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  • PRESS RELEASE : UK signs sixth US state deal with Washington State

    PRESS RELEASE : UK signs sixth US state deal with Washington State

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    The UK and the US state of Washington will today [25 September] sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost trade and investment.

    • Washington State, home to major businesses like Boeing and Amazon, becomes latest US state to agree trade Memorandum of Understanding with the UK
    • The UK now has deals with six US states with a combined GDP of more than £2 trillion
    • Industry Minister Nusrat Ghani to travel to Seattle to sign the pact, which targets the aerospace sector, and lead 35 hand-picked UK companies at a joint Boeing and Department for Business and Trade showcase

    The UK and the US state of Washington will today [25 September] sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost trade and investment.

    Washington State is home to major US business including Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft and Boeing, and has a GDP roughly equivalent to Poland. The MoU marks the sixth delivered as part of the UK’s state-level strategy to boost trade with the US and means that the combined GDP of states the UK has MoUs with now totals £2.2 trillion.

    Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani will sign the pact in Seattle alongside Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

    The UK has signed MoUs with Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, and now Washington. Collectively these states imported £5.1 billion of UK goods in 2022.

    The Government is actively engaging with further states including Florida, Texas, California, Colorado, and Illinois.

    Minister Ghani will also lead a delegation of 35 UK businesses attending the 2023 Boeing Supplier Showcase, handpicked by Boeing to meet with their procurement and supply chain teams. The event will showcase the best of the UK’s world leading aerospace industry as it continues to drive innovation through new technology, research and design.

    Aerospace will be a priority sector under the MoU, which seeks to facilitate more deals between UK and Washington State.

    Boeing has spent over £12 billion in the UK supply chain since 2015. Its most recent investment, a £80 million composite research facility in Sheffield, will establish new long-term partnerships and supply chains.

    Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani said:

    Our pact with the state of Washington is a win for the UK, opening a door for our businesses to trade more openly and unlock new opportunities in key sectors.

    Each US state is a massive global market in its own right, and many have economies larger than the GDP of whole countries. By notching up our sixth such deal we’ve surpassed the £2 trillion mark for combined GDP of states who’ve done a deal with the UK, with many more in our sights.

    This particular deal will be fantastic for our aerospace industry through investor intros, trade missions, and increasing access to procurement markets. I’m delighted to join Boeing and our handpicked group of innovative UK companies to discuss how Government and industry can work together to create jobs and grow the economy.

    Washington State Governor Jay Inslee said:

    Today’s MOU makes the UK Washington’s latest global partner in trade and innovation focused on clean technology and industry.

    Washington is a leader in sustainable aerospace and aviation, attracting billions in new investments across the state’s urban and rural areas, boosting local economies while slashing our carbon emissions.

    We can’t ebb the tide of climate change and usher in this new future all on our own, it takes partnerships all over the world like the one announced today to realize our full economic potential and help curb carbon emissions worldwide.

    Maria Laine, President of Boeing in the UK, Ireland and Nordic region said:

    We are immensely proud of our long-standing relationship with the UK. Working closely with the UK Government, ADS and other key partners, we remain committed to developing and expanding the UK supply chain and creating opportunities for collaboration across Boeing’s global programmes.

    The MoU will strengthen the trade relationship between the UK and Washington. It will unlock new opportunities to develop new commercial partnerships, facilitate capital investment, foster innovation, and support global decarbonisation.

    Other priority areas include clean energy, digital, life sciences, supply chain resilience, agriculture, and innovation. It further seeks to broaden market access in areas such as government procurement and recognition of professional qualifications – to help Brits deliver services in Washington and vice versa.

    Matt Farnsworth, Commercial Director at the University of Sheffield AMRC, who are attending the trade show, said:

    As a research organisation, the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has always found trade missions organised by the Department for Business and Trade to be extremely valuable. They provide a fantastic opportunity to broaden and strengthen existing industrial relationships and ecosystems, while developing new opportunities for collaboration.

    Despite having a close research relationship with Boeing for over 20 years, previous missions have successfully opened new, exciting opportunities for the AMRC with a number of Boeing business units and technology owners, we hadn’t previously engaged with.

    The AMRC is playing a key role in driving innovation, research and development for UK manufacturing, especially for the aerospace sector. The upcoming Boeing trade mission will further fuel and accelerate our journey to make the UK a world-leader for sustainable manufacturing in aerospace.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Harnessing the power of the private sector and multilateral banks to achieve the SDGs – UK statement at the UN Financing for Development High-level Dialogue [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Harnessing the power of the private sector and multilateral banks to achieve the SDGs – UK statement at the UN Financing for Development High-level Dialogue [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    Statement by Minister Andrew Mitchell at the UN Financing for Development High-level Dialogue.

