£4.5million to improve Berkshire maternity and neonatal services

Mothers and babies in focus as £4.5million funding rolled out to improve Berkshire maternity and neonatal services

• Funding will help tackle safety risks in maternity and neonatal facilities
• Part of £187m million announced for national improvements since April 2025
• Maternity services a priority for new Health and Social Care Secretary

Families across Berkshire will have their maternity services improved as £4.5million of dedicated funding is rolled out across the region.

The funding will be used to reduce the most urgent safety risks in maternity and neonatal

Archbold Enhances Manchester Hub with Advanced Warehouse Management System

Archbold introduces a new Clarus warehouse management system

Leading UK logistics provider implements Clarus WMS to unlock deeper real-time data insights and support complex customer stock profiles.

MANCHESTER, GREATER MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM, July 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Archbold has introduced a new Clarus warehouse management system (WMS) at its Manchester site as part of its continued investment in smarter, more connected warehouse operations.

The WMS is designed to improve real-time insight, deliver food-grade level logistics

£20 million investment for hypersonic target to test air defence systems and boost British small businesses

British small businesses will help develop a hypersonic ‘clay pigeon’ target, a vehicle intended to represent threats capable of travelling at five times the speed of sound, under a new £20m investment announced today.

• £20 million contract will directly benefit British small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout the supply chain, showing how defence is an engine for growth.
• A new SME Action Plan will remove barriers and open up defence supply chains for British SMEs. 
• Hypersonic ‘clay pigeon’ target will help new defence systems to counter advanced missiles and is part of a trilateral partnership between Australia, the UK, and the United States.

British small businesses will help develop a hypersonic ‘clay pigeon’ target, a vehicle

The West Country is now in prolonged dry weather

Change of status because of the environmental impact created by a lack of rainfall and high temperatures.

Environment Agency officers catch and move fish in the River Tarrant, near Tarrant Monkton, Dorset, which had become trapped in pools of water.

The change applies to Bristol, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.

Neighbouring parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire, which also fall within the Environment Agency’s Wessex operational area, are also in prolonged dry weather.  

Environment Agency officers are expecting more environmental incidents this summer caused by low river flows, high water temperatures and fish struggling for oxygen as weeds and algal blooms thrive in these conditions. 

Water levels at groundwater sites are now starting to become below normal or notably low

PM call with the Taoiseach of Ireland: 21 July 2026

The Prime Minister spoke to the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin, today.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin, today.

The Taoiseach began by congratulating the Prime Minister on his appointment, with the Prime Minister thanking him and underlining how much he is looking forward to working together.

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the UK’s partnership with Ireland and

Supercar hire firm shut down: customers left out of pocket while money spent from company account at Harrods and Gucci

Company wound up following Insolvency Service investigations

• Classic Parade Ltd took upfront payments from customers for hiring supercars before cancelling bookings at short notice and not paying refunds
• Customers included people booking vehicles for significant personal occasions, while more than £1.4 million passed through company bank accounts without explanation
• The director failed to engage with investigators, meet any Companies House filing obligations, and the company had no genuine presence at its address in Knightsbridge

A luxury car hire company which took thousands of pounds from customers and repeatedly

Canada joins next-generation fighter jet programme as first Observer Nation

One of the world’s most ambitious defence and industrial partnerships  is even stronger  as the UK, Italy  and Japan welcome Canada  to  the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) as  the  first Observer Nation.  

• Canada becomes the first Observer Nation of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), founded by the UK, Italy  and Japan. 
• GCAP  is designing, developing  and building  the next generation of fighter  jet  to  support  national  security. 
• Ambitious  programme  supports  thousands of jobs in  the UK, with  over 600  companies up and down the country involved. 

One of the world’s most ambitious defence and industrial partnerships  is  even  stronger  as

The UK remains committed to supporting a Haitian-led pathway to sustainable peace: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador Archie Young, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Haiti.

Location:

United Nations, New York

Delivered on:

21 July 2026 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

I want to start by welcoming the Secretary-General’s recent visit to Haiti, which comes at a critical time for the Haitian people. 

Nearly 1.5 million people are currently displaced, more than half the population is food insecure, and access to essential services is severely restricted. 

Within the most recent reporting period, BINUH documented 853 survivors of sexual and

Construction begins on new Army facilities at Tidworth and Warminster

Construction has begun at Tidworth and Warminster to deliver new and improved facilities or military personnel while enhancing operational efficiency.

Left to right: Allan Thomson (Chief Executive, Aspire Defence Limited), Brigadier Grant Kerr (Head of Army Infrastructure Plans), Lieutenant Colonel Ru Whitelegge (Tidworth Garrison Commander) and Warren Webster (DIO Major Programmes and Projects Programme Director - Army), mark the start of construction at Assaye Barracks, Tidworth (Crown Copyright)

The two major infrastructure projects represent an investment of approximately £13 million at Assaye Barracks, Tidworth and approximately £37 million at Battlesbury Barracks, Warminster under the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Portfolio. DEO is delivering more modern and sustainable infrastructure across the Defence estate and reducing the built estate by releasing surplus land for alternative redevelopment.

The DEO Army Programme investment on Salisbury Plain will benefit three units: 1

Quadrilateral Joint Statement on Canada becoming an Observer to GCAP

On July 21, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, Japanese Defense Minister KOIZUMI Shinjirō, UK Secretary of State for Defence Wes Streeting, and Canadian Minister of National Defence David J. McGuinty met in London to discuss Canada’s participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

On July 21, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, Japanese Defense Minister KOIZUMI Shinjirō, UK Secretary of State for Defence Wes Streeting, and Canadian Minister of National Defence David J. McGuinty met in London to discuss Canada’s participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). The Ministers of Italy, Japan and the UK

Environment Agency takes action to maintain River Severn levels

The Environment Agency is taking action to protect water supplies and wildlife in the Midlands as dry weather continues to place pressure on river levels.

The River Severn is one of the UK’s most important rivers, supplying drinking water to around 6 million people while supporting internationally important wildlife and habitats.

The Environment Agency continuously monitors river flows and takes measures to ensure water needs are met while protecting the environment.

If levels drop too low, the river can be topped up by releases of water from 2 reservoirs in

Defence Minister Lord Coaker, keynote speech at Enterprise Gateway, Farnborough International Airshow.

The Enterprise Gateway: Opening Address

Delivered on:

21 July 2026 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

Thank you very much everyone, and good morning. Just the day after our new Prime Minister entered Downing Street and spoke of our commitments to honour, our commitments to strengthen in defence. It’s a great pleasure to join all of you here today to