The External Affairs team

Government news and campaigns

Crime and Policing Bill introduced

The Crime and Policing Bill, which is central to the government’s Plan for Change and Safer Streets mission, has been introduced in Parliament and begins its journey to becoming law.

It will include measures to address the highest-harm crimes impacting society, such as knife crime, violence against women and girls, cybercrime, child sexual abuse, and terrorism.

Read more here.

Government pledges to protect more women from violence

This International Women’s Day, as statistics show that a woman is killed on average every 3 days in the UK, the government has reiterated its commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

For the past 10 years, Jess Phillips has read the names of women suspected of being killed by men on International Women’s Day, provided by the Femicide Census. But this year she read out the names for the first time from the front benches as a Home Office Minister, and reiterated that ensuring our streets and homes are safer for women is now a top government priority.

Read more here.

Young people urged to ‘Think Fraud’ over rent offers

Young people aged between 18 and 39 account for almost three quarters of cases of rental fraud, according to exclusive National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) data released by the Home Office.

Rental fraudsters typically target their victims by offering access to properties that do not exist, or which are not theirs to rent, often using fake details and photos, and usually offering prices at well below market rate.

Read more here.

Greater protection for domestic abuse victims in Cleveland

Victims and their friends, families or support workers in the area can now apply for a Domestic Abuse Protection Order at Teesside Combined Court Centre. Police can also apply on their behalf for protection against abusers.

DAPOs can provide stronger protection for victims as they can impose exclusion zones through tagging and mandate attendance at behaviour change programmes.

Read more here.

UK to extend electronic travel to European visitors

The UK government is taking the last major step in the rollout of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for the millions of visitors who pass through the UK border every year. From 5 March, eligible Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need one to travel to the UK from Wednesday 2 April 2025.

Read more here.

UK and Vietnam sign joint communiqué at annual migration dialogue

The UK has signed a joint communiqué with the Government of Vietnam at the third annual UK-Vietnam Migration Dialogue, hosted in Hanoi, agreeing to build on our joint work to prevent the exploitation of irregular migrants, disrupt criminal gang operations, strengthen intelligence sharing and return those with no right to be in the UK. 

The joint communiqué includes a series of commitments to further co-operation.

Read more here.

UK expands campaign to stop migrant smugglers and their lies

Digital advertising has launched in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) as part of the government’s international campaign to warn prospective migrants about people smugglers’ lies, expanding on the campaigns in Vietnam and Albania.

Read more here.

New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs

New measures to tackle people-smuggling gangs have been agreed by the UK and France, with over £7 million of existing funds redirected towards a stronger law enforcement response on migrant channel crossings, as ⁠Yvette Cooper meets with French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, the first Home Secretary visit to Northern France in almost 5 years.

Read more here.

News from other departments

DCMS – Deliver You

DCMS have launched a national survey and engagement campaign ‘Deliver You’ to encourage young people to tell the Government what really matters to them.

The survey, which can be accessed here, will be live until Wednesday 16 April 2025, enabling DCMS to put the views of young people at the heart of decision-making on policies that affect them, such as how the government supports services, facilities and opportunities that young people need outside of school to benefit their lives and futures.

This will inform a new decade-long National Youth Strategy, due to launch in the Summer, that will aim to tackle challenges young people face and ensure that every young person can thrive.

Government campaigns

Stop! Think Fraud – national campaign against fraud

The next burst of the Stop! Think Fraud campaign is live from 3 March until 31 March 2025. Campaign advertising will run across a variety of channels such as video on demand, radio, digital advertising and social media and be supported media, social, multicultural marketing and partner activity.

All activity signposts Stop! Think Fraud – How to stay safe from scams where people can get more advice on how to protect themselves against fraud and learn how to set-up 2-step verification across popular services and devices.

Our partners are critical to the success of the campaign, and we are again asking for your support in amplifying the campaign through your own channels using the free resources such as social media graphics, email signatures, leaflets, posters, and pull-up banners to raise fraud awareness in your community. These materials help extend the national campaign’s reach and go even further in protecting businesses and the public. 

We also urge you as a valued partner to support the campaign by co-branding or fully adopting Stop! Think Fraud into your comms campaigns and materials.

Please see the Partner Resource Pack attached for more information and to access the free resources.  If you have any questions please contact the team at [email protected]

Other campaigns

Crimestoppers

Crimestoppers’ latest national campaign focuses on raising awareness about the serious impact of violent crimes on communities.

The campaign highlights the false sense of security that comes with carrying a knife for protection, the indiscriminate violence of criminals using firearms, and the exploitation of young and vulnerable people.

It encourages people to report any information about violent crimes 100% anonymously, aiming to reduce violence, exploitation, and intimidation.

By speaking up, individuals can help prevent harm and help keep their communities safer.

The campaign is live from 3 to the 23 March 2025, delivering across digital channels and outdoor media.

Stop It Now campaign – to deter online child sexual abuse

Lucy Faithfull Foundation’s national campaign to prevent online child sexual abuse  is now in its tenth year. They’re raising awareness that it’s illegal to view sexual images of children or have online sexual conversations with children, that this causes huge harm and has serious consequences, and that their anonymous Stop It Now helpline and online self-help support people to change.

The Stop It Now helpline has been operating since 2002 and aims to prevent child abuse by working with people worried about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts or behaviour towards children.

Lucy Faithfull Foundation also runs Shore, a website that provides a safe space for teenagers worried about their own or a friend’s sexual behaviour.

If your organisation has any upcoming surveys or campaigns that you would like us to highlight in our newsletter, please get in touch with the External Affairs team at [email protected]