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NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 10 February 1923

10 FEBRUARY 1923

Liam Deasy, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the IRA, who had his death sentence exchanged for being able to influence a surrender of the Irregulars had his efforts rebuffed by Eamon de Valera. Liam Lynch, the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army, said that “Deasy’s action has brought about no real change in the Republicans’ position, the fight will go on, even if there are only 30 men left to conduct it”.

Two members of the Irregulars were shot dead by the National Troops following their raid of a Post Office in Poleberry.

Archbishop Georges, the Head of the Polish Orthodox Church, was assassinated in Warsaw and his murderer arrested.

The German Minister of Finance said that the French occupation of the Ruhr Valley meant that was now more difficult than ever to present a budget that had any real value. The mark was currently at 40,000 to one pound, with inflation running rampant in Germany and with few signs of being able to bring it under control.

10/02/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Addiction crackdown sees huge rise in prisoners getting clean [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 10 February 2023.

Thousands of prisoners are getting clean thanks to a doubling of drug-free wings in jails as the government’s war on addiction steps up a gear.
- thousands of prisoners join drug-free wings as war on addiction ramps up
- up to 100 special blocks in prisons by 2025 alongside abstinence-based units
- new wings and tough security to clean up prisons and cut crime
New Incentivised Substance Free Living Units are now up and running in 45 prisons across England and Wales – getting addicts off illicit drugs and reducing their reliance on synthetic opiates like methadone.

Figures show around half of prisoners are addicted to drugs, while crack and heroin addicts account for two-thirds of shoplifting offences and half of burglaries, blighting communities up and down the country.

Yet offenders who are supported to get off drugs for good are 19 percentage points less likely to slip back into a life of crime.

The new wings will make sure prisons are places where criminals get – and stay – clean while they pay their debt to society, instead of languishing on drug substitutes like methadone which can hinder their rehabilitation.

Today’s news, alongside tough new security including X-ray body scanners, forms a cornerstone of the government’s strategy to break the cycle of addiction and re-offending which costs the tax-payer £19 billion a year.

Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, Dominic Raab, said:

We are clamping down on drugs behind bars with tough new security, but we know reducing supply is not enough to break the cycle of addiction and offending.

Our new drug-free units and drug recovery wings will help prisoners tackle their addictions, including to opiate substitutes like methadone, in turn cutting their risk of reoffending and creating safer streets.

The government is also investing in up to 18 drug recovery wings where prisoners can go through 6 months of intensive abstinence-based treatment to break their reliance on methadone as well as dangerous substances.

On the new incentivised units, offenders will tackle their addictions through substance misuse courses and regular drug testing

In exchange, prisoners who are making progress towards getting clean receive extra time out of cell for education and work opportunities and, once they’ve turned their back on drugs for good, including substitutes like methadone, the prospect of being transferred to a drug recovery wing for 6 months of intensive, fully abstinence-based treatment.
10/02/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Former Lioness Jill Scott opens hometown football pitch named in her honour [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 10 February 2023.

Former Lioness Jill Scott has opened the first of 23 new grassroots football facilities named after the Euro 2022 winning squad.
- The Government, the FA and the Premier League’s Football Foundation has opened the first of 23 sites to honour winning Lionesses of EURO 2022
- Naming comes as part of Government commitment to improve access to sport for women and girls, and build on the Lionesses’ inspirational legacy
- UK-wide £300 million capital investment in grassroots facilities will support talent of the future and represents biggest ever commitment to delivering equal access for women and girls playing football
The pitches, being built in or around the hometowns of the winning players are funded by the government, the FA and the Premier League’s Football Foundation. It will inspire the next generation of female stars with top class facilities.

The ‘Jill Scott Pitch’ was unveiled in a ceremony at the Perth Green Community Centre in Jarrow alongside coaches and members of the local community who will benefit from the 3G pitch. The new floodlit facility is just five miles from Jill’s hometown of Sunderland and will support the growth of female, disability and recreational football in the local area.

Following their victory – the first English football team to win a major trophy since 1966 – the Government, Premier League and the Football Association’s Football Foundation committed to naming grassroots facilities in honour of the squad. The site namings form part of national efforts to raise the profile of women’s football at the elite level and increase access and participation for women and girls at the grassroots level.

This site is one of many across the UK to have benefited from the Government’s UK-wide £300 million four-year capital investment into grassroots multi-sports facilities.

The Football Foundation is delivering outstanding grassroots facilities, more and better places to play, and transforming lives and communities where it is needed most.

