Once again there’s been plenty of positive British news this week.
You might not hear about it on the BBC or most other news outlets, but remember positive things are happening across our great nation.
Keep checking in with the Conservative Post to see good news every day – the resurgence of British manufacturing, how our military is flying the flag across the world, positive policy making, global trade deals, our wonderful royals and many other things to be proud of.
Here are our 20 best read and most shared positive news stories from just this week (26th June – 2nd July 2023):
20. Communities across the UK to benefit from latest allocations of £150 million Community Ownership Fund
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have these week announced the latest allocations from the second round of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund. The funding will help community groups take ownership of local institutions that have fallen into disrepair or are under threat of closure and give them a new lease of life. This will ensure they continue to provide vital services, create opportunities and boost local economies, while restoring optimism, hope and pride in UK communities… click here
19. Team GB women’s rugby sevens win European Games GOLD
The rugby sevens programme at the European Games concluded in style with two fiercely contested finals landing a gold for the women’s squad and silver for the men’s. The gold medal for the women secures them a quota place at Paris 2024, guaranteeing 13 athletes their ticket to the Games – and making them the first team sport to qualify for Team GB. The women’s squad came up against a determined Polish side in the gold medal match. Backed by the noise of the home crowd, the hosts came hard out of the blocks but ultimately fell short against the precision and pace of a determined British side, who claimed their place on the top of the podium with a scoreline of 33 – 0… click here
18. Huge broadband boost for 218,000 rural homes and businesses in Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire
Homes and businesses in southern and eastern parts of England are set to benefit from new lightning-fast broadband connections backed by almost £320 million of UK government investment. People living and working in rural parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire are set to have their ability to bank online, conduct business, shop, communicate and stream entertainment transformed thanks to the latest contracts signed as part of Project Gigabit, the government’s £5 billion mission to roll out gigabit-capable, reliable broadband across the UK… click here
17. Huge WIN for shark conservation as UK introduces law banning international shark fin trade
“Today is a huge win for shark conservation and a real cause for celebration. Sharks are beautiful and incredibly complex animals, but sadly frequently misunderstood” – Steve Backshall MBE. The Shark Fins Act passed into law this week, marking a major step in cementing the UK as a global leader in shark conservation. The Act will ban the import and export of detached shark fins, including all products containing shark fins such as tinned shark fin soup. Shark finning is the cruel and wasteful practice of removing a shark’s fins at sea and discarding the finless body back in the water… click here
16. Supporting farmers to create or restore 45,000 miles of British hedgerows by 2050
Plans to better support farmers to protect hedgerows outside of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) have been set out by government this week. Hedgerows bring a wealth of environmental benefits, acting as wildlife corridors to help halt species decline, slowing soil erosion and water run-off, supporting crop pollinators for food production, and taking carbon out of the atmosphere… click here
15. New lung cancer screening roll out to detect cancer sooner
A national targeted lung cancer screening programme designed to catch cancer sooner or prevent it altogether has been announced by the government. Each year the programme – which will cost £270 million annually once fully implemented – is expected to detect as many as 9,000 people with cancer, deliver almost one million scans and provide treatment earlier. The rollout follows a successful opening phase where approximately 70% of the screening took place in mobile units parked in convenient places – such as supermarket car parks – to ensure easy access and focused on more deprived areas… click here
14. New UK investment zones announced to grow the economy in Scotland
Glasgow City Region and North East of Scotland will be Scotland’s Investment Zones following an agreement between the UK Government and Scottish Government. The pace at which the agreement was developed is testament to the strength of partnership between the two governments and what can be achieved when there is a focus on delivering economic growth and opportunity for people in Scotland. Investment Zones are a crucial part of levelling up, and are designed to deliver economic growth, more high skill jobs, investment, and future opportunities for local people – a key priority for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak… click here
13. Prisoners with addiction or mental health issues no longer to be released on Fridays as new Bill becomes law
Thousands of prisoners vulnerable to addiction, mental health issues or homelessness will no longer be released on Fridays as a new Bill to reduce reoffending becomes law this week. Around one in three leave custody on a Friday – giving them just a few short hours to access critical support, such as finding a bed for the night, registering with a GP and signing up with the job centre, before services shut for the weekend. The Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill received Royal Assent this week and gives prison governors the power to release… click here
12. Cornwall gets a new Site of Special Scientific Interest with 3,044 hectares now protected
Cornwall has a new Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with the confirmation this week of protected status for West Penwith Moors and Downs. The confirmation will mean that 3,044 hectares of some of the country’s wildest and most dramatic nature rich habitat is now protected. Penwith Moors has a long history of agriculture and livestock grazing, with many of the 4,000-year-old field systems still used for their original purpose. Natural England values these deep traditions that have created the nature-rich place… click here
11. Great Love campaign highlights UK as open and welcoming place to invest
Pride campaign supports Great’s work boosting inward investment into the UK. The UK has helped to spread Pride across the world by taking part in a series of parades and events to mark Pride Month during June. The UK’s appearance at the events was led by the GREAT Campaign, which works to drive economic growth across the UK by encouraging international audiences to visit, study and do business with the UK. Back in 2013, the UK became the first country in the world to take part in a foreign Pride Parade… click here
10. Government agrees action plan with regulators to support consumers
