The UK government and Scottish Chamber of Commerce are today calling on Scottish businesses to make their voices heard in post-Brexit free trade agreements.

The Department for International Trade has announced that the Scottish Chamber of Commerce will represent Scottish businesses on the government’s new Strategic Trade Advisory Group.

The group, which is chaired by Trade Policy Minister George Hollingbery, will meet at least 4 times a year. It will advise the government on future trade policy issues, including on future trade agreements with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and potential accession to the Trans-Pacific partnership, a group of 11 countries around the Pacific rim.

Membership of the group will be reviewed annually, and the government has committed to ensuring Scotland is always represented as it develops an inclusive and transparent trade policy that works for all regions and nations of the UK.

Scottish businesses can now feed views through their local Scottish Chamber.

Speaking at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) Forum event in Edinburgh today, Minister Hollingbery said that future free trade agreements will be negotiated in the interest of the whole of the UK with input from Scottish businesses and the Scottish Government.

Trade Policy Minister, George Hollingbery said:

Scotland’s exports are going from strength to strength and Scottish businesses will play a major role in helping to forge stronger trading relationships as we leave the European Union.

We are committed to a transparent and inclusive trade policy that benefits the whole of the UK and we have made sure Scottish interests influence our trade negotiations through a permanent seat on our advisory group.

I encourage all Scottish businesses to make the most of our new partnership with the Scottish Chamber of Commerce and feed their views about our future trade policy in to their local Chamber.

Consultations on future free trade deals with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and a group of 11 Pacific nations received a large volume of input from businesses in Scotland.

An event attended by businesses and stakeholders in Edinburgh last September revealed strong support for new free trade agreements which would help expand access to key global markets for Scottish exports and businesses.

Liz Cameron OBE, Director & Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

In such uncertain times, it is essential that Scottish businesses have a voice on the future of the UK’s trade policy. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network plays a central role in driving business growth across Scotland’s communities, with a significant focus on maximising international trade opportunities.

As part of our commitment to the Strategic Trade Advisory Group, we will represent the business views from across the Scottish economy as the UK seeks to secure new trade agreements. We will ensure Scottish businesses are ready and able to take full advantage of expanding their trading footprint in markets around the globe.

Matt Lancashire, SCDI Director of Policy and Public Affairs, said:

Protecting and strengthening our international trading relationships is essential for a more productive and inclusive Scottish economy.

We believe that a commitment to open, rule-based system of trade will deliver growth and prosperity, and we have been encouraging the UK to explore joining the CPTPP of growing economies.

We welcome this opportunity for Scottish businesses and civic organisations to discuss the UK’s trade priorities with Minister Hollingbery at our Forum. We have met regularly with the Minister and will continue to make the views of our members known to the UK and Scottish governments and the Strategic Trade Advisory Group to inform and influence future trade negotiations.

Scotland’s food and drink industry is a powerhouse of international trade, exporting 41 bottles of world-famous Scotch whisky every second. Two thirds of the nation’s whisky exports, worth £4bn annually, go to countries outside the EU, and the sector directly employs 40,000 people.

Scotland also remains a major export and investment hub and is a major centre for financial and professional services, outside London. Scotland benefitted from 141 new investment projects by international companies that created 4,000 new jobs last year alone.

One drinks business taking advantage of markets worldwide is Pickering Gin, who export more than 25% of their outputs to markets including Australia, New Zealand, China and America. They employ more than 26 people at their site in Edinburgh.

Matthew Gammell, Co-Founder and Head Distiller of Pickering’s Gin said:

As an ambitious young company, it is essential that we have the ability to grow our key export markets and take new opportunities as they arise. It is critical at this time that our government ensures we achieve the best possible trade deals with key nations in order that the UK can remain competitive within the export marketplace.

The UK’s devolved administrations have a direct interest in future trade agreements as we leave the EU and the UK government will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government, through regular policy roundtables, official meetings and public consultations to make sure any future trade deal works for the whole of the UK.

The move follows the Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) statement of objections issued on 13 December 2018, alleging that 3 suppliers of pre-cast concrete drainage products – CPM Group Ltd (CPM), Stanton Bonna Ltd, and FP McCann Ltd – breached competition law by taking part in a secret cartel for almost 7 years from 2006. The CMA has provisionally found that the cartel aimed to fix or coordinate prices and share out the market for certain pre-cast concrete drainage products in Great Britain.

As part of a settlement process, Somerset-based CPM and Derbyshire-based Stanton Bonna Ltd admitted to participating in the alleged cartel and have agreed to pay fines, which will be determined at the end of the CMA’s investigation. The CMA’s investigation into a third company which has not entered into settlement, FP McCann Ltd, continues and no assumption should be made that it has infringed the law.

