Written Statements

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

Tuesday 14 October 2025

British Steel

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Chris McDonald)]

The Government committed to updating Parliament on British Steel every four sitting weeks for the duration of the period of special measures being applied under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025.

The Government’s priority remains to maintain the safe operation of the blast furnaces at British Steel. To that end, Government officials are continuing to provide on-site support to continue steel production, ensure that health and safety issues are being remedied, stabilise operations and improve the steady state of the business.

Work continues to develop an impact assessment, which will be published in due course following Regulatory Policy Committee scrutiny. We are also continuing work on regulations under section 7 of the Act, to introduce a compensation scheme for steel undertakings that have received a notice under the Act.

On funding, the position remains that all Government funding for British Steel will be drawn from existing budgets, within the spending envelope set out at spring statement 2025. To date, we have provided approximately £235 million for working capital, covering items such as raw materials, salaries, and addressing unpaid bills, including for SMEs in the supply chain. This will be reflected in the Department for Business and Trade’s accounts for 2025-26.

As we have stated previously, our long-term aspiration for British Steel will require co-investment with the private sector to enable modernisation and decarbonisation, support jobs, safeguard taxpayers’ money and retain steelmaking in Scunthorpe. However, this will not be without challenges. Jingye acquired a troubled business in 2020 and it has faced challenging market conditions and circumstances in the years since. The company has not been able to overcome these difficulties and achieve profitability at British Steel. But this Government remain committed to restoring the long-term viability of steelmaking at Scunthorpe, and the UK steel sector as a whole, and we continue to see tangible benefits resulting from the wide-ranging actions we have taken, such as tackling high electricity prices via the uplift to the British industry supercharger and changing Government procurement rules.

International trade

Last month, the United States confirmed that the UK will not face an increase in metals tariffs to 50% and will remain the only country in the world to benefit from a preferential 25% rate on steel, aluminium and derivative exports to the US. This provides the certainty that UK industry has long been calling for. The UK is uniquely positioned as the only country to have secured this commitment, giving our companies a 25% competitive advantage over global competitors. It further strengthens the UK’s reputation as a trusted supplier of high-quality steel and aluminium. We continue to work closely with our US counterparts to reduce tariffs further and secure the best possible outcomes for UK manufacturers.

On 10 October, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Digital Economy (Liz Lloyd CBE), joined Ministers from partner countries at the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity ministerial in Gqeberha, South Africa. At the meeting, Ministers agreed to develop a comprehensive framework for joint action to address global steel excess capacity by June 2026.

On 7 October, the EU announced a new steel trade measure, which will replace its existing steel safeguard, which includes significantly reduced quota sizes and a higher out of tariff rate replacing its current safeguard. This decision is not targeted at the UK but will be highly concerning for many of our steel producers and their workers.

We will always defend our critical steel industry and have already engaged the EU at ministerial and official level to understand the details of this proposal. It is vital that we protect trade flows between the UK and EU, and we hope there is a way to work with our closest allies to address global challenges rather than adding to our industries’ woes. We reserve the right to take any action in response to any changes to our trading relationships.

In addition, we will ensure we have robust protections in place for our sector. We amended the steel safeguard to make it more effective in June and we continue to explore stronger trade measures to protect UK steel producers.

Steel procurement

We have now published the steel pipeline of UK public infrastructure projects taking place over the next few years and have announced targeted action to provide relief on electricity network charges via the British industry supercharger. We remain committed to publishing the steel strategy, which will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure and expand UK steelmaking capability.

Liberty Steel

As Members will be aware, Liberty Speciality Steel UK entered compulsory liquidation on 21 August. On 2 September, my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon West (Sarah Jones), delivered an oral statement to the House, providing reassurance that there would be no immediate changes to the company’s operations or the status of employees’ jobs.

I recognise that this continues to be an unsettling time for the SSUK staff, their families and the local community. Responsibility for the day-to-day management of the process, including ensuring employees continue to be paid, now lies with the independent official receiver and the appointed special managers. Following the official receiver’s recommendation, the Government have agreed to initiate a sales process. This offers the potential to safeguard jobs and preserve steelmaking capability. To facilitate this, the Government have provided funding to the official receiver to enable him to carry out his duties effectively.

