A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister spoke to Indian Prime Minister Modi this afternoon.

Prime Minister Modi began by congratulating the Prime Minister on his appointment.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of the UK-India partnership and the need to build on it further, particularly through trade and economic ties and through the living bridge that links our countries. Prime Minister Modi said there are immense possibilities for the UK and India which would increase prosperity in both countries.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi discussed the current situation in Kashmir. The Prime Minister made clear that the UK views the issue of Kashmir is one for India and Pakistan to resolve bilaterally. He underlined the importance of resolving issues through dialogue.

“Ahead of the G7, the Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi agreed on the importance of working together to tackle climate change and other threats to biodiversity. They looked forward to meeting at the summit this weekend to discuss this and other issues.”

Today (20 August) Education Secretary Gavin Williamson visited the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) where cutting edge technology is being used to drive innovations in manufacturing as well as offering training and apprenticeships in a range of crucial fields.

Since his appointment, Mr Williamson has made clear that technical education and training has played second fiddle to traditional academic options for too long, and as the first Education Secretary to personally take charge of this brief, he will make sure it is a priority for this Government.

On the visit the Education Secretary took a tour of the AMRC, which is based in Sheffield, including Factory 2050, a state of the art facility that sees partners like Boeing and McLaren Automotive, as well as smaller local employers using advanced technologies like robotics and virtual reality to develop innovative manufacturing techniques.

The centre also provides high-quality apprenticeship training and higher education in engineering and manufacturing designed to deliver the skills top firms like Boeing need to compete globally.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, said:

It is absolutely vital that we continue to grow the nations’ skills particularly in key areas like science, technology, engineering and maths so we have a workforce that is fit for the future. I am focused on making sure this is a priority area for this Government.

I’ve been hugely impressed by what I have seen here today at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. What they are doing here at is a brilliant example of how one of our top universities is collaborating with global firms like Boeing as well as smaller employers to boost skills and jobs across the region.

I would like to see more collaborations like this across the country.

On the visit Mr Williamson met with University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre apprentices who work in local companies and Boeing’s European production facility in Sheffield, seeing first-hand how their training is giving them the skills they need to forge great careers in the region.

He also tried out some of the impressive technologies on show at the AMRC, including augmented and virtual reality simulations, and learned about a project to help small and medium enterprises by retrofitting them with low-cost digital technologies.

Boeing opened its production facility in Sheffield in 2018 – the company’s first manufacturing site in Europe. The £40 million, 6,200-square-metre facility, employs 70 people, more than 30 of which are apprentices. It offers high quality apprenticeship opportunities through the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre in machining and technical support including at advanced, higher, degree and postgraduate levels apprenticeships.

Professor Koen Lamberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said:

We were delighted to show the Education Secretary how our outstanding research translates into world class manufacturing capabilities and how we are working with our industrial and regional partners to develop the skills that businesses need.

We were particularly pleased to show the full breadth of what we have to offer – including apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships and undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses – and how they all contribute to an evolving education ecosystem.

Chris Greaves, Head of the Integrated Manufacturing Group at the University of Sheffield AMRC welcomed the Education Secretary to Factory 2050, telling him it is the place where digital meets manufacturing, helping companies de-risk and adopt Industry 4.0 technologies.

Chris Greaves said:

We are very grateful for the Secretary of State’s support on apprenticeships. Our success is down to our people and apprentices are very much key to that for us. We’ve been delighted with the apprentices that have come to us through the AMRC Training Centre.

To invest more heavily in apprenticeships – to get the right skill sets into manufacturing – is not only important to us and the region but it’s very important to the UK economy and manufacturing as a whole.

The Education Secretary also visited Grace Owen Nursery School in Sheffield, part of the Park Hill Estate, one of the city’s most disadvantaged areas.

As a maintained nursery school, Grace Owen receives supplementary funding from the Department for Education in recognition of the role it plays supporting some of the most disadvantaged children in the country. Nearly 40 per cent of the children who attend Grace Owen are eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium, compared to the national average of 11.4%.

