and as result of the brave actions of former pupils and teachers in coming forward with their testimony, it is clear that lives were blighted by appalling abuse which took place at the school. I wish to pay tribute to those victims and survivors of this abuse, to thank them for their courage in coming forward, and to apologise to them for the abuse that they suffered while in our school.

In addition to the support that MOD personnel and staff at QVS have given to the inquiry, I also want to inform the House that the MOD has joined the Scottish Government redress scheme, which exists to make redress payments to people who were abused while in care as children before 1 December 2004, and some next of kin. The MOD has joined other organisations in committing to making a fair and meaningful contribution towards funding redress payments as part of overall efforts to recognise the harm suffered by individuals in our care and our failure to safeguard them.

In addition to making this statement, we have provided a letter of acknowledgment of harm which will be published on the website of the redress scheme. Details of the MOD’S financial contributions such as are appropriate in terms of protecting anonymity of claimants will be included in annual reporting by the Scottish Government.

[HCWS841]

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)]

On 14 April 2025, the Department announced changes to the management criteria of the adoption and special guardianship support fund.

As with all policy decisions, my officials carefully considered the impact of these changes on vulnerable children and families.

In the interests of transparency, the Department is making the equalities impact assessment available to view, and I will place a copy of the EIA in the Libraries of both Houses.

[HCWS837]

Solid Wall Insulation

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Miatta Fahnbulleh)]

On 23 January, I informed the House of the discovery of widespread non-compliance with industry standards specifically in relation to the installation of solid wall insulation under the energy company obligation 4 scheme and the great British insulation scheme. At that time, I confirmed that the Government had request Ofgem to oversee an expanded programme of checks, and committed to updating the House once further information on the scale and scope of the issue became available.

Since January, my Department has been working with Ofgem, TrustMark, certification bodies, and others within the oversight regime to understand the scale of these issues. The statistically representative audit programme is due to complete later in the summer, and results will be published in the autumn. However, the preliminary evidence from these audits suggests that a majority of properties that have had solid wall insulation measures under these schemes have not had these installed to the appropriate standard. Some instances of poor-quality work, including inadequate ventilation or roof-line extensions, could, over time, lead to issues like damp and mould. This scale of non-compliance is unacceptable, and consumers will understandably be concerned.

Auditors have experienced some difficulty in obtaining consent to access people’s homes to check the quality of their installation. The Government are keen to encourage everyone who is contacted for the purposes of scheduling an audit to strongly consider taking part in these checks, even if they do not think there is anything wrong with their installation. I will be writing to Members, asking them to pass on this information.

Our priority remains ensuring that poor installations are identified and remediated as quickly as possible, with no cost to the consumer. Since January, Ofgem has contacted all 60,000 consumers who have had solid wall insulation under both schemes. Thousands of households have already had on-site checks conducted, and where issues have been identified, installers have been asked to remediate these. To date, 90% of the poor-quality installations that were identified in the initial audits conducted by TrustMark have been remediated. However, there is significant work to do to provide remediation for all households that are potentially impacted. We expect all installers to continue to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring households receive timely and high-quality remediation of any non-compliance identified. Where the responsible installer has gone out of business, we encourage consumers to reach out to their guarantee provider.

Should consumers have concerns about the solid wall insulation installed in their property under ECO4 and the Great British insulation scheme, or the process for seeking remediation, they can contact the Ofgem dedicated contact centre for advice and support by email at [e-mail], or by freephone on 0808 169 444, Mondays to Fridays (excluding bank holidays) from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

TrustMark and certification bodies will continue to carry out spot checks on other measures and schemes as part of their wider audit activity, although internal and external wall insulation have been prioritised. The current evidence is that compliance levels are higher in other measure types under ECO4 and GBIS.

We have reviewed, at pace, measures undertaken on homes under the local authority delivery, social housing decarbonisation fund and the home upgrade grant schemes. Current data suggests there is not a widespread issue in those schemes, and where non-compliant installations have been identified, the majority of these have been resolved through swift action by the supply chain. We will continue to monitor these schemes as ongoing work continues.

The potential scale of non-compliant solid wall insulation installed under ECO4 and GBIS points to a systemic failure with these schemes. We have taken immediate action to improve the oversight of installations while we bring forward root-and-branch reforms to the wider consumer protection system. Actions to date include:

Energy suppliers carrying out enhanced desk-based and on-site checks, and increased oversight of subcontractors;

Suspension of installers, and a rigorous process for reinstatement, following remediation of all issues in identified properties;

Greater oversight of TrustMark’s operations through a memorandum of understanding, and the appointment of a departmental board observer;

An updated standard, PAS 2035/2030:2023, which came into force on 30 March 2025, has introduced a requirement for retrofit co-ordinators to conduct site visits, and raised the qualification standards for retrofit designers.

Agreement from certification bodies that installers should hold only one PAS 2030 certification per measure type, to improve accountability.

However, we are clear that we will need to go much further. We will be engaging with energy suppliers, certification bodies and installers over the coming weeks to put in place further steps to minimise the risk of further poor-quality installs, and to accelerate the ongoing remediation process, ensuring that installers meet their responsibilities to remediate any non-compliant work.

Finally, it is clear that an overhaul of the retrofit system and the consumer protection landscape is urgently required. This is being brought forward as part of the Government warm homes plan in autumn. Reforms will consider how we certify the competence of installers working to upgrade homes and provide a clear system of oversight, redress and guarantees for when work goes wrong. This will support higher quality installations and greater consumer confidence in retrofit measures.

To ensure we get this right, I am convening an expert panel to advise the Government as we develop and implement these reforms. This panel will have expertise from across consumer groups and the construction sector.

I am committed to delivering a system that is robust, transparent, and delivers high-quality outcomes for consumers. I will continue to keep the House informed as this important work progresses.

[HCWS851]

National Security Investment

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

I am today confirming that the Government will proceed with the construction of a new, state-of-the-art health security campus—including new high containment laboratory facilities—in Harlow, Essex. This site will replace the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) existing facilities in Colindale and Porton Down and will form part of the Government’s network of national biosecurity centres as announced in the national security strategy. This decision reflects the hard work and extensive campaigning by the hon. Member for Harlow and is a vote of confidence in Harlow’s potential.

This facility represents the most significant investment of its kind in a generation. The programme is a multi-billion-pound investment, with £250 million to be spent over this Parliament to kickstart delivery of the new facility. It will consolidate, into a single purpose-built site, the critical high-containment laboratory functions as well as the existing research and diagnostic functions of our existing facilities in one location and will also serve as UKHSA’s corporate headquarters.

The new Harlow site will strengthen the UK’s pandemic preparedness, reinforce national security, and provide world-leading capability to detect, assess and respond to health hazards.

In addition to the public health benefits, this development will support economic growth and create an estimated 1,600 additional high-skilled jobs. It will enable closer collaboration between leading scientists and the life sciences sector. The Harlow site offers strategic opportunities for new partnerships and scientific innovation and will further enhance the Oxford–Cambridge corridor as a major engine of national prosperity.

UKHSA will finalise the design of the Harlow site before construction begins, with phased occupation of the facility starting in the mid-2030s. The site will be fully operational by 2038. A period of dual running with existing sites will ensure a safe and effective transition of operations. UKHSA will maintain operations at Colindale and Porton Down until Harlow is fully validated and operational.

This decision will affect approximately 1,650 UKHSA staff across the Colindale and Porton Down sites and staff at its headquarters in Canary Wharf. UKHSA will work closely with affected staff throughout the transition period, recognising the unique and vital expertise of its workforce.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) site at Porton Down is not affected by this decision and will remain in operation on its existing site.