The Government are committed to securing a positive outcome for the SSUK sites, one that delivers a sustainable, commercially viable future for steel production. More broadly, we remain committed to supporting a sustainable and prosperous future for the whole of the UK steel industry. We are taking decisive steps to revitalise the sector after years of neglect, working to secure good jobs in Scunthorpe and other proud steelmaking communities for the long term.

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Jaguar Land Rover: Government Support

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Chris McDonald)]

On 28 September the Secretary of State for Business and Trade announced that the Government are supporting Jaguar Land Rover through a guarantee provided by UK Export Finance for a commercial loan.

JLR is a major exporter and employer, supporting around 34,000 UK jobs directly, and a further 120,000 in its supply chain, but over the summer it was the victim of a prolonged cyber-attack, causing it to suspend much of its business operation.

Ministers recognised that the risk to JLR’s supply chain was far reaching, and that it is in the national interest for UKEF to issue this guarantee. The loan, which will be repaid over five years, will help ensure that JLR has liquidity to maintain operations, as well as to direct to suppliers as appropriate. UKEF will receive a premium, ensuring that the Government are appropriately compensated for the risk taken, and to cover administrative costs.

Providing a guarantee for a commercial loan to JLR is an expedient route to relieve the pressure being experienced by the supply chain. JLR already has an established relationship with its various suppliers, with whom it will work in a constructive and informed manner as production restarts. The Government moved to protect thousands of jobs and potentially billions of pounds in export earnings.

Cyber-security of the UK is a key priority for this Government, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the National Cyber Security Centre have been taking significant action to help protect businesses against cyber-attacks. This includes providing businesses with the tools, advice and support to protect themselves from cyber-threats, including free training for boards and staff. We have also put in place:

The cyber governance code of practice, which shows boards and directors how to effectively manage the digital risks to their organisation.

The highly effective cyber essentials scheme to prevent common attacks, reducing the likelihood of a cyber insurance claim by 92%. The certification scheme includes automatic cyber liability insurance for any UK organisation who certifies their whole organisation and has less than £20 million annual turnover.

As the decision was made over recess, I am notifying Parliament at the earliest opportunity. Notification has been sent separately to the Chairs of the Public Accounts Committee and the Business and Trade Select Committee.

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UK Export Finance: Contingencies Fund

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The Export Credits Guarantee Department—operating as UK Export Finance—is seeking a repayable cash advance from the Contingencies Fund, following budget changes to an IT project to improve its transaction record systems. This is essential to meet the operational needs of the Department and its work supporting exporters.

Parliamentary approval for additional capital of £2,728,000 will be sought in a supplementary estimate for the Export Credits Guarantee Department. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £2,728,000 will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.

The cash advance will be repaid following Royal Assent to the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Bill.

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Flood and Coastal Erosion Resilience and Investment

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

I wish to update the House on actions we are taking to strengthen resilience to flood and coastal risks in England, including investment and reforms to the Government’s flood investment policy.

Over the last year, this Government have made significant progress by committing record investment in flood and coastal erosion defences; introducing the most significant change in flood and coastal erosion funding policy for nearly 15 years; and building partnerships to improve flood preparedness and resilience.

The Environment Agency’s annual Flood Action Week is running this week (13 to 19 October 2025). The objective is to build public awareness of all sources of flood risk and promote action to increase community and property flood resilience. I ask all parliamentarians to actively promote flood preparedness and encourage their constituents to join the 1.6 million users who have already signed up to receive Environment Agency flood warnings via gov.uk. This will ensure that they receive timely alerts to help them decide how to act. Taking action to prepare and knowing what to do in a flood can significantly reduce the short-term and long-term impacts.