Fifty per cent of the investment is going directly to the most deprived areas across the UK and the benefits will be felt beyond football: by 2025, 40 per cent of Football Foundation investment will go to projects which host at least one additional sport such as rugby, cricket, netball and basketball.

Jill Scott, MBE said:

“It’s an absolute honour to have a site that will be used by so many people in the local community named after me in the place I used to play!

“Winning the Women’s EUROS was incredibly special and I hope, thanks to this recognition and funding from The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, this pitch will benefit Lionesses of the future.“

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

“I’m delighted we are honouring Jill and the entire 23 woman squad as part of our £300 million investment in grassroots multi-sport pitches.

“The Lionesses thrilled the nation with their historic Euros victory, delivering the nation’s first major tournament win in more than 50 years.

“They have inspired a generation of women and girls to believe they too can achieve their dreams.”

The FA’s Director of Women’s Football, Sue Campbell, said:

“The England women’s team changed the landscape for the women’s and girls’ game when they lifted the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 trophy last year. The success of the team wasn’t just about lifting the trophy, it was also about changing the path for women and girls who want to or currently play football up and down the country.

“By 2024 The FA want to see 5,000 good-quality pitches added to the current number. With the Football Foundation, we are prioritising the areas and communities where these new pitches are most needed. This project allows us to provide more opportunities for people to play football across the region. Jill Scott has had an incredible career and no doubt inspired many people in her hometown to take up the game, so I’m sure the ‘Jill Scott pitch’ will be extremely popular.”

Premier League Head of Community Nick Perchard said:

“The Premier League is committed to developing the game at all levels and we are investing more than ever before into women’s and girls’ football, from the WSL to grassroots.

“This includes work in partnership with The FA to develop pathways for young players, improving facilities and developing greater workforce pathways for women and girls.

“We are delighted to see our funding going towards new pitches honouring the Lionesses, bringing together state-of-the-art facilities with inspirational role models to get more girls playing the game.”

Robert Sullivan, CEO of The Football Foundation said:

“We are committed to improving the experience of playing football for everyone and thanks to investment from The Premier League, The FA and Government, the Football Foundation is directing more funding into projects all of which will offer equal access to play for women and girls.

“At the end of the last academic year there were over 100,000 more girls playing football and since the Lionesses’ glory last summer we are seeing even more girls are lacing up their boots.

“Over 8,500 female football teams are playing at sites that have received funding from the Football Foundation, whether that be for new goalposts, improved grass pitches or brand-new changing pavilions and 3G pitches. But we know there is more to do if we’re going to meet this rising demand, which is why we are here today with Jill to make that commitment – and inspire all those who saw their win to get down to their local pitch.”

To ensure women and girls can benefit from these facilities, and help create a lasting legacy, all sites in the multisport grassroots programme must provide access based on the needs of the local women’s and girls’ teams. The move is also designed to support the Football Association’s ambition for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 to create 500,000 extra opportunities for women and girls to play football.

The Government’s grassroots multi-sport pitches programme has successfully delivered more than £43 million of funding across the UK last year, with an additional £168 million to be invested into facilities in England between 2022 and 2025 – on top of an existing and continuing £18m annual commitment.

The Government is a major supporter of women’s football and is working to improve access and build on its commercial success for the long term. It is working alongside The FA to achieve the ambition of equal access to football for girls in 90 per cent of schools by 2024. The Department for Education’s £320 million PE and School Sports Premium School Sport and Activity Action Plan will help more girls to take part in sport and physical activity.
10/02/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Energy companies halt forced installation of prepayment meters [February 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 10 February 2023.

Energy suppliers agree to stop forcing vulnerable households onto prepayment meters following calls from the Energy Secretary.

Following Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps’ intervention, all energy suppliers have now committed to ending the forced installation of prepayment meters in vulnerable customers’ homes.

After concerns were raised about the sharp rise in companies seeking warrants to enter people’s homes to forcibly install prepayment meters, Mr Shapps wrote to energy bosses insisting they revise their practices and improve their action to support vulnerable households, to make sure prepayment meters being installed is a genuine last resort. As part of this, he asked all suppliers to set out what they are doing to support their customers, how many warrants they have each sought, and plans to redress any wrongdoing.

It follows the Energy Security Secretary launching a crackdown on the mistreatment of customers last month, where he charged the Energy Minister with meeting suppliers to explain their actions and called on magistrates to improve their scrutiny of the warrants crossing their desk. Just this week, Lord Justice Edis issued directions to magistrates courts to stop approving warrants to force-fit prepayment meters grinding the practice to a firm halt.