[HCWS843]

Vaccination Coding in General Practice

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

I would like to update the House of an important issue affecting the NHS’s provision of vaccinations.

An issue has been identified in the use of Accurx batch messaging, a system that allows GP practices to send the same message to a group of patients, via email, NHS app or SMS. In some cases, when invitations have been sent to patients inviting them to receive a vaccination, the code for a completed vaccination was selected on the system, rather than the code for an invitation. This did not affect patients being invited to receive a vaccination, but their record on the GP practice system was updated to say, incorrectly, that they had received a vaccination.

This has affected around 57,000 records across 337 GP practices. Our investigation suggests that this has primarily affected records in relation to vaccinations for the respiratory syncytial virus vaccination—a maximum of 2% of vaccines administered—but also some other vaccinations. For anyone to miss the opportunity to be invited to receive a necessary vaccination is extremely regrettable, and we are taking steps to resolve this. There is currently no evidence that anyone has been harmed as a result. Not everyone whose record has been affected will have missed out on a vaccination, as an initial vaccination invitation will have been sent out and a direct invitation is not the only route to securing a vaccination. We would strongly encourage anyone eligible to come forward for their vaccinations when invited, to get vital protection.

Accurx has amended its clinical coding to prevent this happening again. GP practices affected will review patient records, to make sure that anyone due a vaccination who has not received one is offered one as soon as possible, and that records are accurate and up to date. On average, an affected GP practice will have to review less than 200 cases and NHS England and integrated care boards will support them in this process. A detailed root cause analysis will be carried out to ensure that we learn from this and avoid similar issues in the future.

[HCWS850]

Devolution Priority Programme

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution (Jim McMahon)]

In February this year the Government launched the devolution priority programme, taking forward proposals to create mayoral strategic authorities in the great counties and communities of Cumbria, Cheshire and Warrington, Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton.

This programme—one of the largest ever single packages of mayoral devolution in England—delivers on the Government’s commitment to widen devolution, with areas given sweeping new powers, putting them on the fast track to deliver growth, opportunities, transport and housing for local communities.

Following the announcement, public consultations were undertaken in each area. I am grateful for the responses received from local people, councils, businesses and wider stakeholders, which we have now carefully assessed. It is clear that, like us, communities care deeply about the future of their area and the benefits that devolution can bring. Today, the Government are also publishing summaries of these responses.

Following an assessment, I am pleased to confirm that the relevant statutory tests to establish mayoral strategic authorities in all six areas have been met. Subject to the constituent councils’ consent, legislation will be brought before Parliament in order to establish each of the six institutions early in 2026, devolving further powers to local leaders and those with local knowledge, to drive economic growth and empower communities with investment to support their work.

These ambitious next steps in our devolution revolution represent one of the greatest transfers of power from Westminster in a generation, bringing another 8.8 million people under mayoral devolution, which will now cover close to 80% of the country.

Four inaugural mayoral elections will take place in Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton, and will be held in May 2026. Following a request from the local authority leaders in Cumbria, and Cheshire and Warrington, the Government have agreed to align inaugural mayoral elections with the vast majority of local elections in May 2027, simplifying the elections for voters and saving taxpayers’ money.

The confirmation on the timing of these elections will not affect the speed of establishment of the combined authorities in these areas, with legislation to create the new authorities being laid alongside all others in the devolution priority programme, providing for strong foundations and positive partnership working, as well as early delivery of key local investment ahead of mayoral elections.

Mayoral elections held in 2026 will take place under the first-past-the-post voting system, as is currently the law. The recently tabled English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill would move future mayoral elections —and police and crime commissioner elections—to the supplementary vote system, which was in place prior to 2023. Subject to parliamentary approval, this would be relevant for the proposed 2027 mayoral elections onwards.

We will continue to work with councils over the summer, including to confirm funding for these new strategic authorities and to secure their consent to the establishment of secondary legislation.

We understand that these mayoral strategic authorities will also need funding certainty to be able to plan for the long-term and get maximum impact from their spending. As stated in the “English Devolution White Paper”, the 30-year investment funds will remain a core part of the offer to devolution priority programme areas, which will receive this funding on their creation. We are standardising funding for new institutions to increase transparency and fairness.

As devolution progresses, we value and expect the engagement of local Members of Parliament, local council leaders, police and crime commissioners, and other local stakeholders, with the constituent authorities.

Subject to Parliament, these areas will also benefit from the changes included in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which was introduced to Parliament last week. With access to the devolution framework, all six areas will have the powers they need to deliver more jobs, easier commutes and new homes for local people.

With power rebalanced from Whitehall, local leaders will finally have the tools they need to power up our regions, rebuild local government and empower communities.

[HCWS848]

Local Government Best Value

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution (Jim McMahon)]

As I have said in previous updates to the House, this Government are committed to resetting the relationship with local and regional government, and taking the action necessary to fix the foundations of local government. Today, I am updating the House on the steps we are taking in partnership to support four councils to recover and reform: the London borough of Croydon, Thurrock council, Dudley metropolitan borough council and Liverpool city council.

London borough of Croydon

On 12 June, I informed the House that I was satisfied, having considered the latest report from the improvement and assurance panel and other information, that the London borough of Croydon is failing to comply with its best value duty. I proposed an intervention package to secure the council’s compliance with that duty and asked the council and others to provide representations by 25 June.

I received 35 representations, which I considered carefully. I am satisfied that the council is failing to comply with its best value duty in relation to continuous improvement, leadership and use of resources. I have concluded that it is both necessary and expedient for me to exercise powers in the Local Government Act 1999 as I proposed, with minor amendments.

Croydon remains one of the most financially distressed councils in the country. Failing to change course would condemn Croydon’s residents to a worsening position without a recovery strategy. I am satisfied that the scale of the financial difficulties facing Croydon, the failure of the council to adequately respond to these difficulties and the assurance required means that a short and sharp reset, with fast action, is required to shift the dial on the council’s recovery. I believe this is best achieved by escalating the statutory intervention to a commissioner-led model to ensure the council can achieve sustained change at the pace needed.

Today I issued directions under section 15(5) and 15(6) of the 1999 Act to implement the proposed intervention package. The intervention package—to be in place until 20 July 2027—comprises specific actions the council is required to take alongside the appointment of three commissioners appointed to exercise specific council functions and a political commissioner. I am confident that this package will address the issues identified and is necessary for the council to secure compliance with its best value duty.

I have appointed Gerard Curran, Debra Warren, Jackie Belton and Councillor Abi Brown OBE as commissioners. I am confident that their extensive knowledge and experience will help to deliver the necessary improvements for Croydon.

I have issued directions which, in summary, require the council to:

Continue to develop and implement the London borough of Croydon stabilisation plan and transformation programme to the satisfaction of commissioners.

Fully co-operate with the commissioners and take any reasonable action within the authority’s functions to prevent further failure, as reasonably determined by the commissioners.

I expect the council to drive its own improvement with the support, challenge, and advice from the commissioners. To safeguard the process, some commissioners will have powers to exercise certain functions to ensure compliance with the best value duty:

To ensure the council has the leadership, structures and systems in place to drive and sustain improvement, including governance and scrutiny of strategic decision making, oversight of strategic financial management and decision making, and the appointment, dismissal and performance management of senior and statutory officer positions.

To support financial sustainability and enable transformation of the authority’s operating model and services to deliver value for money and long-term financial resilience.

