During the visit he will represent the UK at G20 summit, on Monday 21 May, and hold bilateral meetings with President Mauricio Macri and Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie.

Speaking on arrival in Argentina Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

The relationship between the UK and Argentina has come a long way over the past few years and this visit will be an opportunity to build on and enhance ever closer co-operation on trade, investment, cultural ties, tackling corruption and organised crime, and increasing links in science and technology.

As the UK leaves the European Union, my message is that the UK is open for business. I look forward to a new chapter in our relationship, and booming trade prospects, after the UK leaves the European Union.

In the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary to Argentina in 22 years, Mr Johnson joined Foreign Minister Faurie, Defence Minister Agaud and Security Minister Bullrich at a ceremony at the ‘Monument to the Fallen’. Mr Johnson laid a wreath in honour of those who died on both sides of the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony Foreign Secretary Johnson said:

It is an honour to join Foreign Minister Faurie today, and to lay a wreath at the Monument to the Fallen, commemorating all those who died in the Falkland Islands conflict.

On Monday (21 May) Mr Johnson will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, a summit for 19 countries and the European Union, which will focus on the themes of “Multilateralism and Global Governance” and “Action for a Fair and Sustainable Development”.

Notes to Editors

1. The G20 is made up of 19 countries and the European Union. The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Spain is a permanent invited guest to G20 meetings.
2. This year Argentina has also invited Chile, the Netherlands, Jamaica (representing the CARICOM), Rwanda (representing the African Union), Senegal (representing NEPAD) and Singapore (representing ASEAN) to attend.
3. For further information on the G20 – https://www.g20.org/en

In the first visit of a British Foreign Secretary to Peru in over 50 years, Mr. Johnson joined Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra and other high level Peruvian officials on a visit to Iquitos, located in the Amazon. The Peruvian Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio accompanied Mr Johnson to an animal rescue centre to see animals rescued as part of crackdown on the illegal wildlife trade. The two foreign ministers also signed a treaty on the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications, facilitating greater exchange of people and opportunities for students from both the UK and Peru.

The Foreign Secretary invited Peru to become a partner at then London 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London taking place in October this year.

Speaking ahead of his visit Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

I am delighted to be the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Peru in over 50 years. I look forward to meeting President Vizcarra to strengthen our relationship and discuss areas that we both care passionately about, such as protecting the biodiversity of the Amazon, as well as underlining the opportunities for British business in South America.

Peru is already taking important steps on tackling the illegal wildlife trade and I look forward to building on this work together at the summit in London in October this year.

The Foreign Secretary also visited a remote community on an island in the Amazon River to see first-hand the education challenges in Peru, where 34% of rural girls are illiterate and will also launch a UK-funded solar energy project that is providing energy for the school and its 140 pupils using British lithium battery technology.

The Foreign Secretary also travelled to Peru’s capital Lima, to visit the site of the Lima 2019 Pan American and ParaPan American Games, the world’s fourth largest sporting event in the world.

The UK is already providing Peru with technical support and knowledge sharing to help deliver the Pan Am and Para Pan American Games, the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics is widely recognised as an example of international best practice.

The UK will be providing £177 million for a Sustainable Infrastructure Programme, developed by BEIS (Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy) and delivered by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to encourage further carbon reduction in Peru and three other Latin American countries.

During the visit the Foreign Secretary and President Vizcarra discussed how to build on the success of this partnership and make the UK’s world class expertise available to accelerate a much wider range of infrastructure projects in Peru.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

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In 2016, Alan Yeomans, then of Shedley Manor, Yeavley, was sentenced to 6 and a half years imprisonment for offences including money laundering, bankruptcy offences, and cultivation of cannabis.

At the sentencing hearing at Derby Crown Court, HHJ Shant QC described Mr Yeomans as a liar who had become involved in drug dealing.

Mr Yeomans then faced confiscation proceedings at Derby Crown Court, brought by the Insolvency Service.
On 17 May 2018, HHJ Bennett made a confiscation order against Mr Yeomans, which deprives him of £650,000, being the proceeds of his crimes. If Mr Yeomans fails to pay his confiscation order he faces a further prison sentence of 66 months.

The court recognised that Yeomans, aged 63, had obtained £1 million benefit from his various criminal activities. The assets held by Mr Yeomans included his home, Shedley Manor, as well as Rolex watches and valuable works of art and antiques.

Shedley Manor is a property built by Mr Yeomans and concealed in a barn in the Derbyshire countryside.

Alan Yeomans’ prison sentence followed his conviction in 2016, on charges of failing to disclose to the Official Receiver that he owned antiques and oil paintings worth £83,250, acting in the management of three Derbyshire companies, Shearstud Limited, Easy Tools Limited and B Clarke Limited and money laundering.