However, given the failure of the energy regulator to identify recent unacceptable behaviour such as that of British Gas – or other significant shortcomings – he told Ofgem to improve their oversight of these companies and toughen up on suppliers. Now in line with the Energy Security Secretary’s request, Ofgem has committed to speaking to consumers rather than just suppliers about their experiences.

This week the Energy Security Secretary set suppliers a deadline to urgently report back on remedial action for customers who faced wrongful installations.

All suppliers responded by the Energy Security Secretary’s deadline, committing to end the practice which breaches rules in place to protect vulnerable households, and setting out their plans for identifying those that may have had meters wrongfully installed. However, while several set out redress that would be provided to customers in this instance – such as providing compensation, or replacement of a prepayment meter with a credit meter – a number failed to address the question.

The Energy Security Secretary has therefore found most suppliers are falling short on correcting their ways and said halting forced installation is ‘only the beginning’ of fixing the ‘abhorrent’ practice of forcibly fitting prepayment meters into vulnerable customers’ homes.

He said he will continue to stand up for vulnerable consumers who have had their homes invaded, and to ensure that this cannot happen in future. However, he is still pushing suppliers to make good on failures and was angered letters back to him only offered ‘half the picture’ as details on how they’ll fix wrongdoings were missing from several replies.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said:

People will have understandably been shocked and appalled at how vulnerable people’s homes have been invaded and prepayment meters installed against their wishes – and suppliers are only at the beginning of correcting this abhorrent behaviour.

Since those reports were published, I have demanded answers from suppliers, and Ofgem: all suppliers are now halting forced installations, magistrates are no longer signing off warrant applications and Ofgem are upping their game when it comes to their reviews.

But I am angered by the fact some have so freely moved vulnerable customers onto prepayment meters, without a proper plan to take remedial action where there has been a breach of the rules. So, I have only received half the picture as it still doesn’t include enough action to offer redress to those who have been so appallingly treated.

This is simply not good enough and absolutely needs to be addressed by Ofgem’s review – I want to see plans from suppliers actually acted upon – and customers given the service they have a right to expect.

Following the Times investigation, British Gas boss Chris O’Shea was asked to meet the Energy Minister and told to take urgent steps to repair the damage done to their reputation and urgently outline the role he will personally take to fix these cultural issues.

He was also told that vulnerable, mistreated customers need to be identified and redress provided, with the Energy Security Secretary monitoring matters extremely closely to make sure this happens.

Mr Shapps is today sharing the responses with energy regulator, Ofgem, who are currently carrying out a review into the use of prepayment meters – telling them that what he has seen so far simply isn’t good enough.

He’s called on them to set up a new customer reporting system for households to pass on their own stories of how they are being treated – especially those who are vulnerable – and not just rely on energy firm bosses to share information. The regulator has confirmed they will look at doing this such as engaging more with charities and other groups that represent consumers.

Mr Shapps said he will be keeping a watchful eye on the activities of suppliers to make sure this doesn’t happen again – starting with Ofgem changing the way they conduct their reviews so they never again have the wool pulled over their eyes.

10/02/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Minister for the Indo-Pacific visits Brunei and Thailand with a focus on trade, security and science [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 February 2023.

Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, has visited Brunei and Thailand this week, with talks focusing on trade, security and science.
- Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan visited Brunei and Thailand this week
- Brunei leg covered bilateral meetings and UK-Brunei cooperation in biodiversity research
- Talks in Thailand on UK’s Indo-Pacific ties and regional security issues
As the UK seeks to deepen its ties with countries across Southeast Asia, Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan spent the week in Brunei and Thailand to build closer links on trade, security and science.

In Bangkok, the Minister hosted humanitarian groups for discussions about the situation in neighbouring Myanmar. The crisis has caused hundreds of thousands of victims to be displaced, including over the border into Thailand, fleeing the military junta’s violence.

The UK is one of the largest humanitarian donors with long-established programmes in the southeast of Myanmar and along the Thai border, supporting refugees with healthcare, shelter and sanitation.

Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

As two key members of ASEAN, Brunei and Thailand are vital partners for the UK as we deepen our ties across Southeast Asia.

From trade and tech to science and security, we are determined to do more together, reaping the benefits at home and across the region”.

While in the Thai capital, the Minister also met her counterpart Vice Foreign Minister Dr Vijavat Isarabhakdi. Topics covered pressing regional and global issues.