The commissioners’ appointments and directions take effect from today. The commissioners will provide their first report in six months, with a second report before summer 2026 and further reports every six months or as agreed with the commissioners. I will review the directions and commissioners’ roles after 12 months to ensure that Croydon has the support required to accelerate recovery and protect the public purse. Subject to clear and sustained evidence of improvement, certain functions may be returned to the council ahead of the expiration of the directions.

As with other statutory interventions led by my Department, the council will meet the costs of the commissioners, and provide reasonable amenities, services and administrative support. The fees paid to individuals are published in appointment letters on gov.uk. I am assured this provides value for money given the expertise being brought and the scale of the challenge.

Finally, I would like to place on record my thanks to Tony McArdle OBE and all of the improvement and assurance panel members for their work in supporting the council on its reform and recovery.

Thurrock council

On 19 June, I informed the House that I was satisfied that Thurrock council is not yet complying with its best value duty. I proposed to issue new directions to Thurrock council to extend the statutory intervention until 30 April 2028, and asked the council and others to provide representations by 2 July 2025.

I received three representations, which I considered carefully. I am satisfied that the council is not yet complying with its best value duty. I have concluded that it is both necessary and expedient for me to exercise powers in the 1999 Act as I proposed, with minor amendments.

I have today issued directions to the council under section 15(5) and 15(6) of the 1999 Act to implement the proposed intervention package. These come into effect immediately and will remain in force up to and including 30 April 2028. The directions issued on 2 September 2022 —updated on 16 March 2023—are revoked with immediate effect. This package, to be in place until 30 April 2028, comprises specific actions the council is required to take alongside the appointment of three commissioners with powers to exercise functions. I am confident that this package will address the issues identified and is necessary for the council to secure compliance with its best value duty.

The success of Thurrock is important both for its own benefit and that of the region, with its critical role in local government reorganisation and devolution across Essex, which offers significant opportunities to drive growth, improve transport connectivity and build new homes, as well as raise living standards for its population.

I have today appointed Gavin Jones CBE, Denise Murray and Dr Dave Smith as commissioners.

I have issued directions which, in summary, require the council to:

Continue to implement and report on plans for the authority’s improvement and recovery, to the satisfaction of the commissioners.

Develop and maintain a revised corporate plan that includes the necessary work to ensure the authority’s compliance with the best value duty.

Ensure that the authority has personnel with sufficient capability and capacity, including access to appropriate specialist expertise where required; works with commissioners on the work with other councils in the Greater Essex area for unitary local government and the devolution priority programme on implementing any such proposals later agreed upon; and fully co-operates with the commissioners and takes any reasonable action within the authority’s functions to prevent further failure, as reasonably determined by the commissioners.

Commissioners will be able to exercise functions:

Associated with the governance, scrutiny and transparency of strategic decision making by the authority.

Associated with financial sustainability and delivering financial governance and scrutiny of strategic financial decision making by the authority.

Associated with the authority’s operating model and redesign of services to achieve value for money and financial sustainability; and those that ensure the council has the right skills, capacity, capabilities and structures to make improvements.

I intend to review the proposed arrangements by summer 2026, when I expect there to be further clarity on broader plans for devolution and local government reorganisation across Greater Essex.

As with other statutory interventions led by my Department, the council will be required to cover the costs associated with the commissioners and provide reasonable amenities and services and administrative support. The commissioners’ fees are published on gov.uk. I am assured this provides value for money given the expertise that is being brought and the scale of the challenge.

Dudley metropolitan borough council

I am also updating the House on steps we are taking in relation to Dudley metropolitan borough council.

After carefully considering the relevant evidence, my Department has today issued the council with a best value notice. This is not a statutory intervention but a formal notification of the Department’s concerns. We found no evidence of current best value failure at the council, but recent progress must be sustained and embedded to ensure that the council meets its best value duty.

The council is expected to continue driving its own recovery and is asked to engage regularly with the Department for assurance of improvement. Progress against the notice will be reviewed after 12 months. I am pleased that the council already has the support of an independent improvement board and the Local Government Association, and am hopeful that it will continue to make good progress. I urge the council to make full use of its board’s expertise, and the Department will seek updates from it.

Liverpool city council

The statutory intervention in Liverpool city council concluded in June 2024 when the council established its own improvement and assurance board. I have welcomed the council’s engagement with me and the Department, and the progress reports from the council and board chair. We have been pleased to provide ongoing support.

The board has now concluded its successful work with the council, and I am pleased to hear that the council can now lead its own recovery, continue to drive continuous improvement and respond to future challenges. I do not underestimate the work it has taken to reach this point, and give my thanks to the council’s leadership, staff, and the improvement and assurance board for their efforts.

I welcome the council establishing an ongoing improvement committee in place of the board, and I encourage the council to seek some independent, external strategic support. I am now ending the departmental support provided since last June but have asked to stay close to developments, with periodic engagement with the Department continuing. I thank Councillor Liam Robinson for the leadership he has shown together with Members, officers and colleagues within Liverpool, and thank the improvement and assurance board for its dedication to ensuring the best possible services for the people of Liverpool. I look forward to seeing Liverpool’s journey continue.

As a council that has been through the best value process, it has insights and experience that the Department and wider sector would take value from.

Conclusion

I am committed to working in partnership with these councils to provide the necessary support to ensure their compliance with the best value duty and the high standards of governance that local residents expect, ensuring they are fit, legal and decent, with a Government in active support of recovery and improvement.

I will deposit in the Library copies of the documents referred to, which are being published on gov.uk today. I will update the House in due course.

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Modern and Secure Elections

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rushanara Ali)]

I am delighted to announce the publication of the Government new strategy for modern and secure elections. This marks a significant step forward to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of our electoral system. It sets out a clear vision for modern, secure and inclusive elections, underpinned by transparency, resilience and fairness.

Our democracy is central to who we are as a country. We can take pride in its evolution and how it has inspired people around the world. We have a responsibility to protect and strengthen that democracy. In each generation there must be a national conversation about how to protect our democratic system and culture, so that we build on our advances and leave a democracy more robust and relevant to the next generation. We must build upon the foundations laid by those who came before us, and leave it better than we found it.

This bold new strategy reflects the ambition of this Government to ensure that every eligible citizen can participate confidently and safely in a democracy protected against evolving threats and challenges. It looks ahead, building on what works well while making the changes we need to face a changing and challenging world.

We will bring forward a Bill during this Parliament, which will include extending the right to vote to 16 and 17-year-olds and work to create a system of automated voter registration. We will bring forward new safeguards on digital campaigning and pave the way for digital voter identification, rebuild our firewall against foreign interference and protect those who put their name forward to stand in elections against harassment and intimidation.

These are changes designed to protect our democracy.

The strategy has been developed by working across Government, through close engagement with key partners from across the electoral community, with young people and with civil society organisations. It outlines a programme of work that will support innovation, improve accessibility, strengthen oversight, safeguard against known and emerging threats, and ensure that only those with a legitimate interest in the UK get to decide its future.

We are grateful to all those who contributed to this strategy and look forward to continuing to work across Government and the devolved nations, with our partners in the electoral community and with the wider public to ensure its successful implementation into law.

The strategy is available on gov.uk and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

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Remediation Acceleration Plan

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Alex Norris)]

On 2 December 2024, this Government published our remediation acceleration plan, setting out our approach to accelerating the remediation of residential buildings with unsafe cladding in England and improving the experience of affected residents.

Today we are publishing an update to that plan, setting out key progress and introducing new measures to achieve the plan’s three objectives:

fix buildings faster—so that those buildings already known to us can be made safe at pace;

identify all 11 metres plus residential buildings with unsafe cladding—so that every building at risk is found and fixed; and

support residents—so that people affected by unsafe cladding are treated fairly and compassionately throughout the process.