The government announced an additional investment, worth £24 million, for maintained nursery schools in February, giving them certainty for the 2019-20 academic year, ahead of a Spending Review.

Mr Williamson met with headteacher Nancy Farrow and nursery staff to discuss their work to engage with families in the estate and surrounding area.

The Education Secretary added:

Children only get one chance at a good education. This must start in the very earliest years because a child’s development at age five can determine their chances later in life, which is why we are investing £3.5 billion in our early education entitlements this year alone.

I’m grateful to the dedicated staff at Grace Owen Nursery for the important work they do in giving children the best start and putting them on a path to succeed.

Thank you, Madam President.

The UK is honoured to present the draft annual report of the Security Council to the UN General Assembly today and I hope that Council members will support its adoption. As the President of the Security Council for the month of August in 2018, the UK was responsible for coordinating the drafting of the introduction to the Report.

The draft report provides a summary of the actions that the Security Council took in 2018 to maintain international peace and security. This Council carries out this responsibility on behalf of all UN Member States, as set out in Art 24 of the Charter, and the Annual Report is an important mechanism for keeping the wider membership informed of our activities.

We look forward to hearing the reflections of Member States on the Annual Report during the forthcoming General Assembly debate and we encourage future presidencies to report to Council members on relevant suggestions and observations raised during the debate in line with paragraph 138 of Note 507.

In drafting the introduction, the UK has aimed to provide a brief description of the key activities and trends in the Council during the reporting period. I hope that the draft offers a clear and readable account of the Council’s work in 2018 that will serve as a useful reference for UN Member States and other readers such as academics, civil society and the general public.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that made a contribution to the draft. In particular, I would like to thank those delegations that were members of the Council in 2018 for their valuable input into successive drafts of the introduction. I would also like to thank the Secretariat for its support during the drafting process, particularly staff in the Security Council Affairs Division of the Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, who prepare the bulk of the report and who offered useful guidance and suggestions during the drafting of the introduction.

Thank you.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss spoke to Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko today (Tuesday 20 August).

The two discussed a range of high priority issues including bilateral trade relations post-Brexit and the UK’s potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The Trade Minister assured Minister Seko that the UK remains committed to moving quickly towards a future free trade agreement after the UK leaves the EU.

The Trade Secretary also confirmed her intention to visit Japan before October 31st to continue discussion in each of these areas.

Following the call, the International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said:

Japan is one of the UK’s most important trading partners with £29.5 billion of goods and services flowing between us in 2018. It is also a country that embraces freedom and free trade and we are working with Japan to make sure our trade relationship thrives after Brexit.

After we leave the EU, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put British businesses at the centre of the world’s fastest growing regions, and a close partnership with Japan will be a key part of this future.

Selvarani Elahi, Deputy Government Chemist and Professor Chris Elliott, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University, Belfast were invited by Dr Ernest Teye of the University of Cape Coast to attend the Ghana Science Association conference and a workshop on rice integrity and managing food fraud during 30 July – 2 August 2019.

Selvarani Elahi gave a presentation on the Food Authenticity Network, highlighting the benefits of Ghana joining this one-stop-shop for food authenticity testing and food fraud mitigation in the global fight against food fraud. Professor Elliott delivered the keynote speech at the Ghana Science Association conference informing the audience of the concept of food fraud, giving local examples and demonstrating the negative impact of fraud.

ATL FM 100.5 MHz Radio interviewed Selvarani and Chris on ‘food fraud and authenticity’, which can be viewed on ATL’s Facebook page.

During the course of the week, meetings were also held with the Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority.

Given the recent report of the meeting by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on the negative impact of illicit trade on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both Professor Alex Dodoo and Mimi Darko were keen to implement projects aimed at improving the integrity of Ghanaian food.

They stated their commitment for Ghana, as the ‘gateway to Africa’, to be the first African nation to join the Food Authenticity Network.

For more information about the Government Chemist role, or advice related to food testing, contact