There will be a range of events during Flood Action Week. Yesterday the Environmental Audit Committee published its report focusing on how flood resilience can be strengthened in response to increasing risks. The Government will consider its report and recommendations and will reply in due course. Also yesterday, the Secretary of State attended the Flood Re reception launching the new FloodMobile, ahead of its tour across the country this week to help communities understand their flood risk and how to prepare. Today I am attending the Environment Agency’s reception, where parliamentarians can discuss the new flood awareness toolkit. This sets out who to contact in a flood and the actions to take to support communities before, during and after a flood. Parliamentarians will also be able to meet with their Environment Agency area director to learn about work being undertaken in their constituency to manage flood risk.

Economic growth is the No. 1 mission in the Government’s plan for change. Increasing resilience to flooding and coastal erosion plays an important role in delivering this by protecting communities and farmland from billions of pounds of damages.

Despite a challenging fiscal context, we are making a record £10.5 billion investment, and delivering the largest flood and coastal investment programme in history. Communities across every region of England are benefiting from greater resilience. This includes:

investing £2.65 billion between 2024-25 and 2025-26, to build and maintain flood and coastal defences;

as part of that, redirecting £108 million into urgent flood and coastal defence maintenance to halt the decline of flood asset condition following years of under investment;

and committing a record £7.9 billion in capital funding between 2026 and 2036 to build and maintain flood and coastal defences, as part of the Government’s 10-year infrastructure strategy.

This investment is making a difference now, ahead of the winter. Since July last year, the Environment Agency has delivered 151 flood defence schemes, better protecting over 24,000 homes and businesses. It is poised to deliver more, across all of England, benefiting thousands of homes, supporting economic growth and unlocking new land for development.

We need to use our record investment programme as effectively and efficiently as possible. Today, the Government are therefore announcing major reforms to the flood funding policy, following a public consultation over the summer. The reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right defences in the right places by simplifying flood funding rules. The new approach is more agile, allowing the Environment Agency to respond to both current and future flood risk through its investment.

The new rules will apply from the start of the new flood and coastal investment programme in April 2026. The new rules provide more assurance on the level of funding flood and coastal schemes will receive, increasing investor confidence, closing funding gaps and reducing the administrative burden on local communities. New flood and coastal defence schemes will be eligible for the first £3 million of costs, and 90% of costs above this amount. We will encourage public, private, and charitable contributions, making every pound of Government investment go further.

We need to address the condition of flood and coast defence assets, reversing their declining condition. The funding rules will optimise funding between new flood projects and maintaining existing defence assets. An integrated set of outcome metrics will support allocation of funding towards the most beneficial interventions. Furthermore, we will make capital refurbishment of existing flood defences eligible for full funding. We will put the Environment Agency and other risk management authorities on an equal footing for accessing funding.

The funding rules will ensure best value for taxpayers’ money. All flood and coastal defences, new, improved, and refurbished, will be prioritised based on value for money and delivery of the Government’s new strategic flood and coastal erosion investment objectives. These include guaranteeing that deprived communities receive investment, unlocking additional partnership contributions, and increasing the use of natural flood management. This includes a commitment to invest over £300 million in natural flood management between 2026 and ’36.

Alongside this, we are supporting increased use of property flood resilience, equipping property owners with the knowledge to take practical action that can help reduce damage from flooding. This week sees the launch of Professor Peter Bonfield’s property flood resilience review, Flood Ready, an action plan to build the resilience of people and properties. The actions partners have committed to taking will increase confidence in property flood resilience measures and help to grow the market. The Government welcome this important review and its recommendations.

Internal drainage boards deliver essential work to manage water levels, reduce flood risk and enhance biodiversity, predominantly in rural areas. The Government are supporting them, including through their internal drainage board fund. In the past year, we provided an additional £16 million, bringing total funding to £91 million, the largest ever one-off funding for internal drainage boards. This investment is helping to modernise and upgrade assets, providing benefits to over 400,000 hectares of farmland and over 200,000 properties to date, while reducing annual charges for farmers and local authorities.

It is only through partnership that we can tackle challenges such as flood and coastal risk, which are on the frontline of experiencing the impacts of climate change. As set out in the manifesto, the Government set up their floods resilience taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and improve preparedness, especially ahead of the autumn and winter flood season. The taskforce brings together experts and decision makers from across national Government, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office and the Flood Forecasting Centre. Other taskforce members include representatives from local and regional government, including lead local flood authorities, local resilience forums, and English regional mayors. The National Fire Chiefs Council and National Police Chiefs Council, and representatives from industry, civil society, and the devolved Governments are also members.