Through this work we will overcome the barriers of cladding remediation so that residents can be safe, and feel safe, in their homes.

The plan is an essential part of this Government’s ambition to deliver a safe, sustainable built environment that meets residents’ needs. It complements our broader housing goals, including the delivery of 1.5 million high-quality homes over this Parliament. The recent spending review laid the foundations for the largest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation. However, tackling legacy safety issues in our existing stock remains a vital priority. This update ensures that those challenges remain front and centre.

Fixing buildings faster

The plan’s first objective is to accelerate the pace of cladding remediation for those buildings already known to be affected. Since December we have made considerable progress in strengthening enforcement, streamlining delivery and working with the sector to meet stretch targets. To build on this momentum, we are introducing a range of further measures.

Working in partnership with the social sector, we have published a new joint plan between the Government, social landlords and regulators, enshrining 22 commitments that, alongside new funding, will shave years off remediation timelines. At least 110 social landlords have already signed up to the joint plan. Those signatories collectively account for over 75% of buildings known to require remediation. There is no time to waste, and we will implement our equal access policy with immediate effect. We have today changed the rules of the cladding safety scheme to give social landlords the same access to Government remediation funding as private landlords, underpinned by this Government’s new investment of over £1 billion.

We will also bring forward a Remediation Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows, which will focus on accelerating the remediation of historical unsafe cladding and protecting leaseholders in the process. That includes creating certainty about which buildings need remediation and who is responsible for remediating them and making obligations for assessing and completing remediation clearer through the legal duty to remediate, with severe consequences for non-compliance. We intend to introduce a backstop for the Government to bring an end to the building safety crisis; and giving residents greater control in situations of acute harm where landlords have neglected their responsibilities.

We have also been working collaboratively with mayoral strategic authorities who are developing and delivering local remediation acceleration plans. We have provided over £5 million to support these plans in 2025-26.

To support the join-up of our remediation work, we are also establishing a national remediation system—a single dataset covering information on all relevant residential buildings over 11 metres. The system will improve efficiency by allowing information sharing among regulators, delivery partners and local authorities.

Identifying all 11 metres plus residential buildings with unsafe cladding

To fix all 11 metres plus residential buildings with unsafe cladding, we must first ensure that every building at risk has been identified and reviewed. In December, we estimated that between 4,000 and 7,000 buildings requiring remediation had not yet been identified. Through improved data, we have now narrowed this estimate to between 500 and 3,400 buildings with unsafe cladding left to bring into a remediation programme.

We are on track to identify the vast majority of buildings requiring remediation by the end of this year, thanks to the continued development of our national remediation system, regional investigations and proactive support from delivery partners. Where buildings require further investigation because external, visual indicators are insufficient to determine if remediation is required, we are approaching landlords to review fire risk assessments and provide support, ensuring that these buildings are either remediated or ruled out.

Supporting residents

Leaseholders should not bear the burden of remediating fire safety cladding defects that they did not cause. Our approach is guided by a commitment to fairness, transparency and compassion.

To ensure that cladding remediation funding is driven by risk, rather than an arbitrary height requirement, we will provide funding in those exceptional cases where multi-occupied residential buildings under 11 metres have life-critical fire safety risks from cladding and do not have an alternative route to funding.

One of the most difficult situations that a resident can find themselves in is a decant—where a residential building is deemed unfit for occupation and residents must leave their homes until they are made safe. We will put in place legislation to ensure that the vast majority of decants are avoided through prompt intervention or, where decants are necessary, residents can return to their homes as quickly and safely as possible.

We will deliver a long-term, sustainable approach to the waking watch replacement fund, with new funding committed to install alarm systems and help keep residents safely in their homes while their buildings await remediation, and to protect leaseholders from unnecessary costs.

We will outline the information that residents should receive during remediation. This will draw on existing guidance from the Health and Safety Executive to support residents in understanding their rights, what to expect and how to raise concerns if they believe something is unsafe. Strengthening accountability and improving delivery standards will ensure that residents are placed at the heart of building safety.

This update reflects a co-ordinated national effort, led by the Department and delivered in partnership with metro mayors, national and local regulators, and industry. Our goal is clear: to remove all barriers to remediation in order to get buildings fixed faster and allow residents to feel safe in their homes.

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SW v. UK Judgment: Remedial Order

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Sarah Sackman)]

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede) has today made the following statement:

I would like to inform the House that I am laying a draft proposal for a remedial order to amend section 9 of the Human Rights Act 1998 to allow an award of damages in a new set of circumstances. This is to implement the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in SW v. UK—application no. 87/18.

The applicant in this case, SW, was a social worker who was called as a professional witness in childcare proceedings in the family court. The family court judge made adverse findings about SW in his judgment and directed that his statements be sent to SW’s employer, as well as to other local authorities where she had worked and relevant professional bodies, without giving SW an opportunity to respond. SW was dismissed and suffered various health issues as a result.

On appeal, the Court of Appeal set aside the relevant findings on the basis that, if left standing, they would breach SW’s rights under article 8—right to respect for private and family life—of the European convention on human rights. SW was advised she would be unable to obtain compensation under the HRA due to section 9(3) of the Act, which prevents the award of damages in respect of judicial acts done in good faith except in very limited circumstances, which do not include a breach of article 8 ECHR. The ECtHR subsequently ruled that article 13 of the ECHR—right to an effective remedy—read together with article 8, had been violated because SW did not have access to an effective remedy at the national level capable of addressing the substance of her article 8 complaint and by which she could obtain appropriate relief. The ECtHR also held that the applicant’s article 8 rights had been violated. The ECtHR awarded a sum in damages, which has been paid.

The UK is obliged under article 46 of the ECHR to implement this judgment, which includes resolving the circumstances that led to the violation. In order to address the violation of article 13 of the ECHR, legislative change is required as the violation was the result of the statutory bar on the award of damages under section 9(3) of the HRA.

Subject to approval by both Houses, the order would make a targeted amendment to the HRA which would have the effect that:

in proceedings in respect of a judicial act done in good faith;

where the judicial act is incompatible with article 8 on the grounds, or on grounds including the ground, that it was done in such a procedurally defective way as to amount to a breach of the requirements of procedural fairness under that article;

a financial remedy could be awarded to the person to compensate for the breach of article 8. We are satisfied that damages would be available to individuals in situations similar to that of SW and would therefore satisfy the requirements of the judgment.

The Government consider that there are compelling reasons to amend the HRA via remedial order. We consider that the nature of the article 13 breach, and our obligation to implement the SW judgment, contribute to there being compelling reasons for making the necessary legislative change without further delay via remedial order. The alternative approach to a remedial order would be to make the amendment by way of primary legislation. However, we consider that there is little prospect of finding suitable primary legislation to make an amendment in the near future.

This draft proposal for a remedial order is being laid under the non-urgent procedure. It will be laid for a period of 60 days during which time representations may be made. The Joint Committee on Human Rights will scrutinise the remedial order and report on it to the House. Following that, the draft order, with any revisions the Government wish to make, will be laid for a further 60 days before being considered and voted on by both Houses.

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Imprisonment for Public Protection Sentences: 2024-25 Annual Report

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)]

My noble Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Lord Timpson) has today made the following statement:

“Today, I am laying before Parliament the HMPPS annual report on the IPP Sentence 2024/25, pursuant to Section 67 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.