Mr Philip Michael Stacey and Mr Robert James Taylor Smillie were directors at CPM throughout the period of the alleged cartel activity, during which time the company was one of the leading players in the market. The CMA has secured legally binding undertakings from these former directors, which disqualify them as directors and prevent them from being involved in the management of any company based in England, Scotland and Wales. 

Mr Stacey has been disqualified for 7 years and 6 months, and Mr Smillie has been disqualified for 6 years and 6 months. 

Under the Company Directors Disqualification Act, the CMA has the power to apply to the court to disqualify a director from holding company directorships or performing certain roles in relation to a company for a specified period, if a company which he or she is a director of has breached competition law. The Act also allows the CMA to accept a disqualification undertaking from a director instead of bringing proceedings, which has the same legal effect as a disqualification order.

Investigations are ongoing with respect to other directors and FP McCann Ltd.

For more information, view the case page.

Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to be back in China for this second Belt and Road Forum. To take stock of how the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has evolved over the past two years…

…to discuss the next phase of the Initiative.

To hear, as we have of China’s commitment to the BRI not only to deliver much-needed economic infrastructure, but to demonstrate leadership in addressing social and environmental ‎challenges too;

We have all seen how China’s own development has lifted hundreds of millions of its citizens out of poverty in just four decades…

…and none of us doubts that the Belt and Road Initiative has tremendous potential to spread prosperity and sustainable development – touching, as it does, potentially 70% of the world’s population.

A project of truly epic ambition…

…and I congratulate President Xi and the Chinese people on the scale of this vision…

..and the determination with which it has been pursued.

The UK is committed to helping to realise the potential of the BRI – and to doing so in a way that works for all whose lives are touched by the project.

The potential benefits are clear to all of us in this room;

But to deliver them, it is essential that BRI operates to the highest international standards;…

…with all parties working together‎ in partnership within the rules-based international system…

…to create genuine win-win outcomes, in which host countries, investors and promoters alike benefit…

…with fair terms…

… sensitivity to local concerns and traditions…

…and the highest environmental standards…

…all delivered to international norms of good governance…

…with full transparency around projects, and around the sustainability of the debt that partner countries are incurring to secure them;

…Ensuring that Belt and Road is an exemplar of how globalised, open economic cooperation can deliver benefits for all.

And I welcome the “triple pledge” we heard from President Xi Xinping this morning to ensure the highest international standards in delivery of Belt and Road, to maintain China’s commitment to free trade and multilateralism; and to continue the reform and opening up of China’s economy.

Two years ago, at the First ‎Belt and Road Forum, I spoke of the UK as a ‘natural partner’ in Belt and Road…

…citing the complementarity of the UK and Chinese economies…

…the potential of London’s deep capital markets to support the future financing needs of the BRI…

…and of the strength of the UK’s legal, professional and technical ‎services sectors to support the design, development, contracting and delivery of BRI projects.

And since then, I have worked to turn that vision of cooperation into a reality.

In May 2018, I was pleased to appoint Sir Douglas Flint, former Chairman of HSBC, as HM Treasury’s Financial and Professional Services Envoy to the Belt and Road Initiative;

Under his chairmanship, we’re bringing together UK business leaders from financial and professional services and China Development Bank, Bank of China, and China Construction Bank to establish a Belt and Road expert board in London.

We have launched, in April 2019, a three year China Infrastructure Programme to work with China to improve infrastructure development outcomes in Africa and Asia.

And we have worked with the AIIB to deepen our relationship and to support the development of a pipeline of high-quality infrastructure projects.

It is clear that, to support the sheer scale of the BRI vision, private finance will need to play an ever greater role in these infrastructure projects.

And to unlock that private finance, and reassure investors, we must create a recognised infrastructure asset class for Belt and Road projects…

…with standardised contract terms and uniform reporting that global investors will recognise and trust.

In doing so, we should, of course, draw on the work that G20 and other international organisations are doing to create frameworks for sustainable infrastructure investments; and I want to offer London’s world class expertise in project financing and the associated legal, professional and technical skills as a partner of choice in delivering these international-standard infrastructure projects.

The BRI is an extraordinarily, ambitious vision. To turn that vision into a sustainable reality it must work for everyone involved.

That means achieving the highest economic, social, governance and environmental standards;

It means attracting the necessary private capital;

It means ensuring that all partner countries and all their citizens can benefit.

Our offer is to bring the best of Chinese manufacturing, engineering and construction with the best of British project design and legal, technical and financial services expertise…as we harness the “Golden Era” of UK-China relations…

…to deliver world-class sustainable infrastructure for all for the twenty-first century.

I look forward to working with all of you to make that happen…

To deliver jobs, growth and higher living stands for all of our citizens.

The Department for International Trade recently (25 April) announced the appointment of Dr Henry Pearson as the UK’s new Cyber Security Ambassador.

