Of course most of the doom and gloom mainstream media may not be interested in featuring any positive British news stories, but we certainly are.
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 stories from just this week (2nd – 8th October 2023):
20. New £60 million Regional Innovation Fund to boost support for UK universities
A £60 million Regional Innovation Fund that will boost support for universities in areas with lower levels of research and development investment is among new measures to support the research sector and wider public, Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan has announced. The Secretary of State unveiled the scheme alongside the launch of an independent review into sex and gender data gathering and, separately, a commitment of a further £8 million towards artificial intelligence (AI) scholarships that will give 800 more people the opportunity to excel… click here
19. New £88 million sensing equipment to protect UK Armed Forces
UK Armed Forces personnel will be better protected on the battlefield through world-leading chemical detection sensors, under an £88 million contract announced this week. Led by Strategic Command alongside a pan-defence team, thousands of personnel across the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will benefit from wearable personal chemical agent sensors, ensuring they can detect dozens of toxic chemical threats and take immediate action to protect themselves and others… click here
18. National Nature Reserve near Carlisle extended
An additional 8.41 hectares of lowland wet heath at Finglandrigg Woods near Carlisle has been recognised for its importance for nature and the local community. In a formal declaration by Natural England this week the National Nature Reserve has now been extended to cover 87.6 hectares of land. The NNR has a mosaic of habitats and is home to an array of wildlife, including many plants, animals and fungi which together make this site one of the largest wildlife rich areas on the Solway Plain. Finglandrigg Woods, made up of mixed woodlands, purple moor-grass, rush pasture, lowland wet heath and mire, is maintained by Natural England which allows the habitats to thrive… click here
17. £41 million to enhance UK research and innovation clusters
From net zero buildings to agri-tech and semiconductors to photonics, ten new projects will boost UK economic growth and address regional needs. The projects will combine some of the country’s leading engineering and physical sciences research with the ambitions of civic bodies and local business to enhance different regions’ economic capability. Over the next four years, they will help established research and innovation clusters expand and emerging clusters develop and realise their potential. The projects are led by consortia spread across the UK and are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council… click here
16. Cadets’ health and well-being ‘in safe hands’ with new support group
A group of dedicated industry professionals has been created to prioritise the health and well-being of cadets during training, both on land and at sea. Young people are critical to the future of maritime, so it is important they feel safe and supported at every step of their cadet journey. While an opportunity for a new career and adventure, being a cadet is hard work, often with long periods away from home and family, learning new skills and technologies. The aim of the Cadet Welfare Support Group is to protect the cadet throughout this training, ensuring the correct teaching, practice and conditions are consistent throughout… click here
15. Seven Scottish towns to share £140 million to improve long-term future
Seven Scottish towns have been named as part of £1.1 billion levelling up investment being provided to 55 towns across the UK. Clydebank, Coatbridge, Dumfries, Elgin, Irvine, Greenock and Kilmarnock will each receive £20 million from the UK Government as part of a long-term investment plan for towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted. The money will be provided directly by the UK Government to the relevant local authority and we will work with them and the Scottish Government to take a place-centred approach which maximises investment and opportunity… click here
14. UK joins mission to trace Universe back to the Big Bang
The UK will play a crucial role in a landmark mission to trace patterns in the light from space, looking back almost to the Big Bang, bringing us closer to understanding the nature of our Universe and how it began. The LiteBIRD mission (‘Light satellite for the study of B-mode polarisation and Inflation from cosmic background Radiation Detection’) will analyse variations in light left over from the Big Bang, to test whether the current theory of how our Universe expanded immediately after it was formed (cosmological inflation theory) is correct… click here
13. Government to invest £30 million in innovative technology for NHS
Patients across the country will benefit from a £30 million government investment in innovative medical technology (medtech) which will help ease pressures on the NHS this winter and could include the expansion 3D checks that speed up cancer tests and novel logistics solutions such as the use of drones. Available to each region in England, ICSs – organisations that come together in local areas to deliver joined up health and social care services – will be able to invest in the latest technology that can help cut waiting lists, speed up diagnosis and deliver new and improved ways to treat patients… click here
12. Britain’s next-generation quantum computing centre opens in the North West
A new strategy for getting a bigger return on the UK’s membership of CERN launched this week as the Science and Technology Secretary visited the North West to open a next-generation quantum computing centre. Michelle Donelan opened PsiQuantum’s advanced research and development (R&D) facility this week. Backed by £9 million in government funding, it is the Silicon Valley start-up’s first quantum R&D facility anywhere outside the US…. click here
11. UK joins leading nations to form new telecoms coalition and invests £70 million in new future telecoms technologies
The UK is joining forces with leading nations to strengthen coordination on telecoms security, resilience and innovation as a new global coalition is launched this week. Together with Australia, Canada, Japan and the US, the UK will use the coalition to help ensure communications networks can remain resilient and adaptable when confronted with challenges ranging from supply chain disruption to cyber attacks, strengthening the country’s ability to stay connected at the most critical times… click here
10. 200 British soldiers arrive in Kosovo for NATO peacekeeping mission