This report sets out the activity taken across HMPPS for the financial year of 2024/25 to support those serving the IPP sentence in prison to work towards a safe release, and those in the community, towards the termination of their licence. The revised action plan sets out where we intend to go further, including increasing access to release on temporary license, expanding the approved premises pilot to improve resettlement support, and enabling swift re-release following recall through risk assessed recall review when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The latest published statistics show that as at 31 March 2025, there were 1,012 unreleased and 1,532 recalled IPP prisoners, compared to 1,180 unreleased and 1,616 recalled IPP prisoners on the corresponding date in 2024. As at 31 December 2024, there were 1,376 offenders serving IPP sentences in the community and 233 prisoners in hospital for treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983, compared to 3,018 offenders in the community and 241 prisoners in hospital on the corresponding date in 2023. In 2024, 602 recalled IPP prisoners were released, the highest number in a single year. A revised action plan is included as part of this annual report, which sets out planned HMPPS activity for 2025/26, including for the first time actions with measurable targets. The Government are determined to make further progress towards a safe and sustainable release for all those serving the IPP sentence and an eventual end to their sentence, but only in such a way that does not put the public and victims at risk.”

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High Speed 2

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Today I am publishing this Government’s second update to Parliament on the progress of High Speed 2 (HS2).

Overview

In my previous report, I set out the difficult position that we inherited. HS2 has suffered from repeated cost increases and delays for too long. Although there have been external factors outside of the programme’s control, it has also been mismanaged. It is now clear that cost estimates were overly optimistic, and the programme moved to construction too quickly when designs were still immature. Delivery of the programme has not been sufficiently controlled, with a poorly performing supply chain that was insufficiently incentivised. There have been repeated changes in policy, scope and funding, and excessive costs incurred in achieving environmental and planning compliance. This means delayed benefits, and cost increases incurred on HS2 have diverted billions of pounds from other vital transport priorities. This is unacceptable; the cycle of cost increases and delays must be broken, and I am determined to achieve this.

The project is now under new leadership, and I have tasked HS2 Ltd’s new chief executive officer, Mark Wild, with leading a comprehensive reset of the programme. He is making progress but this is a huge task, and we need to ensure he has a robust plan for delivering the programme to completion in a controlled way and at the lowest reasonable cost. To this end, the Department will work with him and HS2 Ltd over the coming months to advise me on the decisions needed to reset HS2, with the aim of providing an updated delivery baseline and funding envelope in 2026. Until this work is completed, this Government are not in a position to say with confidence how much HS2 will cost or when it will be delivered. That is a deeply unsatisfactory position, but it is necessary to complete the hard work we have embarked upon.

Effective ministerial oversight will be at the heart of this reset. The Rail Minister and I meet regularly with Mark Wild to assess progress, and in March I chaired a meeting of the ministerial task force with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, focusing on completing the programme in a controlled way. In June, I appointed Mike Brown as the new chair of the HS2 Ltd board to help us drive effective oversight and accountability on the programme. Both Mark Wild and Mike Brown have experience in major project recovery from Crossrail, which will be invaluable to this task. Mike’s immediate priorities will include supporting Mark and strengthening the challenge that the board provides to HS2 Ltd, to complement ministerial oversight.

The reset needs to be guided by the lessons learned from HS2’s delivery to date. In June, I published the “Major Transport Projects Governance and Assurance Review”, led by James Stewart. This report set out recommendations and actions that we are taking to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, helping to bring HS2 under control and to improve the delivery of future infrastructure projects.

The Government’s determination to now see this programme delivered as efficiently as possible is underpinned by the allocation of £25.3 billion (nominal prices) of funding over four years in the spending review, as set out in the financial annex.

Despite the evident challenges, HS2 Ltd, its suppliers and over 33,000 workers have maintained steady progress on construction, achieving major delivery milestones since my last report.

HS2 will foster economic growth in support of this Government’s mission. Research commissioned by HS2 Ltd has found that the prospective arrival of HS2 is already leading to redevelopment around new HS2 stations, demonstrating the early potential of this scheme to act as a catalyst for investment in businesses, new jobs and homes. The research estimates that the programme will deliver economic uplifts of £10 billion in the west midlands and £10 billion around Old Oak Common station in west London over the next 10 years.

Delivering a HS2 station at Euston remains a priority to realise the programme’s benefits. Following our commitment to funding the tunnelling required to bring HS2 to central London, we continue to work with key partners to develop affordable, integrated plans for the Euston station campus alongside significant levels of local development including for housing and life sciences institutions. In parallel, we recently announced that a Euston delivery company will be established to oversee the development of the whole Euston campus, which will comprise the new HS2 station, an upgraded Network Rail station and enhancements to the London Underground station and local transport facilities, along with a significant level of development. We welcome the joint venture that the Crown Estate has announced with Lendlease, our development partner at Euston. As set out in the 10-year infrastructure strategy, we are exploring the use of private capital to design, build, finance and maintain the HS2 station.

Finally, beyond individual rail schemes, the rail network must be viewed as a whole. HS2 will play a key part in our ambition to improve rail for passengers, with its services and benefits extending far beyond London and Birmingham, including the capacity it releases for other regional and London services.

Delivery update schedule and cost

As I set out in the House of Commons on 18 June, based on Mark Wild’s initial advice, I see no route by which trains can be running by 2033 as previously planned. Mark has committed to establishing and delivering to a new baseline in 2026. Once this work is complete, we will have an agreed estimate of how much the project will cost and when it will be delivered.

While the reset is ongoing, the Department is managing HS2 Ltd through strengthened in-year controls including challenging targets and metrics to deliver within annual budgets. To drive in-year delivery performance, an enhanced level of governance and assurance has also been implemented, reflecting the recommendations of James Stewart’s review.

This year, HS2 Ltd has rescheduled some work to ensure it operates within its annual financial settlement.

Expenditure

To the end of April 2025, £40.5 billion (nominal prices) had been spent on the HS2 programme. This is provided in more detail in the financial annex, based on data provided by HS2 Ltd.

Spend to date information covers the period up to the end of April 2025. Unless stated otherwise, all figures are presented in nominal prices.

Following the recent conclusion of the spending review, the Department has reached a settlement with HM Treasury to fund the delivery of HS2, with £25.3 billion (nominal prices) covering financial years 2026-27 to 2029-30.

This funding will enable the reset of the HS2 programme under the leadership of Mark Wild, addressing long-standing delivery challenges. It will enable HS2 to move forward with a more secure delivery plan and will support progress at the lowest reasonable cost.

This settlement will support the continued delivery of phase 1, providing funding for works from Old Oak Common to Birmingham Curzon Street, and Handsacre Junction, Euston tunnels and approaches, and Euston station enabling works.

The HS2 programme is currently in a period of high spend, with much of it in active construction. The Department expects HS2 Ltd’s expenditure to become noticeably lower over the next spending review period as delivery of the programme progresses.

The Department has updated its reporting of historic programme expenditure from 2019 prices to nominal prices. Once the programme reset is complete and a new baseline agreed, HS2 Ltd will also uplift the price base for programme reporting and for the revised cost estimate. The Department will consider how often the price base should be uplifted until the end of the programme.

Construction progress

Over 70% of HS2’s 32 miles of bored and mined tunnels between London and Birmingham have now been completed.

Construction is progressing across the route, with active works under way on 44 viaducts, 126 bridges, 75 embankments, and 60 cuttings.

The Northolt tunnels, which will link Old Oak Common station to West Ruislip, were recently completed. Constructed in two phases—east and west—the tunnels were excavated using four tunnel boring machines (TBMs). TBMs Sushila and Caroline completed mining the western section in April 2025, while mining on the eastern section, led by TBMs Emily and Anne, was completed at the end of June 2025.

