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Boris Johnson has said he cannot guarantee that targets to improve rape prosecution and conviction rates set out in the government’s Rape Review will be met.

Plans set out in the report, which was commissioned in 2019 and published in June of this year, said the volume of rape cases going to court should return to “at least 2016 levels” when there were 5,190 prosecutions and 2,991 convictions.

But speaking to Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby on Tuesday, the prime minister said achieving this by 2024 would be “incredibly tough”.

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Britain's Justice Secretary Robert Buckland arrives at Downing Street in London, Britain February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Former justice secretary Robert Buckland has previously said he is ‘deeply ashamed’ by the report’s findings

“We will do everything that we can, we are throwing everything at this,” the PM said.

Mr Johnson also refused to confirm that he could look a rape victim in the eye and tell them they had a high chance of achieving justice.

“I want everybody to have that confidence and at the moment I have got to tell you that the answer to that is no I don’t think people do have enough confidence in the criminal justice system to deal with that accusation, those reports fast enough,” the PM said.

“And I don’t think people have a feeling that the police are handling these issues fast enough either. And that has, certainly, lead to this feeling of fury, frustration, betrayal on the part of millions of people – most of them women – about what is happening.”

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Priti Patel has admitted feeling 'deeply ashamed' by the findings of the review
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Priti Patel vowed to make tackling violence against women and girls her ‘priority’

Mr Johnson disputed that declining levels of prosecutions and convictions are the fault of his government for cuts to the justice system, saying “the phenomenon today is not just a question of public money”.

This is in stark contrast to former justice secretary Robert Buckland who, following the review’s publication, admitted budget cuts were partly to blame for convictions falling to a record low in recent years.

Speaking in June, Mr Buckland said he was “deeply ashamed” by the report’s findings.

Asked whether he feels the same way, the PM told Sky News he is “certainly not happy with the way that things have been going”.

The prime minister added that he is “totally fed up” with low rape prosecution levels and that the gap between a case being raised and a sentence being reached is “far, far too long”.

“We’ve got to fix that,” he said, noting that the government must “simplify” the system.

Boris Johnson
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The PM said the gap between a case being raised and sentencing is ‘far, far too long’

The PM said “things are actually starting to improve”, but that he wants to see “much, much more” being done.

Mr Johnson continued: “We are putting many more prosecutors in and have done. I don’t think it is always and everywhere a question of more public money.”

Last week, Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed that tackling violence against women and girls is her “priority” as she announced a further £25m will be allocated to local projects aimed at making public spaces safer.

Just days after Met Police officer Wayne Couzens was jailed for life for raping and murdering marketing executive Sarah Everard, Ms Patel promised action in areas “where women and girls say they feel most unsafe”.

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The prime minister also played down concerns about rising inflation levels and said his government are instead focussing on the “global economic system that is coming back to life very rapidly”.

Pushed on the matter a further two times, he added: “People have been worried about inflation for a very long time, I am looking at robust economic growth – and by the way, those fears have been unfounded.”

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Blockchain compliance tools can slash TradFi costs: Chainlink co-founder

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Blockchain compliance tools can slash TradFi costs: Chainlink co-founder

Blockchain compliance tools can slash TradFi costs: Chainlink co-founder

Institutional investors will increasingly adopt blockchain-based compliance solutions and tokenized RWAs, Chainlink’s co-founder Sergey Nazarov told Cointelegraph.

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SEC explores Ethereum token standard for compliant securities

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SEC explores Ethereum token standard for compliant securities

SEC explores Ethereum token standard for compliant securities

ERC-3643 Association president Dennis O’Connell told Cointelegraph the SEC showed “a noticeable shift in tone” and openness to blockchain standards.

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Abolishing Ofwat and compulsory water meters – key recommendations from landmark report into ‘broken’ water industry

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'Broken' water industry set to be overhauled - nine key recommendations from landmark report

The system for regulating water companies in England and Wales should be overhauled and replaced with one single body in England and another in Wales, a once-in-a-generation review of the sector has advised.

The report, which includes 88 recommendations, suggests a new single integrated regulator to replace existing water watchdogs, mandatory water metering, and a social tariff for vulnerable customers.

The ability to block companies being taken over and the creation of eight new regional water authorities, with another for all of Wales to deliver local priorities, has also been suggested.