    Excellencies,

    Our Prime Minister, at the G20, announced that Britain will provide 2 billion dollars for the Green Climate Fund – the biggest single commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change.

    And Britain continues to want bigger, better Multilateral Development Banks. The UK supports, in due course, a conditional capital increase for the IBRD. We have provided more than 4.5 million pounds of guarantees to enable the Multilateral Development Banks to lend more money. We are also extremely focussed on sweating these Banks’ balance sheets. We have already seen an additional 200 billion dollars produced, and we want to see much more.

    In addition, Britain is very focussed on the issues of debt. At the Summit in Paris, Britain announced Climate Resilient Debt Clauses, which we are now using, and which means that countries faced with a pandemic or natural disaster have their liquidity freed up to help their citizens, rather than having to pay off capital and interest.

    We also want to see the G20 Common Framework used much better to help countries that need debt rescheduling. We have seen what happened recently in Zambia and Ghana and we know that that is not good enough.

    Our Prime Minister has also made clear that we will stand by our commitment to provide 11.6 billion pounds of international climate finance before the end of 2025/26, and play our part in the 100 billion promise that has been made. And we have recently announced that we will spend 500 million pounds on forestry programmes because we know the important role they play in tackling climate change.

    In November, we will have a summit in London on the issue of malnutrition, food insecurity and starvation, which I think will also make a very significant contribution.

    The final point I want to make is about the critical importance of all these different state funding mechanisms being able to link umbilically with the private sector, and in particular with the 60 trillion dollars we know is there of pension fund money. Many of the people who manage pension funds would want to see, subject to the necessary safeguards, this money being used as part of the common fight across the planet on tackling climate change.

    So, we think harnessing the role of the private sector is absolutely crucial. As we hope to help explain in a government white paper from Britain later this year on the future of international development. Just as BII – the British government’s development finance institution – is playing such an important role already, investing to support delivery of the SDGs.

    As we look ahead to the Annual Meetings and COP28, let’s seize this moment to increase ambition, galvanise action, and find new ways to deliver a bigger, better, fairer international financial system. One that helps countries thrive on their own terms and leaves no one behind.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Urgent action needed to decarbonise high-emitting sectors – UK statement at Climate Ambition Summit [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Urgent action needed to decarbonise high-emitting sectors – UK statement at Climate Ambition Summit [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    Statement by Minister Graham Stuart at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit on decarbonisation.

    We have to speed up decarbonisation to keep 1.5 in reach – while taking people with us.

    Since 1990 the UK has cut its emissions by more than any other major world economy, reducing them by 48% while growing its economy by 65%.

    We will prioritise economic growth while delivering both our 2030 NDC and net zero by 2050.

    As the PM said this morning, we will do this in a way that is both pragmatic and inclusive.

    Being practical and delivering real-world change is exactly what the Breakthrough Agenda is about.

    Last week’s report shows the progress being made. But some industries like steel and cement are not moving fast enough…

    Announcements for near-zero emission steel plants have fallen far short of the 100 megatonnes needed globally by 2030.

    For cement, there are only plans for around 6 percent of the near-zero emission capacity needed.

    We need urgent action to decarbonise these high-emitting sectors and meet the Paris goals.

    That means increasing research and development, scaling up clean technology finance, and boosting the market for green industry.

    Finance is critical: the UK is leading with our commitment to deliver £11.6 billion of climate finance. At the G20 we made a pledge of £1.62 billion for the Green Climate Fund.

    And I am pleased to announce today that the UK will provide a £160m package to support developing countries and ensure decarbonisation and economic growth go Hand-in-hand.

    This funding will support coordinated action towards COP28, working through initiatives including the Clean Energy Innovation Facility and the Mitigation Action Facility.

    The Breakthrough report’s recommendations set out how we can collaborate to make clean technologies more affordable and available – particularly in high-emitting sectors.

    For example, a new ‘Cement Breakthrough’, led by Canada, is in development – and I’m pleased to announce that the UK will join that initiative.

    We are also proud to co-lead the ‘Steel Breakthrough’ with Germany – endorsed by 31 countries.

    The Breakthroughs are working with the COP28 Presidency to make decarbonising steel a priority this year – and I hope we can build a stronger global alliance to put our industries on track for net zero.

  • Will Quince – 2023 Statement at the UN Universal Health Coverage High-level Meeting

    Will Quince – 2023 Statement at the UN Universal Health Coverage High-level Meeting

    The statement made by Will Quince, the Foreign Office Minister, on 25 September 2023.