In May, the first Bromford tunnel broke through, connecting Warwickshire to Birmingham, marking the completion of the first section of the 3.5-mile tunnel.

In April, a 14,500-tonne box structure that will carry the high-speed line was successfully installed under the A46. The installation utilised innovative civil and structural engineering techniques, which involved constructing the box on land before pushing it across a guiding raft over 64 metres into place.

Over eight and a half million cubic metres of soil have been excavated, representing 73% of the total planned earthworks.

In February, the first viaduct in the Delta junction in north Warwickshire was completed, marking both a significant milestone in the construction of HS2 in the region, and the first use of an innovative giant cantilever system in the UK.

At Interchange station in Solihull, enabling works have commenced on site, including surveys and ground investigations to inform the detailed design.

The “systems and service” tender was launched in February 2025 for the automated people mover (APM) which will provide connectivity between Interchange station, the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham International station and Birmingham airport.

At Curzon Street station in central Birmingham, piling works continue to progress with only the western section remaining. For this financial year, the focus will be on completing the design before construction starts next year. The updated schedule 17 planning consents for the revised station designs were approved by Birmingham city council on 8 May 2025. Schedule 17 of the High Speed Rail (London—West Midlands) Act 2017 establishes a process for the approval of matters related to the design and construction of the railway. It requires HS2 Ltd to seek approval from the appropriate planning authority, in this case Birmingham city council. This approval shall allow HS2 Ltd to construct the station with improvements to the visuals of the station and refinements to the long-term maintenance requirements.

At Old Oak Common station in west London, the tunnel boring machines are being assembled with preparations currently under way to enable their launch towards Euston in spring 2026.

In November 2024, we reached a key milestone with the award of the rail systems contracts worth around £3 billion in current prices. The contracts commenced in February 2025, but work on site will not start until main works civils are largely complete. Procurement of the Washwood Heath Depot and the National Integrated Control Centre continues.

Lessons from the contracting failures of HS2’s main works programme have been firmly embedded in the systems contracts. The design of rail systems is more advanced at this stage than it was for main works civils, giving better cost certainty. HS2 Ltd has established an alliance with stronger incentives to ensure suppliers share risk, allowing us to manage cost better and drive performance. The contracts require fewer consents to be granted as well.

Mobilisation on the rail systems contract has started and timelines are being developed in line with the wider programme challenges noted elsewhere in this report. There will be a formal review at the end of the design stage to make sure all parties are ready to start work on site, again learning from main works civils.

Euston

The Department continues to work with key partners to develop affordable, integrated plans for the Euston station campus. In parallel, enabling works are continuing to ready the HS2 station site for the main construction programme.

In terms of the delivery model, the Government announced in their 10-year infrastructure strategy that a Euston delivery company will be established to oversee the development of the whole Euston campus. The new delivery model will involve a changed role for HS2 Ltd but will go much broader than that to address historical challenges at the site. HS2 Ltd will remain a key partner, continuing to carry out important work at Euston.

The Department also continues work with partners to examine available delivery and private finance options that will realise the great regeneration potential of the Euston area alongside the improvement of transport links.

Specifically, the Department is exploring options for various elements of the programme to be funded through a combination of private finance, development receipts, and potential local contributions such as tax increment financing, with a degree of residual public funding. The Department has been engaging closely with HM Treasury and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority as it continues to develop its plans, and has appointed specialist advisers to ensure it has access to expert support.

As we progress our plans to reinitiate delivery, we are embedding the recommendations of James Stewart’s review through the new delivery model and working closely with partners to manage risks sensibly and collectively. We will continue to work with key partners with the aim of restarting design later this year. No final decisions have been made regarding the preferred mechanisms to secure funding and finance, including private finance options; further details will be shared in due course.

Legal and planning challenges

The delivery of HS2 has continued during this period to be the subject of both legal and planning challenges, which have added significant cost, uncertainty, and potential for delay. It is right that there are checks and balances embedded in our legal and planning systems to ensure local interests are considered when national projects are implemented. There is, however, the risk that these rights are used to frustrate the delivery of consented projects, with legal challenges and planning powers used in a way that drives up costs to both local and national taxpayers, rather than protecting local interests.

The HS2 planning and environmental regime set out in the High Speed Rail (London—West Midlands) Act 2017 has been subject to multiple attempts at legal challenge from other public bodies, most recently in relation to the extension of the Bromford tunnel in north Warwickshire—with a judgment delivered in the project’s favour. Since Royal Assent for the Act, there have been nine legal challenges brought by other public bodies. In almost all these cases, the courts have ultimately found in the project’s favour, but not in time to avoid significant uncertainty, costly delays, or additional legal costs for both parties—the majority of which has unfortunately had to be borne by local taxpayers.

In the same time period, there have also been 25 costly and time-consuming appeals relating to the HS2 planning regime. Almost all these appeals have ultimately been determined in HS2’s favour. The Government continue to monitor this issue closely, and will consider further interventions where appropriate, alongside their wider work on planning reform.

Fraud investigation

We are aware of the claims made in relation to a labour supplier on part of the route. The allegations concern inflated invoices and improper PAYE charges, potentially defrauding taxpayers. HS2 Ltd treats all whistleblower allegations seriously and an investigation was launched earlier this year into these allegations. Furthermore, HS2 Ltd has formally reported the allegations to HMRC, and HS2 Ltd’s contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI has implemented additional monitoring and controls.

Benefits housing

Despite all the challenges, HS2 represents a significant plank of the Government’s plan for change, our growth and housing missions, and our ambition to deliver infrastructure that works for the whole country.

HS2 provides an unparalleled opportunity to build new homes, create jobs and attract investment. The redevelopment of land around the new HS2 stations will enable the ideal conditions for business, new jobs and homes and will act as a catalyst for further investment and wider growth.

In the west midlands, HS2 is estimated to support directly 4,000 new homes around Curzon Street station and 3,000 new homes around Interchange station as part of the Arden Cross development in Solihull. Additionally, research from a February 2024 report suggests that HS2 will add £10 billion to the west midlands economy over the next 10 years and help generate over 41,000 additional homes.

In west London, local partners estimate that HS2 will, in the long term, support the delivery of up to 25,500 new homes around Old Oak Common station, including 9,000 new homes as part of the first phase of development at Old Oak West. Separate research from March 2025 estimates that HS2 will add £10 billion to the west London economy over, the next 10 years and support 22,000 additional homes. Around Euston in central London, HS2 will support the delivery of thousands of new homes and the development of a new “knowledge quarter”.

There could also be new housing opportunities along the west coast main line between London and the west midlands, at places that gain improved local services as a result of network capacity released by HS2. Decisions have not yet been made by the Government on where these additional services will run.

Jobs and skills

In addition to long-term ambitions, HS2 is contributing to economic growth now. The programme is currently supporting over 33,000 jobs and over 3,400 UK businesses in the supply chain across the country, including over 2,500 small and medium-sized enterprises.

HS2 is also helping to break down barriers to opportunity and training a skilled workforce for the UK’s wider rail and construction industries. The programme is attracting new and diverse people to the industry. Having created over 1,800 apprenticeships and supported over 5,000 previously unemployed people back into work on the project since 2017, the programme is helping to bridge the skills gap and tackle unemployment along the HS2 construction corridor. By drawing on and developing world-class skills, HS2 will leave a positive skills legacy that will develop and strengthen the country’s construction workforce for the years to come.