In the last year, taskforce members assessed the national and local response to autumn and winter flooding, following 2024 being one of the wettest years on record and including five named winter storms. They also improved national flood modelling, simplified the system of weather and flood related warnings, exercised national coordination arrangements, and raised awareness of flood recovery schemes.

The Flood Forecasting Centre helped deliver significant improvements to the flood forecasting service, including by giving rapid updates on flood risks from surface water, which helped first responders in their decision-making to protect lives. My thanks to the Met Office and Environment Agency for their excellent work.

I am grateful to the Cabinet Office, which developed the risk vulnerability tool in partnership with the Office for National Statistics, as well as national guidance for local resilience forums on identifying and supporting persons who are vulnerable in an emergency. These will both help to improve flood resilience.

Taskforce members established three member-led action groups, on flood warnings, flood recovery, and flood insurance, building long-term momentum on these critical issues. They assisted partners in understanding the changing risk picture in the new national flood risk assessment, and made corresponding improvements to flood forecasting capabilities, making us all safer.

The personal impact of flooding is immeasurable. Insurance plays a key role in enabling recovery. Flood Re has provided cover for over 340,000 household policies over the past year, meaning 650,000 properties have benefited since the scheme’s launch, and 99% of householders at high risk of flooding can obtain quotes from 10 or more insurers because of the scheme. This week, I met industry partners for a second flood insurance roundtable. We focused on how the sector can better support households at flood risk, examining access to affordable insurance, future challenges, and practical steps to promote property resilience while maintaining mortgage availability.

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Afghanistan

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Mr Hamish Falconer)]

Today I am updating the House on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, and the UK Government’s continued support for those most in need. Instability in Afghanistan continues to matter to the UK, creating risks of terrorism, a resurgence in illegal narcotic production and irregular migration.

The humanitarian situation remains of grave concern, and the people of Afghanistan have endured yet another tragedy following a major earthquake that struck Kunar province on 31 August, devastating fragile communities, killing 2,200 people and injuring over 3,600. The aftermath will have a disproportionate and lasting impact on women and girls. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has released £4 million in emergency funding to deliver critical healthcare and emergency supplies to those affected. This includes support for clean water and emergency shelter, essential hygiene items for women, maternal care and psychological support to address the most acute needs of women and girls. These funds are channelled directly through the United Nations, the Red Cross and non-governmental organisations with a track record of delivery in the affected area.

This disaster is compounding an already dire humanitarian situation. In 2025, nearly 23 million people require humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. This includes over 12 million people facing acute food insecurity, 14 million people with limited access to healthcare, and nearly 8 million women and children requiring nutrition assistance. The convergence of prolonged drought and mass returns from neighbouring countries risks triggering even further deterioration. Between January and September, over 2 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan. On 29 September Afghanistan faced a nationwide shutdown of internet services. While connectivity has been mostly restored, any future disruption would pose a serious threat to the delivery of lifesaving assistance and would further isolate marginalised communities.

As needs are rising, we are facing a global decline in humanitarian funding, leaving critical gaps. Between January and August 2025, more than 400 health facilities have closed or suspended services. The United Nations population fund reports that about 30% of its facilities offering sexual and reproductive health services have also closed, affecting an estimated 4 million Afghan women and girls with limited or no access to services. Needs continue to outstrip resources, and we are particularly concerned about the impact of winter on remote communities, where there is a growing risk that increasing malnutrition will result in the preventable deaths of vulnerable children. Recognising this, the UK Government are committing £7 million to pre-position essential food and nutrition supplies, to provide a lifeline for targeted communities, and have called on other donors to step up their support. This funding will potentially reach hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Afghans over the winter period. No UK Government funding goes directly to or through the Taliban. All funding is provided directly to implementing partners who are highly experienced at delivering in difficult circumstances and ensuring that aid is only used to help those most in need. We have robust third-party monitoring for all our official development assistance funded programmes, to provide additional assurance that money is used for the intended purposes.