The first British soldiers of a two hundred-strong deployment have arrived in Pristina to reinforce NATO’s Kosovo Force peacekeeping mission. The deployment is based on a request by NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and comes after the violent attack on Kosovo Police on 24 September and increased tensions in the region. The soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment are joining a more than 400-strong British contingent already in Kosovo as part of an annual exercise… click here
9. 55 towns given £20 million endowment-style funds each over 10 years to invest in local people’s priorities
The government has unveiled 55 towns that will benefit from a £1.1 billion levelling up investment, as part of a long-term plan for towns that provide long-term investment in towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted. Towns that will be given the opportunity to develop a long-term plan supported by a Towns Board include 6 in the North East, 10 in the North West, and 4 in the West Midlands. In total, 55 towns will benefit from the UK-wide approach, including 7 towns in Scotland and 4 in Wales… click here
8. Ukraine is winning. Now let’s finish the job, says Ben Wallace
As the counteroffensive breaks down the Russian lines, Britain must make sure the West stands firm, says former Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace. Whisper it if you need. Dare to think it. But champion it you must. Ukraine’s counteroffensive is succeeding. Slowly but surely, the Ukrainian armed forces are breaking through the Russian lines. Sometimes yard by yard, sometimes village by village, Ukraine has the momentum and is pressing forward. The men and women of the Ukrainian army are, once again, proving to us in Nato how much we have underestimated them… click here
7. Mobile phone use to be banned in schools in England
Mobile phone use should be banned in schools across England to improve behaviour, the Education Secretary Gillian Keegan announced this week. New guidance from the Department for Education will back head teachers in banning mobile phone use throughout the school day, including at break times, to tackle disruptive behaviour and online bullying while boosting attention during lessons. It aims to support the wider work the government is doing to raise standards in schools by increasing students’ focus and reducing distractions… click here
6. ‘Retain and explain’ guidance published to protect UK’s historic statues
Custodians of heritage assets now have access to clear guidance on how to handle calls for their removal or relocation. The new guidance, published this week, follows consideration by the academics and heritage experts of the government-appointed Heritage Advisory Board on how custodians should approach and manage such requests. This toolkit is intended to ensure that heritage decision-makers can access expert advice and good practice to support them to make better and more considered decisions with confidence when deciding how to deal with a heritage asset which may have become the focus of debate. This will help to avoid future occurrences of the hasty, forced, or ill-considered removal of contested assets… click here
5. PM redirects HS2 funding to revolutionise transport across the North and Midlands
A revolution in the country’s transport infrastructure will see billions of pounds redirected from spiralling HS2 costs to build the daily connections that people depend on – unlocking potential, driving growth and transforming communities. The Prime Minister has this week unveiled his vision to deliver the forms of transport that people use the most. The new plans will radically improve travel between and within our cities and towns, and around our local areas – benefitting more people in more places, more quickly… click here
4. BRITISH MADE: £4 billion UK contracts progresses AUKUS submarine design
UK businesses will be behind the design and manufacture of the world’s most advanced submarines, following the awarding of £4 billion of contracts this week. The signing of the Detailed Design and Long Leads (D2L2) Phase with BAE Systems (BAES), Rolls-Royce and Babcock Marine represents a significant milestone for both the UK and the trilateral AUKUS programme as a whole, in the lead up to build the future class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, known as SSN-AUKUS. The contracts totalling £4 billion will progress the programme through… click here
3. Conservative MPs sign tax pledge to never again vote for an increase in overall taxes
A group of Conservative MPs, including Sir Jake Berry, Sir Brandon Lewis, Rt Hon Liz Truss and Dame Priti Patel have signed a pledge to their constituents that notes they will never again vote for an increase in overall taxes. The group of 32 Conservative MPs, including one Former Prime Minister, a Former Leader of the Conservative Party and 9 Former Cabinet Ministers have come together who want to see a new style of politics, and would like to get away from an ever increasing tax burden on their constituents and a belief in a need to grow the economy and allow people to keep more money in their own pockets… click here
2. BREXIT BRITAIN: UK business investment growth soars to highest rate in 25 years
Brexit Britain continues to soar as business investment growth in the UK rises to highest rate in 25 years. According to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), investment in Britain is up by 9.2% in the last year alone. At the end of last week the ONS released its revised figures for business investment in the UK. These show exceptional growth. Not only is the growth rate higher than a year ago, it is higher than before the Referendum and on a quarterly basis is at its highest level in over 25 years… click here
1. The path to a Tory Landslide is now clear… unleash the Great Dame!
No more toothless Tories. It’s time to unleash the great Dame Priti Patel, says Andrew Hunt. Picture this. It’s January 2025, Dame Priti Patel is on the dance-floor flanked by a jubilant Farage and Johnson. The Conservative Party has just romped home with a 200 seat majority. From Liverpool to Llandudno, the country is a sea of blue. Outside you can hear the cheering crowds. A new generation of engaged voters has emerged: inspired by pro-British, democratic, true blue politics. The camera cuts to a tired Keir Starmer, his face nearly as grey as his hair… click here
For last week’s top 20 Great British news stories (25th September – 1st October 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.
Have you joined the CDO yet?
Last Sunday we hosted a gala dinner in Manchester with our sister organisation the CDO. We were thrilled so many incredible Conservative MPs, peers and special guests were able to join us, all fighting to promote a democratic party and protect conservatism.
Join us and the thousands of Conservatives fighting every day to promote a democratic party. We must save the party we love… and our country. You can sign up for free at www.conservativedems.co.uk