Thailand is an essential partner for the UK, with 2-way trade standing at over £5 billion, with more than 5,000 UK businesses exporting to Thailand, benefiting both countries. The Government also recently signed a new partnership with Thailand to share expertise of genome sequencing, collaborate in research and education, and help prevent, diagnose and treat major diseases.

Earlier in the week, the Minister was in Brunei for the UK-Brunei Strategic Dialogue alongside Second Foreign Minister Dato Erywan. The Minister was also granted an audience with His Majesty the Sultan.

The Minister saw work to conserve Brunei’s tropical rainforests in action with a visit to the Kuala Belalong Field Centre, established during a joint expedition of the UK’s Royal Geographical Society and the University of Brunei Darussalam. During the visit the Minister met British researchers working side-by-side with their Bruneian counterparts to study and conserve the rainforest’s diverse wildlife.

The Indo-Pacific is home to likeminded partners with whom the UK shares fundamental beliefs in peace and democracy as well as many of the world’s fastest-growing economies. The region is critical to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s commitment to economic growth and building prosperity, with a stronger economy at home forming the foundation of the UK’s strength abroad.
10/02/2023
PRESS RELEASE : No amount of disinformation can rewrite Russia’s lies and deceit – UK delegation to the OSCE [February 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 February 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Brown says Russia has waged a campaign of disinformation throughout the build up to their illegal invasion and in the months since.

Thank you, Mr Chair. On Monday, a Moscow court sentenced Russian journalist Veronika Belotserkovskaya in absentia to nine years in prison for spreading supposed “fakes” about the Russian army’s actions in Ukraine.  Therefore our statement will focus on Russian disinformation. On the distractions and lies Russia sought to proliferate in the build up to its illegal invasion and in the months since.

Ms Belotserkovskaya was convicted for her reporting of human rights abuses by the Russian armed forces against civilians, in Bucha and Mariupol.

Russia’s persecution of journalists for reporting on the war contradicts the 2018 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on Safety of Journalists. This is a commitment that all participating States have freely signed up to in order to provide a safe, enabling environment for journalists, ensuring we fully comply with international human rights law and OSCE Commitments.  Ms Belotserkovskaya’s sentencing is just the latest in a series of Russian attempts to suppress the truth. When the Russian state punishes journalists who seek out the truth, it ceases to have any grasp of reality.

A year ago, on the 20th January, in this very room, the Russian Delegation claimed that “the myth of Russia’s alleged ‘imminent invasion’ has been hyped up”.

On the 3 February our colleagues stated that the West was “speculating obsessively about an alleged impending Russian invasion” which were “only unsubstantiated conjectures”. On the 10th February, they said such claims were ‘mythical’.

On the 17 February our colleagues said the West had “spread fake information and distorted the real state of affairs”. Russia, in contrast, “would keep on calling for effective dialogue” as “conflict in eastern Ukraine can and must be stopped”.

On the 21 February, they stressed that “the key to lasting peace, the restoration of civil accord in Ukraine and the defusing of the tension around this country lies in the implementation of the Minsk agreements in good faith”.

That very evening the Russian Federation contradicted itself in recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as so-called “independent states”, thereby abandoning the same Minsk agreements they had, just hours ago, claimed were the key to peace.

And on 24 February, having denied, week in, week out, their true intentions, Russia launched its horrific invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory – a fellow participating State of the OSCE. Contravening the Helsinki Final Act and trampling on the foundational commitments of this organisation.

Mr Chair, Russia waged a campaign of disinformation throughout the build up to their illegal invasion.  A campaign that they persist in pursuing to this day. This campaign of disinformation is recorded in the archives for posterity. No amount of disinformation can rewrite Russia’s lies and deceit.

Nor can they silence the international community, as they have tried to silence their own country. Investigations by ODIHR, the Moscow Mechanism and the UN following the invasion attest to the Kremlin’s continued failure to conceal its cruelty.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine’s October 2022 report details just some of the horrors of Russia’s invasion. Civilians shot at while fleeing Russian armed forces; summary executions, torture and sexual violence in areas under temporary Russian control. The list goes on and on. There is no doubt as to Russia’s culpability for atrocities and human rights violations carried out in Ukraine. We will hold perpetrators to account for the atrocities and war crimes they have committed. The truth will out.