    No matter where in the world they’re born, everyone has a right to affordable, quality health care.

    But every year, seeking health care pushes hundreds of millions of people into poverty. And millions more can’t get the care they deserve.

    We cannot let this continue. We can do better.

    That’s why today, we must reinvigorate our mission to achieve universal health coverage.

    The UK proposes three key priorities.

    First, we must focus our efforts on a primary health care approach.

    The UK is committed to doing this by building global partnerships.

    This includes working with like minded nations to champion sexual and reproductive health and rights as part of universal health coverage. And rolling out life-changing vaccines, medicines, and technology in communities.

    This week, we pledged up to £295 million for global research partnerships.

    These partnerships will help forge the tools and evidence we need to make universal health coverage a reality. As well as addressing other key priorities like ending the preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children, strengthening global health security, and tackling antimicrobial resistance.

    Second, we must combat financial hardship.

    This means Governments protecting the poorest in our societies from devastating health care fees.

    We recognise many countries face serious financial challenges, limiting their ability to do this.

    That’s why the UK is championing reforms to the international financial system to help developing countries access more finance to address their priorities. And achieving universal coverage must be at the heart of this work.

    Third, we must strengthen the global workforce, the lifeblood of our health systems.

    By 2030, there could be a global shortfall of ten million health workers. So, we must join forces to train, recruit, and retain more of these vital public servants.

    That’s why this year, we launched the first-ever long-term workforce plan for the NHS. And announced a £15 million international investment package, working with our partners Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya to bolster their health workforces.

    But this is just the beginning.

    All our nations need to work together in a truly global partnership. We are stronger together than alone.

    Only then can we deliver universal health coverage, and build a fairer, brighter, and healthier world.

    So today, let’s roll up our sleeves and get on with the job.

    Thank you.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement at the UN Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response High-level Meeting

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Statement at the UN Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response High-level Meeting

    The statement made by Andrew Mitchell, the Foreign Office Minister, on 20 September 2023.

    The COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest challenge of our lifetime.

    The international response was punctuated with many high points of cooperation, and some low points of isolationism. We need to do better so that we are prepared for the next crisis.

    That means two things.

    First, we must provide help to lower and middle income countries so they’re better able to withstand health threats.

    The UK is committed to doing what it can to help strengthen health systems — they are the bedrock of effective pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

    To boost collaboration on research and development, including clinical trials and data sharing.

    To help to improve coordination across the human, animal and environmental health sectors.

    And to work with partners to ensure that safe and effective vaccines, medicines and tests are available during pandemics to all who need them, when they need them.

    Today, the UK is announcing over £370 million to strengthen global health security.

    This will help tackle deadly diseases in Africa, expand the UK Vaccine Network programme, and establish research and technical partnerships in Africa and the Indo-Pacific.

    Second, we must improve multilateral co-operation. Central to this are the negotiations in Geneva on a new Pandemic Accord and agreeing measures to improve pandemic prevention, preparedness and response whilst respecting national sovereignty.

    We must also reform the international financial institutions to release more finance to lower- and middle-income countries — an agenda the UK is championing. And it means investing in the Pandemic Fund and other funds to strengthen preparedness. As well as ensuring that when the next pandemic strikes, faster funding is available.

    We face an important moment. We must reflect on the lessons learnt from COVID-19 and work together to protect future generations from the catastrophic impacts of pandemics. They will rightly not forgive us should we fail.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK investments, research, and revolutionary treatments can help end tuberculosis – UK statement at the UN Tuberculosis High-level Meeting [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK investments, research, and revolutionary treatments can help end tuberculosis – UK statement at the UN Tuberculosis High-level Meeting [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    Statement by Lord (Tariq) Ahmad at the UN Tuberculosis High-Level Meeting on ending tuberculosis.

    I thank the President of the General Assembly and distinguished colleagues from Poland and Uzbekistan for your leadership on this summit and its political declaration.

    In 2015 the world committed to ending TB by 2030.

    Now is the right time to come together and reaffirm our commitment to end TB, and our collective action to make that happen.

    The UK welcomes the declaration made at this meeting and the commitments in it.

    We know that investments against TB can strengthen health systems and support us to achieve universal health coverage.

    They can help us to prepare for future pandemics.

    And they can help us in the fight against Anti-Microbial Resistance.

    I am proud of the UK’s record in the fight against TB.

    The UK is the third largest donor to the Global Fund investing over four and a half billion pounds over the last twenty years.

    Our latest £1 billion pledge will provide TB treatment and care for over a million people and screen twenty million.