The UK Government continue to play a leading role in responding to this crisis. In the 2024-25 financial year, UK aid provided humanitarian assistance to at least 2.7 million people, including over 1.7 million women and girls. As part of the UK’s humanitarian assistance, at least 1.2 million people were reached with essential health services, at least 324,000 people with food assistance and at least 513,000 lactating women and children under five with nutrition-related interventions. Afghanistan remains one of the FCDO’s largest bilateral aid programmes, with £151 million allocated for this financial year. Our new climate resilience and livelihoods programme will help around half a million Afghans to become more self-sufficient in their food needs and to adapt to water stress and flood risk over the next year.

We are using our influence to press for a more sustainable global response. On 17 July, Baroness Chapman co-launched the joint flagship initiative, First Foods Afghanistan, with UNICEF in London. We have committed £8 million to this project to tackle the drivers of malnutrition. In November we will host a dedicated conference to galvanise broader international support for this critical issue. On 29 and 30 September, the UK’s special representative for Afghanistan hosted G7 and other senior counterparts in London to discuss the security, humanitarian, economic and political challenges in Afghanistan, emphasising the importance of co-ordinated international engagement and advocating for the global aid response is to be as efficient as possible in the context of reduced funding and rising needs. We are bringing together donors and operational partners to forge lasting solutions to malnutrition.

We have been working closely with the international community to press the Taliban to adhere to their international commitments on human rights. We continue to engage with the Taliban to urge them to provide humanitarian access and to call out their abhorrent policies towards women and girls. The UK’s resolve to support the Afghan people for the long term remains unwavering. We continue to work with international partners to hold the Taliban to account, to ensure that Afghanistan’s crisis remains high on the global agenda and that our assistance reaches those who need it most, particularly women and girls.

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Primary Care Clinicians: Jess’s Rule

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

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

On 23 September, this Government announced the introduction of Jess’s rule—“three strikes and we rethink”—in England. Under this new rule, we are asking GPs and other clinical staff working in primary care to reflect, review and rethink when a patient comes in for the third time with the same symptom or concern.

Re-evaluation may be particularly important if the condition remains unexpectedly unresolved, the symptoms are worsening, or there is still no confirmed diagnosis. Listening carefully to the patient’s symptoms and concerns, and recognising that they are an expert in their own body, remains crucial.

This call for change follows the tragic death of Jess Brady in December 2020. Jess was just 27 when she died of stage 4 adenocarcinoma. In the five months leading up to her death, she had 20 appointments with her GP practice. Tragically, her cancer remained undiagnosed until she was admitted to hospital, by which time it was too late. Her story, and the tireless efforts of her parents Andrea and Simon Brady, prompted an important and necessary reflection on how we can better support clinical teams in identifying serious conditions earlier, especially in younger adults, whose symptoms may not always align with typical diagnostic expectations. Her story should never be forgotten.

This initiative is jointly led by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, and is supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners, reflecting a united commitment to improving early diagnosis and patient safety across the healthcare system.

At its heart, Jess’s rule provides clear, structured guidance that sharpens and reinforces the intuition which so often saves lives. It is there to back those instincts with a prompt for timely, proactive action when something does not feel right. By reviewing patient records and questioning initial assumptions, we hope to ensure that fewer serious conditions are missed, especially among young adults who may not fit typical diagnostic patterns.

We know that the practice of “three strikes and rethink” is commonplace. Every day, clinicians across the country are doing an extraordinary job, making complex decisions under immense pressure, often with limited time and information. Jess’s rule is designed to support them in this challenging work, offering a prompt for reflection and reinforcing the instincts they already rely on every day.

I want to pay tribute to Jess’s parents, Andrea and Simon. They have shown extraordinary courage and determination in the face of unimaginable loss. They have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of Jess’s story, and to ensure that what happened to Jess drives lasting change in how we think, how we listen, and how we act in primary care.

