Minister of State for the Middle East, Alistair Burt MP, said:

I congratulate President Aoun and Prime Minister Hariri and welcome the announcement of the formation of Lebanon’s new government. This is an important moment for Lebanon.

The new government will have the increasingly important task of protecting Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability, including through implementing the policy of disassociation from regional conflicts, and abiding by the provisions of all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, including 1559 and 1701. The United Kingdom will continue to support these goals, including strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces in its role as Lebanon’s sole and legitimate defender.

This is a very important time for the Lebanese economy, and we look forward to rapid progress being made on the commitments made at the CEDRE Conference in Paris on 6 April last year. The UK-Lebanon Business and Investment forum in London on December 12 was an important moment in demonstrating Lebanon’s commitment to delivering key economic reforms, and now is the time for action.

The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting Lebanon, particularly in the fields of security, education and economic growth, as well as by providing support to its most vulnerable.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP presented London and southern England businesses with Board of Trade Awards (BOFTAs), a globally-recognised certificate of excellence, shown on product labels of successful businesses of every size. These follow BOFTAs given to other firms from across the UK throughout 2018.

International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade Dr Liam Fox MP said:

Each year, my international economic department helps thousands of companies of every size to break into global markets, ensuring consumers around the world can access the best of British products and services.

The BOFTAs given to these companies highlight their exceptional trading performance and will inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The London and southern England businesses receiving BOFTAs are:

• Pall Mall Barbers, one of London’s oldest barbershops
• Granny Gothards, an artisan ice cream and sorbet maker based in Somerset and Devon
• Lazarus Training, an Essex-based provider of first aid training
• AliveLab, a creator of Augmented Reality toys based in London
• LittlePod, a producer of ethically-sourced vanilla from Exeter
• Alderley Plc, a specialist oil and gas engineering firm headquartered in Gloucestershire
• Lye Cross Farm, a Somerset cheesemaker operating since 1952
• Gamification+, which provides HR, Sales and Marketing courses in gamification with offices in Brighton
• Warmup Plc, a London-based manufacturer of underfloor heating solutions

These BOFTAs are awarded during a time of record high exports from the UK. Latest ONS figures show the export of British goods and services rose by 2.3% to £630 billion in the year to November 2018.

The awards follow on the momentum of the launch of the Department for International Trade’s Export Strategy last year, which sets out how Government will support companies of all sizes to make the most of the opportunities presented by markets around the world. The strategy was created following extensive engagement with a range of UK businesses and sets a new ambition from Government to increase exports as a proportion of UK GDP to 35%.