Environment

Updated designs for ecological mitigation over the past six months have seen further progress made on the target to achieve no net loss to biodiversity by the end of the construction programme. At the end of 2024-25, the position for area-based habitats has improved while designs for hedgerows and watercourse habitats remained on track to deliver a net gain in biodiversity.

HS2 Ltd is also seeking to reduce the whole-life carbon emissions associated with construction of HS2 by 50%, aiming to maximise productivity and cost-saving measures to achieve this goal. At the end of 2024-25, the programme had so far achieved a 33.8% reduction in carbon against that 50% target.

Community impacts, land and property: appointment of a new independent commissioner

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Herga as the Independent High Speed Rail Residents’ and Construction Commissioner, following an open competition.

The commissioner is responsible for holding HS2 Ltd and the Government accountable to their commitments to treat those people directly affected by the HS2 scheme with sensitivity and respect. The commissioner also makes themselves available to intervene in unresolved land and property disputes, as an objective and independent voice, focusing on timely settlement to save costs on both sides. This new role combines the previous roles of HS2 Construction Commissioner and HS2 Residents’ Commissioner.

Community engagement performance

HS2 Ltd received 1,209 complaints during 2024-25, an increase of 102 when compared to the previous year. At this stage of the programme, the vast majority of complaints are construction-related, with over half about traffic and transport impacts and about a third related to noise and vibration impacts. Where communities have complaints, HS2 Ltd seeks to resolve issues quickly. Over the last financial year, HS2 Ltd resolved 100% of urgent complaints within two working days and resolved 96% of all other complaints within 20 working days or less.

Local funds

The HS2 project is mitigating some of the impacts of construction on local places through the community and environment fund and the business and local economy fund.

As at June 2025, over £19 million has been channelled through these funds towards 353 local community projects, helping to ensure a positive legacy for communities most affected by construction.

Land and property on the former phase 2b eastern leg

I am today formally lifting the safeguarding directions for the former phase 2b eastern leg (between the west midlands and Leeds), removing the uncertainty that has affected many people along the former route. Safeguarding along the former phase 2b western leg (between Crewe and Manchester) is not being changed as part of this, and an update on future plans for safeguarding on this section will be provided in due course alongside broader plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

One small area to the south of the existing station in central Leeds, previously required for the new HS2 station, will remain safeguarded to allow for potential enhancements to the existing station, including for onward travel.

I have also today closed the rural support zone, express purchase, rent back, and the need to sell property schemes along the former phase 2b eastern leg. Existing applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Removing safeguarding along the majority of the former HS2 phase 2b eastern leg means we are now able to initiate a programme to dispose of over 550 properties on the former eastern leg that are no longer required. We expect disposals on the open market to begin in 2026. Before then, former owners whose property was acquired under statutory blight will have the opportunity to reacquire their former property at the current market value.

We will dispose of land and property in a sensible and sensitive way, ensuring value for money for the taxpayer and avoiding disruption to local property markets.

I have deposited the safeguarding directions and relevant documents in the Libraries of both Houses.

Programme governance programme reset

Following Mark Wild’s arrival as new HS2 Ltd CEO in December 2024,1 commissioned him to set out a plan to deliver the remaining HS2 infrastructure in a safe, controlled and efficient manner and bring the new railway into operational use, for the lowest reasonable cost to the taxpayer. Mark gave me his initial diagnosis at the end of March, and I expect him to advise me further over the coming months.

His initial assessment summarises the currently uncontrolled state of the programme and the significant challenge of achieving a programme reset that minimises delays and stops further cost increases. He also confirmed his view that based on the current scope and delivery strategy, it is not possible to deliver HS2’s opening stage between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street within the stated range of 2029-2033, and that the funding envelope set by the previous Government will not be sufficient. If interventions are not enacted, costs will rise and delivery will be further delayed. As such, it is now the work of Mark and his team to put in place measures to bring the railway into service as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, with Government support and constructive challenge. As part of his work, Mark will advise me on updated estimates to give the Government and taxpayers certainty over HS2’s costs and schedule—breaking the cycle of cost increases and overruns.

The HS2 reset will involve:

Setting a new realistic cost and schedule baseline within which we can complete the programme;

Resetting the commercial relationship with HS2’s principal civil works suppliers to drive increased productivity and control cost;

Making sure HS2 Ltd has the right skills and capabilities to deliver the remaining work, including improvements to setup, operating model, leadership, culture, effectiveness and capabilities; and

Improving how the Department and wider Government sponsors the delivery of HS2, drawing on the findings and recommendations from James Stewart’s independent review and the Department’s own work on lessons.

The scale and complexity of resetting the programme is a major challenge. Mark Wild carried out a similar process as the CEO of Crossrail, putting the project back on track and delivering a successful opening of the Elizabeth line in 2022. It is important we take this opportunity to get it right, which is why the reset will take time and involve close working between HS2 Ltd, DfT and the rest of the Government. The ambition is for an updated and assured full baseline to measure performance in 2026.

In parallel, the Department plans to publish an updated programme business case in 2026, once agreed cost and schedule estimates are available.

Oversight

On 18 March 2025, I chaired a meeting of the reconvened ministerial task force for HS2. I was joined by the Rail Minister, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Mark Wild and other senior leaders from HS2 Ltd and across the Government to scrutinise initial plans on resetting the programme and delivering HS2 at the lowest reasonable cost.

On 31 March 2025, Sir Jon Thompson stepped down as HS2 Ltd chair. On 18 June, I was pleased to announce Mike Brown as the new chair of HS2 Ltd. Mike Brown brings decades of experience in delivering major transport projects as former TfL Commissioner, and member of the team that turned Crossrail into the Elizabeth line. He will lead the board and work with Mark Wild on the urgent priority to reset the project.

It is clear from Mark Wild’s assessment that HS2 Ltd currently falls far short of having the capability and culture needed to deliver the programme effectively. Mike Brown has been tasked with strengthening the HS2 Ltd board to more effectively support and challenge Mark Wild in conducting the reset of HS2 and the safe delivery of phase 1 at the lowest reasonable cost. To support strengthened board oversight, a recruitment exercise has been launched to appoint new non-executive directors to bolster board capability and capacity.

I would like to thank Elaine Holt for leading the board in her capacity as deputy chair over the period from 1 April to 13 July.

We have also enacted temporary arrangements which establish additional control measures and monitoring to ensure the programme is managed properly. This will bridge the period leading to the formal reset of the programme.

Capturing, applying and sharing lessons

Following my last report, the major transport projects governance and assurance review, led by James Stewart, has concluded. It has provided important lessons that can be applied to HS2, the Department’s other capital projects and infrastructure schemes across the Government.

Most major programmes experience difficulties in their delivery. However, the failures seen on HS2 are extreme with costs increasing continuously over many years and very rapidly since the start of construction. There is no single explanation for these failings—they span across its lifecycle from conception through to delivery and from governmental sponsorship, through planning and consenting, to how the Government have orchestrated their delivery between HS2 Ltd and the construction supply chain.

We have worked closely with HM Treasury and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) to identify lessons from the HS2 programme.

The Department is applying the lessons from James Stewart’s and other reviews, including embedding the lessons into the HS2 programme reset plan and in developing and delivering other transport and wider infra- structure projects.

High ambition at inception

Early decisions resulted in an exceptionally high-specification and high-speed railway, which drove higher costs and meant that tried and tested approaches could not be relied upon. In future programmes, opportunities for reducing cost based on the minimum acceptable design should be explored and use of bespoke or cutting-edge specifications should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Scope changes

Since HS2’s inception, the scope of the programme has been progressively reduced. Scope reductions have been in part a result of cost increases but have added to delivery challenges and left the residual scheme over-specified in relation to the benefits it will deliver.