    We have reduced the price and improved access to key drugs through our support to Unitaid, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and MedAccess.

    And I’m very pleased that on Monday our Foreign Secretary acknowledged the importance of research, with a further £5 million to the TB alliance to support the development of new treatments.

    This brings our funding to nearly £70 million over 6 years.

    The TB Alliance has already brought revolutionary new treatments to market – more than a million courses of children’s medicines have been delivered to 123 countries.

    And their new treatment for drug resistant-TB is quicker, more effective, has fewer side effects and is estimated to save up to 43,000 more lives by 2025.

    We are also taking action to tackle TB in the UK.

    Despite falling cases, TB remains a risk to the most vulnerable, and progress towards elimination has stalled.

    Drug resistance remains an issue and we are taking the lead in using genome sequencing to identify resistance patterns and ensure effective treatment.

    And the UK Health Security Agency is working with partners to evaluate promising vaccine candidates.

    Our efforts to improve global health will continue into 2024, with next year’s High-level Meeting on Anti-Microbial Resistance a landmark opportunity to tackle AMR on a truly global scale.

    Thank you for your time today, and for your continued commitment to end this cruel disease.

  • Oliver Dowden – 2023 Statement at the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit

    Oliver Dowden – 2023 Statement at the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit

    The statement made by Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, on 19 September 2023.

    Your Excellencies. It is half time on the SDGs, and our collective promise is in peril.

    The UK was instrumental in developing Agenda 2030 and its SDGs.

    Today we recommit to them – and to reforming the international financial system that will play such a big role in helping us deliver them.

    We are driving reforms of the Multilateral Development Banks including stretching their balance sheets to release over $200bn of additional finance over the next ten years.

    To support this, the UK is announcing two innovative guarantees to scale up MDB lending one to unlock $1 billion in education financing and one to unlock up to $1.8 billion of climate finance for Asia-Pacific countries.

    I also reiterate our support for a bigger and better World Bank, which increases voice and

    representation of the poorest and most vulnerable.

    We support reforms to make the MDBs more agile, more shock responsive and better able to mobilise more private investment.

    We encourage MDBs and all other creditors to offer Climate Resilient Debt Clauses – pioneered by the UK – to pause debt repayments when disaster strikes.

    We will continue to mobilise billions through British Investment Partnerships for energy transitions and infrastructure –$40 billion by 2027 and we will support countries to collect taxes owed to them to invest in their development, with a new £17 million package of support.

    We must of course meet our global climate finance goals which is why at the G20, the Prime Minister announced $2 billion for the Green Climate Fund the biggest single commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change.

    We must maintain the spirit of partnership that created the SDGs as we ensure the financing and investment to deliver them.

    We will do that through UK-hosted Summits on Food Security, AI, and Investment in Africa keeping up momentum through the autumn, into 2024, and all the way to 2030.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – UK Statement on Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – UK Statement on Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    Statement for Interactive Dialogue with the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela. Delivered by UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French.

    Thank you, Mr. President.

    We thank the Fact-Finding Mission for its update. Its work is critical to monitoring human rights violations and abuses.

    The report evidences intensified targeted persecution against human rights defenders and shrinking civic space. From the sentencing of six union leaders without due process to the continued arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, fundamental rights continue to be denied. Human rights violations must stop.

    The resolution of Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis requires tolerance of dissenting voices and democratic normalisation. Unconstitutionally banning opposition candidates moves Venezuela further from a solution. We stress the importance of an independent, credible electoral arbiter and the right of Venezuelans to register and vote in free and fair elections.

    We understand that these incidents are not isolated but are part of a context of continuous deterioration of the rule of law. We therefore believe that the situation in Venezuela continues to warrant the attention of the international community and the mandate of the Mission remains fundamental to deliver progress on human rights.

    Señora Valiñas, the UK encourages Venezuela to give effect to previous recommendations made by the Mission. What are the most urgent recommendations in the lead up to the electoral period?

  • PRESS RELEASE : Land purchased for flagship levelling up site in Darlington [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Land purchased for flagship levelling up site in Darlington [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 25 September 2023.

    The government’s levelling up programme is moving further ahead today, with land for the permanent site of the new Darlington Economic Campus being purchased.

    The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) was established in August 2021 and Departments moved into Feethams House in June 2022.  It currently houses 600 government staff.

    Brunswick Street is the permanent site for the DEC, which is the Treasury’s second headquarters and will also accommodate the Department for Business and Trade. Construction of a new government hub will begin in October 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2026.