The role brings together a dedicated person in government with subject matter expertise and cyber security experience, responsible for promoting the cyber capability of leading British firms in international markets.

In this role, Dr. Pearson will work closely with UK businesses seeking to secure major international contracts with overseas governments and central banks that are looking to bolster their cyber defences against potential cyber threats. It is expected he will focus substantially on the Gulf and South East Asian markets.

His appointment marks the UK’s ambition to increase its cyber security exports and the footprint of British cyber firms overseas, to capitalise on the growing demand among government’s around the world to safeguard their critical national infrastructure.

Welcoming Dr. Pearson to DIT, International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said:

I am delighted to welcome Henry Pearson as the Department’s new Cyber Ambassador. The UK’s reputation for cyber expertise is recognised worldwide and my department is committed to ensuring the UK fulfils its global potential, with cyber exports projected to be worth £2.6bn by 2021.

Henry’s appointment will be instrumental in ensuring our world leading firms are able to compete on the global stage and our cutting-edge technology is the first port of call for overseas government’s looking to secure their critical national infrastructure.

He joins with substantial experience in the sector, having previously worked for the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as a cyber adviser, for the Ministry of Defence as an independent adviser and as a senior figure in Detica Ltd, now BAE Applied Intelligence. Pearson holds a PHD in Applied Mathematics from Cambridge.

The UK is one of the leading players in cyber security internationally, following shortly behind the US and Israel. Pearson’s appointment is the latest step in a major capability-building programme underway at DIT, across exports and investment promotion and trade policy.

1. Welcome remarks a. Your Excellencies former Presidents of the Republic, JJ Rawlings, John Agyemang Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama

b. Honourable Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Ms. Gloria Ekooffo Honourable Ministers and Honourable Members of Parliament

c. Your Excellencies and colleagues from the Diplomatic Corps

d. Niimei, Naamei, Nananum, Torgbewo-o, Mamawo

e. Dear Guests, Dear Friends (including friends in the media), one and all

f. Ete sen? Wo ho ye? (How are you? Are you well?)

g. Yoo, me_nso me_ho_ye (I’m also well)

h. Mema mo akwaaba (I welcome you)

i. Mai-paa-kyew, mote broffo? (Please, do you understand English?)

j. On behalf of Claire and I, you are indeed very welcome to our Residence for the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.

1. Before I begin, let me say a few thank-yous:

a. To our sponsors tonight i. Apex Health Ghana, British Airways, Contracta, Goil, Prudential, Vitol, Tullow Oil, Vivo. ii. ABL, Accra Marriot Hotel, Movenpick Ambassador Hotel, Labadi Beach Hotel, Holiday Inn Hotel, Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel iii. Blue Skies, Decokraft, Diageo (Guiness), Electroland, Environment 360, G4S, Joy Prime, McVities, Rendeavour Company, TT Brothers, Voltic, Kairos, Ray Styles, Wara 1. Nice to see the Wara family visiting by premises for a change, rather than my family visiting theirs

b. To my sensational team, who have worked their socks off to ensure you all enjoy this evening i. Particularly – Jasmine, Abi, Pippa, Helena, Eric, Clement, Charlene, the organising committee : you know who you are

c. And to the weather. Our focus for this year’s QBP is Tourism. If the rain had stayed on, I was going to switch the subject matter to agriculture

1. I wanted our focus this year to be about tourism; because tourism really matters.

a. If the world is a book; those who do not travel read only one page.

b. Tourism allows us to share, protect and preserve humanity’s most valuable cultural and environmental treasures with the world

c. Creates jobs.

i. Globally – 1 of every 11 jobs is linked to travel & tourism. Research shows tourism has – proportionately – twice as many women employees as other sectors.

ii. The more the market grows, the more local talent & supply chains develop to meet standards

d. 10% of the world’s GDP based on tourism

i. Globally, the numbers are significant:

1. International tourist arrivals went up globally last year by 7% to 1.3bn; generating $1.6tn in export earnings globally. One-third of this was spent in countries categorised as “developing”.

2. Every £ spent on tourism generates £3 of spending in other sectors.

ii. The UK

1. Outbound tourist market is expected to be $70bn by 2020. In 2017, the average UK resident was abroad for 10 nights (…I don’t think just trying to escape the Brexit debate), spending £600 when away.

iii. In Ghana

1. The World Economic Forum, in 2017, recorded Ghana 120th of 136 countries as world’s favourite tourist destinations. What a secret for Ghana to keep! For everyone’s benefit, this needs to change.