Mr Chair, in the face of a concerted Russian disinformation campaign, one thing is certain. The United Kingdom will continue support those seeking the truth. President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK is a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries. Our commitments announced during the visit represent a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, ensuring our Ukrainian friends have the support they need to defend their territorial integrity, in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion, for as long as it takes.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

10/02/2023
Emma Lewell-Buck – 2023 Parliamentary Question on the Free Trade Agreement with the US

The parliamentary question asked by Emma Lewell-Buck, the Labour MP for South Shields, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)

What recent progress she has made on a free trade agreement with the US.

The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Nigel Huddleston)

We recognise that the US is not currently focused on FTAs. However, we stand ready to resume negotiations when they are ready. In the meantime, we are working to improve the trading landscape, including by removing US steel and aluminium tariffs and lifting the US ban on British lamb and beef. We are also working with the US on areas of shared interest that include digital trade, small and medium-sized enterprise support and supply chain security.

Mrs Lewell-Buck

The reality is that there has been no real progress and, despite all the previous rhetoric, there remains no free trade agreement with the US. Does the Minister think his suggestion that this is the fault of the US President will help or hinder future negotiations?

Nigel Huddleston

As I said, the US is not currently negotiating FTAs, not just with us but with any other country. We are working and we have very good dialogue with one of our closest allies in so many areas, including economically, culturally and militarily, and that dialogue will of course continue. As I said in my previous answer, we are working in many areas, including steel and food, to create opportunities, alongside work in respect of the memorandum of understanding. Considerable progress can be and will continue to be made, even without an FTA.

Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (Con)

Global free trade is and always has been the greatest motor for global prosperity, which is why many of us voted for Brexit. A free trade deal with America is the greatest prize of all. Will the Minister confirm that, as far as we are concerned, there are no barriers at all—whether it be chlorinated chicken or whatever—to trying to conclude an agreement? We want this deal with the US. Does the Minister think that it will happen?

Nigel Huddleston

We are very keen to conclude a deal with the US, but, at the moment, it is not able to enter into those negotiations. However, that will not prohibit us from continuing to find opportunities and to remove barriers where and when we can, as well as seeking those opportunities across the world. I appreciate what the right hon. Member said at the beginning of his question about how we, on the Conservative Benches, are firm proponents of free trade. It is good for the UK economy and good for the world economy, and we need to continue to make sure that that message is heard loud and clear.

Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) (Lab/Co-op)

Had the Conservative party negotiated a free trade agreement with the US, as it promised at the general election, British firms would have been protected from new market barriers to green trade that are being introduced by the US Inflation Reduction Act 2022. That means that new investment and jobs here in Britain in green energy, electric vehicles and new technology are at risk. Is it not the truth that the infighting in the Conservative party last year meant that Ministers woke up much too late to the threat and that they have done far too little since to try to ameliorate the damage?

Nigel Huddleston

As I said, the US is not focused on free trade agreements at the moment, and we are disappointed that the US has opted to pursue policies in the Inflation Reduction Act that will harm British businesses and impact global supply chains. The UK expects to be and, as the closest ally of the US, should be part of any flexibilities in the implementation of the IRA, and we will continue closely engaging with the US Administration to ensure that UK concerns are addressed.

10/02/2023
Gareth Bacon – 2023 Parliamentary Question on Metro Mayors and Foreign Direct Investment

The parliamentary question asked by Gareth Bacon, the Conservative MP for Orpington, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

Gareth Bacon (Orpington) (Con)

What recent discussions her Department has had with Metro Mayors on attracting more foreign direct investment.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Kevin Hollinrake)

I met Andy Street this week to talk about foreign direct investment, and Lord Johnson will meet the 10 Metro Mayors today and look to discuss how we can attract more investment into mayoral combined authorities and how the Department can connect strategic regional opportunities to major international capital, such as the sovereign investment partnerships that have been established over the past 18 months by the Department and the Office for Investment.

Gareth Bacon

I chair the all-party parliamentary group for London as a global city, and last year we published our first report, which featured analysis of the London-plus effect, a term coined by the London & Partners agency to show that our capital is the gateway to the world and that companies that first invest in London go on to contribute £7.6 billion and create 40,000 jobs throughout the country. Is my hon. Friend’s Department willing to consider convening roundtables with the Metro Mayors on how to maximise the potential benefit to the UK of the London-plus effect?

Kevin Hollinrake

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Andy Street was very clear about the importance of London to regional development in the west midlands. The Department convenes roundtable joint sessions with the M10 Metro Mayors twice every year, in additional to ongoing ministerial-mayoral bilaterals and official-level engagement. Such meetings include the discussion of shared priorities in respect of international trade and investment and of greater collaboration throughout all regions to increase foreign direct investment from new and existing investors.

Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab)

The Minister will know that there are no Metro Mayors in Wales, but there are city deals and leaders that link across the south-west of England into Bristol and across the south Wales belt. Will the Minister set out what he is doing to work with local government leaders in Wales to ensure that investment is brought into Welsh constituencies as well as those throughout England?

Kevin Hollinrake

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. We are pleased that across York and North Yorkshire we are about to get our own Metro Mayor; I am sure he is working hard to bring that kind of governance to his area too, because it clearly delivers opportunity right across the country. As he knows, the FDI stock in the UK is worth £2 trillion, which is the second highest amount in the world. I am sure the opportunities would be beneficial to the hon. Gentleman’s constituents should he strike that kind of deal.

10/02/2023
Rachel Hopkins – 2023 Parliamentary Question on UK Automotive Exports

The parliamentary question asked by Rachel Hopkins, the Labour MP for Luton South, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)

What steps she is taking to help increase automotive exports.

The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Ms Nusrat Ghani)

The Department is working across Whitehall and with industry to secure export-led investment as the sector makes the transition to zero-emission vehicles, including new electric vehicle models, along with battery gigafactories and the electric vehicle supply chain. We have a dedicated export support system throughout the UK in the shape of our international trade advisers, ensuring that the automotive industry is the country’s biggest single exporter of goods, exporting nearly 80% of vehicle production—about 6% of the UK’s total exported goods.

Rachel Hopkins

If we are to continue to drive British automotive exports, it is critical that automotive businesses such as Vauxhall in Luton can make the transition to manufacturing electric vehicles effectively. The rules of origin from 2024 onwards highlight the need to attract the wider electrified supply chain to the UK as soon as possible. How is the Minister working with the automotive sector to expand our domestic electric vehicle supply chain—especially in respect of batteries—to avoid any future tariffs when rules of origin come into effect?

Ms Ghani

The hon. Lady will hopefully find some comfort in the fact that I have many meetings with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and have met the automotive sector multiple times to deal with this issue. We are very much aware of the rules-of-origin issue, which is why we are investing so much in batteries. In particular, the Faraday battery challenge is a £541 million project to help us to develop new battery technologies. I have mentioned already that I was in Cape Town to deal with the diversification of access to critical minerals in supply chains to ensure that we can process them and manufacture here.

Mr Richard Bacon (South Norfolk) (Con)

Would the Minister like to congratulate Group Lotus in my constituency, which exports more than 70% of its car production? Would she like to take the opportunity to come to Hethel to see the new Lotus Evija supercar, which can do nought to 180 mph in nine seconds?

Ms Ghani

I am not sure that I can speak as far as that car goes, but I am more than happy to come to Hethel to visit Group Lotus. The amount of progress that has been made by experts, academics and scientists when it comes not only to zero emission vehicles but to speed is remarkable.

10/02/2023
Giles Watling – 2023 Parliamentary Question on a Trade Envoy for the Commonwealth

The parliamentary question asked by Giles Watling, the Conservative MP for Clacton, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

Giles Watling (Clacton) (Con)

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a trade envoy for the Commonwealth.

The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Nigel Huddleston)

The countries of the Commonwealth are important trading partners. Our total trading relationship was worth more than £146 billion in the 12 months to September 2022, which is why my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has already appointed trade envoys to 15 Commonwealth nations. We have trade agreements with 33 Commonwealth members, and five of the 11 members of the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership are in the Commonwealth as well.

Giles Watling

As chairman of the 1922 committee’s Back-Bench foreign affairs policy committee, I recently shared our report with ministerial colleagues. One of its recommendations was the creation of a Commonwealth-specific trade envoy post. Does my hon. Friend agree that in this post-Brexit era, increasing trade and movement between the Commonwealth and the UK should be a top priority to foster economic growth? By the way, this is not a pitch for that job.

Nigel Huddleston

Yes, I am afraid that those jobs are at the discretion of the Prime Minister.

I hear what my hon. Friend is saying. We already have extensive coverage through the existing network, but we review the network regularly because we are committed to working with our allies in the Commonwealth to remove the barriers to trade and strengthen trading relationships to foster economic growth. Growing exports to Commonwealth countries is a priority, and trade increased by 25% in the year to September 2022. As for movement, we have a new global immigration system which is vital in supporting trade and economic growth, and the movement of business people on a temporary basis promotes and supports trade in services and goods and investment activities. Recognition of professional qualifications and business travel are always an important part of our trade deals.

10/02/2023