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The review, the largest into the water industry since privatisation in the 1980s, was undertaken by Sir Jon Cunliffe, a career civil servant and former deputy governor of the Bank of England who oversaw the biggest clean-up of Britain’s banking system in the wake of the financial crash.

File pic: iStock
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File pic: iStock

He was coaxed out of retirement by Environment Secretary Steve Reed to lead the Independent Water Commission.

Final recommendations of the commission have been published on Monday morning to clean up the sector and improve public confidence, as bills rise 36% over the next five years. Here are its nine key recommendations:

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• Single integrated water regulators – a single water regulator in England and a single water regulator in Wales. In England, this would replace Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and water-environment related functions from the Environment Agency and Natural England. In Wales, Ofwat’s economic responsibilities would be integrated into Natural Resources Wales.

It’s hoped this will solve the “fragmented and overlapping” regulation, and more stable regulation will improve investor confidence. Communications regulator Ofcom was given as an example of how combining five existing regulators into one worked.

• Eight new regional water system planning authorities in England and one national authority in Wales to be responsible for water investment plans reflecting local priorities and streamlining the planning processes.

The new authorities would be independent, made up of representatives from local councils, public health officials, environmental advocates, agricultural voices and consumers. The aim is they could direct funding and ensure accountability from all sectors impacting water.

• Greater consumer protection – this includes upgrading the consumer body Consumer Council for Water, into an Ombudsman for Water to give stronger protection to customers and a clearer route to resolving complaints. Advocacy duties are to be transferred to Citizens Advice.

• Stronger environmental regulation, including compulsory water meters. Also proposed by Sir Jon are changes to wholesale tariffs for industrial users and greater water reuse and rainwater harvesting schemes. A new long-term, legally binding target for the water environment was suggested.

• Oversight of companies via the ability to block changes in ownership of water businesses when they are not seen to be prioritising the long-term interests of the company and its customers, and the addition of “public benefit” clauses in water company licences.

To boost company financial resilience, as the UK’s biggest provider, Thames Water struggles to remain in private ownership, the commission has recommended minimum financial requirements, like banks are subject to. This could mean utilities hold a certain amount of cash. It’s hoped this will, in turn, make companies more appealing to potential investors.

• The public health element of water has been recognised, and senior public health representation has been recommended for regional water planning authorities, as have new laws to address pollutants like forever chemicals and microplastics.

• Fundamental reset of economic regulation – including changes to ensure companies are investing in and maintaining assets to help attract long-term, low-risk investment. A “supervisory” approach has been recommended to intervene before things like pollution occur, rather than penalising the businesses after the event.

• Clear strategic direction – a long-term, 25-year national water strategy should be published by the UK and Welsh governments, with ministerial priorities given to water firms every five years.

• Infrastructure and asset health reforms – companies should also be required to map and assess their assets and resilience.

Nationalisation of the water industry was not in the Independent Water Commission’s terms of reference and so was not considered.

How has the report been received?

In a speech responding to Sir Jon’s report, Mr Reed is set to describe the water industry as “broken” and welcome the commission’s recommendations to ensure “the failures of the past can never happen again”.

The water industry lobby group Water UK said “fundamental change has been long overdue”.

“These recommendations should establish the foundations to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas,” a spokesperson said.

“The Independent Water Commission has written a comprehensive, detailed review of the whole sector, with many wide-ranging and ambitious recommendations.

“Crucially, it is now up to government to decide which recommendations it will adopt, and in what way, but the commission’s work marks a significant step forward.”

Campaign group Surfers Against Sewage said the report “utterly fails to prioritise public benefit over private profit”.

“This is not transformational reform, this is putting lipstick on a pig - and you can bet the champagne is flowing in water company boardrooms across the land,” said its chief executive, Giles Bristow.

“Only one path forward remains: a full, systemic transformation that ends the ruthless pursuit of profit and puts the public good at the heart of our water services,” he said.

“We welcome Sir Jon’s calls for a national strategy, enshrining public health objectives in law and regional water planning. But we won’t be taken for fools - abolishing Ofwat and replacing it with a shinier regulator won’t stop sewage dumping or profiteering if the finance and ownership structures stay the same.”

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