    The hub will help grow the economy in the region with 1139 roles committed to Darlington, and 674 relocated to date. The move of Civil Service roles to Darlington is expected to generate approximately £30 million per 1,000 roles relocated in economic benefits for the town, down to increased footfall and spending from staff.

    Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said:

    Levelling up is about tangible change on the ground and the purchasing of the Darlington Economic campus land shows that the government is putting down roots in the communities we serve.

    The campus will house 1400 civil servants and as the Treasury’s second headquarters is a visible signal of levelling up in action.

    It will not only create job opportunities for people in the local area, it also means a Civil Servant could pursue an entire career to the top of their profession without ever moving to London.

    The land purchase shows how the government is spreading opportunity across the country and putting down permanent roots in communities, as the country levels up.

    The DEC is an important part of the Government’s Places for Growth (PfG) programme, which is moving roles out of London to areas across the UK.

    The programme will see 22,000 roles move from London by 2030 and is part of ensuring that staff working in government are closer to the people and communities that they serve.

    Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said:

    The continued success of the Darlington Economic Campus shows that the Places for Growth programme is delivering high quality government jobs across the whole country.

    This is good for the local area and good for the Civil Service, as it ensures that Whitehall can take advantage of the wisdom and experience from people all over the UK.

    This new site will provide more capacity for civil servants to work from at least eight different government departments.

    Alongside the Treasury, the Campus will house teams from the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Office for National Statistics and the Competition and Markets Authority. They will be working alongside the Department for Education who already have a base in Darlington.

    Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Gareth Davies said:

    People should be able to develop their careers within the Civil Service without moving to London and the Darlington Economic Campus is testament to that. It has a strong vision, which includes making government, policy, and delivery stronger through a diverse workforce which is more representative of the public we serve.

    With this new milestone there is a real sense of momentum. The Brunswick Street space will be a boost for local growth and jobs while bringing the people of Darlington and the Tees Valley closer to the heart of government decision-making.

    The building will accommodate over 1,400 civil servants in a highly sustainable, interoperable working environment. Campus locations such as the DEC provide an enduring sustainable model for PfG role relocations, enable more effective cross-Goverment collaboration and help to create a Civil Service that is more connected to and reflective of the communities it serves.

    The building, which will be highly sustainable, will be designed in line with the Government Workplace Design Guide. Once complete, it will offer an effective mix of flexible work spaces to support accessibility, neuro-diversity, collaboration and wellbeing, along with refreshment hubs, home zones and meeting rooms.

    Recruiting for the DEC is progressing well with several departments currently based in Feethams House, the interim DEC’s interim home.  Civil servants based in the interim facility will relocate to Brunswick Street on completion of the new building, and Feethams House will be used to support the wider DEC alongside Bishopsgate House.

    Clive Anderson, Director of Capital Projects said:

    The Government Property Agency plays a key role in the Government’s transformation agenda ensuring that people in all part of the United Kingdom receive opportunities as part of the Levelling Up programme.

    Working closely with Darlington Borough Council, Tees Valley Combined Authority and our clients, we will create unique opportunities for people across Darlington and the North East.

    Investing in a land purchase and a freehold solution, gives us the opportunity to design the hub as a landmark, sustainable, placemaking building, with high levels of inclusivity enabling access by all.

    It is expected the construction contract tender will be released via the CCS Construction Works Framework in Q4 2023.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – UK Statement on Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – UK Statement on Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    UK statement for Interactive Dialogue with the International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. Delivered by the UK’s Ambassador to the WTO & UN, Simon Manley.

    Thank you, Mr President and welcome Commissioners.

    A year ago, Russia attempted to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, following its organisation of sham referendums on sovereign Ukrainian territory.

    Since then, Russia’s attempts to consolidate control in these regions have been characterised by repression, violence and a total disregard for human life. Evidence, including that collected through the invaluable work of this Commission, shows widespread and systematic atrocities committed by Russian forces, many of which may amount to war crimes.

    So, we have a simple message to Russia: we see through your farcical claims that this is a war of liberation. You can’t liberate people by shelling them, nor by torturing them, nor by deporting them and their children. Just as you can’t change borders by force – no matter how many sham referendums or elections you hold.

    It is time to end this war and withdraw your forces – in line with your obligations under the Charter.

    Commissioners, thank you from us all for the vital work over the last 16 months.

    Ukrainian children have been relentlessly targeted as part of Russia’s efforts to erase Ukrainian identity and culture – including through their large-scale forced transfer and deportation to Russia and Russian-controlled territory.

    So Commissioners, are you carrying out further investigations into the forcible transfer of children, including the widely reported use of so-called “summer camps” for systematic political indoctrination?

    Thank you.