To address both these lessons, the Department has contributed to the Office for Value for Money’s study into the governance and budgeting arrangements for “mega projects” to make sure that lessons from HS2 are applied to the wider Government’s approach to infra- structure delivery.

Governance

Governance has evolved through the lifetime of the project and in the light of pressures; however, it has not been sufficiently effective in identifying and managing the scale of challenges, including in relation to cost management and capability. We have implemented a series of changes in the governance of the programme to respond to James Stewart’s recommendations. We held the first shareholder board on 28 May, which provided strategic-level oversight of the programme from the permanent secretary, Mark Wild, HS2 Ltd special directors, the senior responsible officer, interim HS2 Ltd chair and senior DfT and HMT officials. A renewed programme and performance board now meets monthly to focus on the effective delivery of phase 1 (including Euston) against agreed schedule, cost and scope.

Cost estimation

Since the inception of the project, internal and external experts have comprehensively scrutinised cost estimates. However, despite this, estimates have consistently proven to be wrong.

Last year, HS2 Ltd and departmental officials jointly concluded a comprehensive external review of the current approach to cost estimation and programme control. HS2 Ltd has been implementing an action plan to strengthen these vital areas of project control. A priority of the HS2 reset is setting a new, realistic and assured baseline of cost and schedule within which we can complete the programme. In addition, our progress to date means that evidence based on past experience, rather than forecast estimates, can be utilised to inform current and future delivery of the programme, including ongoing progress on civils delivery and the recent letting of the systems contracts.

To validate this new estimate there is also work under way to verify the civils work delivered to date, and its cost. This will allow the programme to validate true delivery costs against the original estimates. This information, combined with continued investment in collating benchmarking data from international comparators, will give us a more reliable “should cost” model for the remainder of the programme. This “should cost” model will enable a more accurate assessment of the reasonableness of assumptions in the cost estimate.

We have learnt that realistic ranges, rather than single target costs, should be set at the early stage of projects. Ranges should only narrow when there is sufficient certainty from external data such as contract prices. We will adopt an approach that uses robustly verified or benchmarked cost data, with ranges and sensitivity analysis, when taking future programme investment decisions. HS2 will lead the way in ensuring that cost analysis is rigorously incorporated into the design of later procurements and decisions. In parallel, the Government have made significant improvements in the analysis of investment benefits in recent years.

Challenges of building large-scale infrastructure

Meeting environmental standards and planning requirements has presented a significant challenge to the delivery of the project and has added to cost. It is now clear that the early stages of HS2 scheme development underestimated the planning and regulatory challenges of designing and building a new high-speed railway while meeting the expectations of local planning and highway authorities, and complying with the latest safety, security and environmental standards. The granting of consents has been subject to routine challenge, and the need for expensive mitigations to meet legal obligations (such as the bat mitigation structure at Sheephouse Wood in Buckinghamshire) have increased the cost of delivering the railway.

The Government have already implementing far-reaching reforms to ensure economic infrastructure can be delivered more efficiently. To strike a better balance between avoiding costs and delays on agreed schemes while allowing local scrutiny, Ministers will be able to intervene more actively in the process within the existing planning framework, utilising the reforms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill once enacted, as well as considering whether further alterations to the HS2 planning framework could bring benefits for efficient infrastructure delivery, and to taxpayers more generally.

Capability challenges

Costs have increased in part due to insufficient capability in HS2 Ltd and the supply chain in delivering a project of this scale. There has been insufficient focus on the client relationship, too many of HS2’s resources were allocated to the wrong place and contract management and project control were not effective. This led to uncontrolled costs and extremely poor productivity and performance from the supply chain. We will be working with Mark Wild and the board of HS2 Ltd to address the areas where challenges have been identified, such as the need for Mark Wild to put in place a high-calibre and enduring leadership team and to reshape the organisation to deliver efficiently. This will be a priority in the programme reset.

Ineffective incentives

HS2 Ltd’s current commercial contracting strategy has not proved effective at controlling costs and fairly attributing responsibility for risks. The contract incentives have focused on providing positive incentives against target costs; however, as costs escalated and changes arose, the incentivised cost targets were exceeded, leading to no positive incentive to deliver at lower cost. Some risks which should have been borne by suppliers have also been transferred to taxpayers. In the future we need incentives and risk allocation that deliver for taxpayers as well as supplier shareholders. This work is being embedded through our engagement across the Government, to ensure major infrastructure projects are based on effective commercial contracts and incentives going forward.

Financial annex

The information on HS2’s overall spend to date and budget is now being provided in nominal (cash) terms following a commitment made by the Department to the Public Accounts Committee to express the costs of the programme in a more up-to-date price base and better capture the inflation incurred since 2019. The Government will provide further details on the 2025-to-2026 position in cash terms as part of the standard main estimates report to Parliament.

Historic and forecast expenditure [1] [2] [3]

Thames Gateway Bridge: Safeguarding Direction

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)]

Today I am informing the House of my decision to lift the safeguarding direction for the Thames gateway bridge. This reflects the Government’s commitment to ensuring that our transport and infra- structure supports housing delivery and drives growth as part of the plan for change.

Safeguarding is an important planning tool used to protect land for future transport schemes from conflicting development. In this case, the safeguarding direction for the Thames gateway bridge dates back to 1940, when the area’s transport needs were very different. It was intended to protect land for a road crossing that has not been delivered. Since then, London’s transport priorities have evolved, and over the decades, we have seen major investments in London’s river crossings—most notably the Dartford crossing and, recently, the Silvertown tunnel. The safeguarding directions therefore no longer align with the direction of transport policy or the evolving needs of this part of London.

The continued safeguarding of this land has been an obstacle to much-needed development, and I am therefore lifting these directions. The Government are keen to deliver new homes and unlock economic opportunity, and we are taking steps to remove unnecessary barriers to progress.

[HCWS836]

c2c Train Services: Public Ownership

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

I can confirm to the House that this Sunday, 20 July, the Government will take another step towards a unified railway overseen by Great British Railways, as c2c’s services become the second to transfer into public ownership under new legislation. From Sunday, operations will be run by a new public sector operator: c2c Railway Ltd, a subsidiary of the public corporation, DfT Operator Ltd.

This means that from this Sunday, there will be six public sector operators running services which were previously franchised. Greater Anglia’s services will be next to transfer on 12 October 2025.

This weekend therefore marks another significant step in our plans to meet our manifesto commitment to tackle the current fragmented network and create a more efficient, reliable railway with passengers at its heart. Over the next two and a half years, we will be transferring all passenger services currently delivered under contract with the Department into public ownership. This is a vital step that will allow us to consolidate Network Rail, DfTO and 14 train operators into one organisation, GBR.

The Public Ownership Act, passed last year, has been the first step in our plans to reform the railways. I expect to introduce the railways Bill this parliamentary Session. The Bill will enable the establishment of GBR as a new directing mind for the railways, unifying track and train under a single public body to deliver better services for passengers and freight customers, and better value for money for taxpayers.

Instead of having to navigate 14 separate train operators, passengers will once again simply be able to use “the railway”. They will travel on GBR trains, running on GBR tracks, and working to a GBR timetable. That will mean fewer delays, a better overall experience, and a timetable that better serves their needs.

[HCWS854]

Office for Nuclear Regulation: 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)]

Later today I will lay before this House the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) annual report and accounts 2024-25. This document will also be published on the ONR website.

I can confirm, in accordance with schedule 7, section 25(3) of the Energy Act 2013, that there have been no exclusions to the published document on the grounds of national security.

[HCWS840]