I would like to recognise the work of Dr Claire Fuller, Dr Kiren Collison and the entire team at NHS England. Jess’s story is included in the “Primary Care Patient Safety Strategy”, published in 2024, which highlight the importance of re-evaluation when a diagnosis remains unclear. Dr Fuller’s leadership has been instrumental in developing and embedding Jess’s rule.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the support of the Royal College of General Practitioners in taking this work forward. Under the leadership of Professor Kamila Hawthorne, the RCGP has partnered with Jess’s family’s charity, the CEDAR Trust, to develop an online resource to support GPs in earlier cancer detection. This resource is available to all healthcare professionals registered on the RCGP’s learning platform.

Jess’s rule is more than a clinical process, It is a vital step toward ensuring that patient concerns are taken seriously, that patterns are reviewed carefully, and that every opportunity is used to identify serious conditions as early as possible. We owe that to Jess. And we owe it to every patient who places their trust in our health system when they seek help.

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Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)]

The Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood), is today laying before the House a statement of changes in immigration rules.

Introduction of a visit visa requirement for nationals of Botswana

We are today introducing a visa requirement on all visitors from Botswana. This will come into force at 15:00 British Summer Time today. Nationals of Botswana will also be required to obtain a direct airside transit visa if they intend to transit via the UK, having booked travel to another country.

Nationals of Botswana will no longer be eligible to apply for an electronic travel authorisation for travel to the UK.

There will be a six-week, visa-free transition period for those who already hold an ETA and have a confirmed booking to the UK obtained on or before 15:00 BST 14 October 2025, where arrival in the UK is no later than 15:00 GMT 25 November 2025.

Arrangements are in place so that nationals of Botswana can apply for visas. We are publicising the changes so travellers are aware and can plan accordingly.

We are taking this action due to an increase in the number of nationals of Botswana travelling to the UK for purposes other than those permitted under visitor rules. This has included a significant number of asylum claims since 2022. This adds to operational pressures at the border and on the asylum system, and results in frontline resource being diverted from other operational priorities.

The decision to introduce a visa requirement has been taken solely for migration and border security reasons. Our relationship with Botswana, as a Commonwealth partner, remains a strong one. Any decision to change a visa requirement status is not taken lightly. We keep the border and immigration system under regular review to ensure it continues to work in the UK national interest.

High potential individual—targeted and capped expansion

As the immigration White Paper also set out, we are going further in ensuring that the very highly skilled have opportunities to come to the UK and access our targeted routes for the brightest and best international talent. That is why today we are introducing changes, doubling the number of universities whose graduates can use the route and capping the number of places that are available in this route at 8,000 per year.

Students transitioning to the innovator founder route

The immigration White Paper also set out that we would make changes to further support entrepreneurial talents currently studying at UK universities, so that they can build their business and career in the UK after completing their course. We are therefore amending the conditions given to students to enable them to start work on their business while they are transitioning to the innovator founder route.

Change to reduce the duration of stay under the graduate route to 18 months

The Government announced in the immigration White Paper that it will reduce the period of leave granted under the graduate route from two years to 18 months for most applicants. PhD graduates will continue to be eligible for three years of permission. This change is informed by data showing that too many graduates are not progressing into graduate-level employment, which is what the graduate route was created to facilitate access to. It is intended to ensure that those who remain in the UK transition into graduate-level jobs and properly contribute to the UK economy.

Changes to English language requirements for economic migration routes

As the immigration White Paper, published in May 2025, set out, we are increasing the English language requirement to level B2 for those work routes—specifically the skilled worker, high potential individual and scale up routes—where a level B1 requirement currently applies. This change will come into force on 8 January and will apply to those applying for an initial permission in the affected routes from that date. The change will help to ensure that those who wish to build their life in the UK are better able to integrate into life in the UK. Other changes to English language requirements set out in the White Paper, including the introduction of such requirements for dependants in work and study routes, will be included in future changes to the immigration rules.

These changes to the immigration rules are being laid on 14 October 2025. For the changes that introduce a visit visa requirement for nationals of Botswana, due to the need to safeguard the operation of the UK’s immigration system, those changes will come into effect at 15:00 on 14 October 2025. All other changes will come into effect on various dates from 4 November, as detailed in the statement of changes.

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