At his trial, he pleaded guilty to these offences plus being involved in the production of cannabis and possession of illegal CS gas canisters which were found during the search.

Mr Yeomans continues to serve his prison sentence and will now lose his home and much of his property seized from “Shedley Manor” during the investigation.

Glenn Wicks, the officer in charge of the investigation, commented:

He has been made bankrupt twice and the second bankruptcy was extended by the Official Receiver.

The Insolvency Service has made this man pay for his crimes. He is serving a prison sentence and we have now taken action to ensure that he has not profited from his crimes.

Notes to editors

Alan Yeomans is a two-time bankrupt, having been made bankrupt in 1993 and 2009.His date of birth is November 1954.

Following an Insolvency Service investigation, Mr Yeomans signed a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU) in 2010, for six years.

In 2016, Mr Yeomans received a lengthy prison sentence for a number of crimes ranging from fraud in companies to being involved in the illegal growth of cannabis.

Alan Yeomans, then of Shedley Manor, Yeavely, Derbyshire was charged with failing to disclose to the Official Receiver that he owned antiques and oil paintings worth £83,250, acting in the management of three Derbyshire companies, Shearstud Limited, Easy Tools Limited and B Clarke Limited and money laundering. He pleaded guilty to these offences plus being involved in the production of cannabis and possession of illegal CS gas canisters which were found during the search.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Further information about the work of the Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team is available

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

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Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will begin a five-day tour of Latin America today (19 May) which will see him travel to Peru, Argentina and Chile.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

This will be my first visit to the region since becoming Foreign Secretary. Latin America is a vibrant and dynamic part of the world that works closely with the UK on a number of issues including trade, security, science, infrastructure and education, among others.

I am looking forward to strengthening the UK’s relationship with countries in the region, as well as representing the UK at the G20 Foreign Minister’s meeting for important talks on climate change, the illegal wildlife trade and how to ensure girls across the world receive twelve years of quality education.

Starting in Peru’s capital Lima, Mr. Johnson, the first Foreign Secretary to visit Peru in over 50 years, will join President Vizcarra on a trip to the Amazon.

The joint visit will include seeing first-hand the work of an animal rescue centre to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and time at a remote Amazonian Community Centre to launch a UK-funded solar project providing electricity and potable water for the school.

After visiting Peru the Foreign Secretary will travel to Argentina for talks with President Macri and Foreign Minister Faurie. In Buenos Aires Mr Johnson will also represent the UK at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting to discuss a range of global issues with his counterparts.

Foreign Secretary Johnson will finish his five-day tour of Latin America in Chile, where he will meet President Pinera, Foreign Minister Ampuero and visit a British Council funded pilot project which aims to advance digital literacy and coding skills particularly among female students in Chile, Colombia and Peru.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

The Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington MP visited Madrid today, where he met the Spanish Foreign Secretary Alfonso Dastis to talk about the deep bilateral relationship between the UK and Spain and to reiterate the UK’s commitment to forge even greater ties after the UK leaves the European Union.

The Ministers discussed the practical implications of the UK’s departure, including for Gibraltar where the priority remains to provide certainty to the thousands of people and businesses affected. Mr Lidington reiterated that the UK is confident that by engaging in regular conversations with the Government of Gibraltar and our EU partners – including Spain – we will find a way forward that benefits everyone living and working in the region.

The discussion also covered current foreign policy issues including Russia, the Iran nuclear deal, and the situation in Venezuela. The two Ministers recognised that the people of Spain and the UK have close ties, and that the two nations are major partners in trade. Mr Lidington underlined that the British Government is committed to maintaining existing levels of close cooperation in the future and said that we will also continue to work together to keep our citizens safe.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, David Lidington said:

Today I had a constructive meeting with Spanish Foreign Secretary Alfonso Dastis. The UK and Spain are friends and allies with a long history together, and we are looking forward to tightening those bonds even further.

We have made significant progress in our negotiations to leave the EU so far, and we are confident that we can find a way forward together that is to the benefit and shared prosperity of both ourselves and the European Union.

We want to be ambitious about the future relationship with the EU we are seeking, in both our economic and security partnerships. I am convinced that with our shared goodwill, creativity and focus, we will overcome the challenges ahead.

The United Kingdom and Spain are close partners in NATO and United Nations, among numerous international organisations, and the commercial relationship between both countries rose to 43 billion pounds in 2016. Nearly 19 million British tourists visited Spain in 2017 and around 300,000 British people are residents, while almost 200,000 Spanish people live in the UK.