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt agreed a new action plan with regulators to ensure consumers are being treated fairly and help those struggling to make payments. As part of the government’s plan to halve inflation this year, the Chancellor chaired a roundtable yesterday with CEOs from the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Ofcom, Ofgem and Ofwat. Jeremy Hunt made clear his expectation that regulators work at pace to guarantee markets are working properly. With wholesale energy prices and other input costs now beginning to fall… click here
9. Boost for UK economy as Financial Services and Markets Bill receives Royal Assent
A landmark Bill to regain control of the financial services rulebook has been granted Royal Assent this week. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 is central to delivering the Government’s vision to grow the economy and create an open, sustainable, and technologically advanced financial services sector. It seizes the opportunities of Brexit by tailoring financial services regulation to fit UK markets. The Act bolsters the competitiveness of the UK as a global financial centre and delivers better outcomes for consumers and businesses. It contains new powers – available due to Brexit… click here
8. Working parents to benefit from childcare boost worth up to £1,630 per month
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has raised how much parents on Universal Credit can claim for childcare – up to £951 a month for one child and £1,630 for two or more children. This is an increase of 47% from the previous limits, which were £646 for one child or £1,108 for two or more children. The Government is also helping eligible parents cover the costs for the first month of childcare when they enter work or increase their hours. Those parents will now receive up to 85% of those childcare costs back before their next month’s bills are due – meaning they should have money to pay one month in advance going forward… click here
7. New law imposes fresh sanctions on Russia accessing UK legal expertise
Wealthy individuals and big businesses linked to the Russian regime will be further restricted from accessing UK legal expertise to carry out deals that could bolster the nation’s war chest – further ratcheting up pressure on President Putin’s government. A new law introduced today (29 June) by the government will prevent UK lawyers from advising Russian companies in certain business deals – thwarting the nation from benefitting economically from the UK’s world-leading legal expertise. This could include trade deals between global corporations, or international money lending… click here
6. Abusers who share intimate images without consent to face up to 6 months in prison
Abusers, predators and bitter ex-partners who share intimate images online without consent of those depicted will face jail time under new measures announced this week. New amendments to the Online Safety Bill will protect victims of so-called “revenge porn” by changing current laws which require the prosecution to prove that perpetrators shared sexual images or films in order to cause distress. Removing the need for lawyers to prove the intention of distress will make it easier to charge and convict someone who shares intimate images without consent… click here
5. Record recruitment and reform to boost patient care under first NHS Long Term Workforce Plan
Record numbers of doctors, nurses, dentists and other healthcare staff will be trained in England as part of the first ever Long Term Workforce Plan published by the NHS and backed by the Government this week. Coming ahead of the health service’s 75th anniversary, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how the NHS will address existing vacancies and meet the challenges of a growing and ageing population by recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over 15 years and working in new ways… click here
4. UK Export Finance backs British exporters with £6.5 billion helping support 55,000 UK jobs
“Whether it’s supporting the construction of hospitals in Africa or supplying next generation all-electric quad bikes to North America, demand for British products and services remains high.” UK Export Finance has provided £6.5 billion to help UK companies, particularly small and medium-sized businesses which has helped support up to 55,000 jobs in communities across the UK and contributed up to £4.1 billion to the economy. Hundreds of UK businesses ranging from suppliers of solar batteries to life-saving medical equipment have benefited from £6.5 billion in UK… click here
3. UK solidifies its reputation as science superpower with world-leading fusion energy development
Britain has long been at the forefront of world-leading – and world-changing – scientific breakthroughs and innovations. And fusion energy is no different.” The engineering designs of UKAEA’s prototype fusion energy plant, STEP, sited in Nottinghamshire, will be developed in a highly immersive and connected virtual environment, known as the ‘Industrial Metaverse’. The collaboration between UKAEA, Dell Technologies, Intel and the University of Cambridge will explore how supercomputers – capable of making up to one quintillion calculations per second… click here
2. UK’s online Safety Bill to be global standard for protecting children
Children and adults across the UK will be better protected by the pioneering Online Safety Bill thanks to several critical amendments made by the government as it passes through the House of Lords. Planned rules to prevent children from viewing pornography, content that promotes suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders have been bolstered, supporting the Prime Minister’s commitment of building a better future for our children and grandchildrenUpdates to the Bill will hold services that publish or allow pornography on their sites to a new higher standard on the age verification or age estimation tools they use, meaning they will have to ensure that these are highly effective in establishing whether a user is a child or not… click here
1. Billions in foreign investment sees thousands of new jobs across the UK
Tens of thousands of new jobs are being created across the UK thanks to billions of pounds of foreign investment, helping the Government’s priority to grow the economy and levelling-up across the UK. New government statistics published this week reveal that over 1,600 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects will create nearly 80,000 jobs across every part of the UK, with Scotland, Wales, Northern England, the Midlands and the South West seeing significant gains. Northern England has seen huge gains, with Yorkshire and The Humber landing 103 FDI projects which will create 7,378 new jobs – an increase of 97% on 2021/22 and 423% on 2020/21 – while in the North West and North East, 198 projects are set to create 8,867 jobs… click here
For last week’s Top 20 Great British news stories (19th – 25th June 2023) click here.
By Claire Bullivant
Conservative Post, Founder and Editor
If you enjoy our positive news service please consider donating to our journalism fund so we can grow our editorial team, protect conservative journalism and keep spreading the best of British news.
The secure link to donate through Stripe is here. Thank you.
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter
To donate to the Conservative Post and support positive journalism please click here.
PLEASE lend your support and sign Dame Andrea Jenkyn’s petition below which will be presented to Rishi Sunak by Dame Andrea and Conservative Post Editor Claire Bullivant…