2. But why choose to focus on Tourism now?

a. We want to celebrate the 250k Brit-Ghanaian Diaspora who are defining modern Britain (in sport, fashion, politics, healthcare), and many more doing exceptional things here in Ghana. We know many of them want to re-connect with Ghana.

b. 2019 declared the Year of Return by HE The President. Ghana is urging the many African Diaspora to come home or look towards Ghana as their home.

c. “What you don’t know, you don’t know”. I can see why Ghanaians around the world are deeply proud of their roots. There is so much to love: i. A stunning natural environment ii. A rich cultural tapestry iii. A climate that many of us – certainly in the UK – rarely enjoy

….others now need to find out too!

1. Ultimately, Tourism is about people. Ef-eea, who performed quite brilliantly for us earlier, could have been talking about the disposition of the Ghanaian people at large when she sang “You Bring out the Best, the Best in Me”. Ghana is famed for her hospitability and tolerance. I was moved when I saw the Chief Imam attending the Easter Sunday Service at Christ the King Church.

a. We often talk about what makes us different, or separates us from our neighbours. In the UK, with Brexit (you may have heard of this?), there is a big debate on identity presently. We need to talk about what we have in common.

b. The UK and Ghana have more in common than we realise:

i. We share the same language, the same time-zones; the same common law traditions; and the same values (democracy, respect for human rights and the international rules based system).

ii. We share and pool our efforts through the Commonwealth: creating a safer, fairer, more prosperous, and sustainable world.

iii. We are only 6 hours away by direct flight.

c. I’m mindful that a country’s people also live outside its capital city. This year, I have had had the good fortune to visit and experience the different parts of Ghana: Navrongo, Nalerigu, Kumasi, Takoradi, Kyebi, the Volta, Sunyani, Brong Ahafo.

d. I was particularly pleased to pay my respects to the new Yaa Naa of the Dagbon Kingdom, at his Palace soon after his enskinment. A historic moment for the Kingdom, made possible by the mediation efforts led by the Government and the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, chaired by the Asantehene, HM Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. I look forward to visiting all six new Regions and seeing how Ghana is realising the President’s commitment to bring government closer to the people.

e. The richness of a country is imbued in the diversity of its people. So, in August this year, with my colleague from the High Commission Joel Downham and – hopefully – others if they choose to join us, I plan to meet communities across Ghana by travelling 1,000km across Ghana. I plan to see people not through the window of a 4*4, or out the window of an aeroplane but by riding my bicycle. They say “the best routes are the ones you haven’t ridden” – I thought I’d take that literally.

i. As I ride this 1000km – “the Ghana Grand” – across the country, I hope to share my experience of Ghana

ii. I hope to meet people in their schools, places of worship, health centres, on their football pitches and in their playgrounds.

iii. If you want to know more, or wish to share ideas about where we should go, please connect with me on Twitter.

iv. I already know Ghana’s jollof in the best on the continent; I now need to find other world-beating local fare.

v. We think this will be challenging, so will take the chance to raise some money for Korle Bu teaching hospital – you can be sure I’ll be in touch ()

1. A personal highlight last year was welcoming back to Ghana His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to Ghana, and welcoming for the first time Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall.

a. Memorably, this co-incited with a 7 day visit by his younger brother His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex as he chaired the Global Forum for the Duke of Edinburgh International awards, known as the Head of State Awards.

b. There were many highlights during the Prince of Wales visit to Ghana in November; in additional to the highlife music, one was certainly the frenetic, authentic experience of a durbar in the Royal Palace in Kumasi. Ghana’s traditional cultures are important to the proper functioning of State; they are fascinating to visitors too. Partnership 7. I am proud to call Ghana my home and to live among, and work alongside, Ghanaians who share the same values. I am pleased that Ghana recently took the step to pass the Right to Information Law; and I look forward to seeing the impact that this will have on opening up government and enhancing transparency. Our values are what bind us. And in an increasingly inter-connected world how we tackle shared threats and challenges in the future will be what defines us: on matters of climate change, plastics, cyber security.

1. My focus as High Commissioner is to prioritise and develop the UK-Ghana partnership to make it even better.

a. We have created the UK-Ghana Business Council to be the primary vehicle for our governments to work together at the highest levels in pursuit of shared priorities, has focused our efforts around trade and investment, economic development, job creation and the business environment.

b. As Ghana looks to develop its industries to create jobs and value in agro-processing, oil and gas, extractives, digital, tourism, pharma – the UK will use this mechanism to bring all of its capabilities to bear where we can: from development support and development finance through to private sector direct investment.

c. As a trusted friend we want to support Ghana in whatever way we can to meet its goal of becoming the most business-friendly environment in Africa.

1. We are bringing a similar approach to bear on many other areas of our work:

a. On security our partnership is making the region safer. There is more to come, and I look forward to deepening this work to protect Ghana and the UK from shared threats.

b. On development, we have been working side by side to realise our shared commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals and to ensure that no one is left behind as Ghana moves Beyond Aid.

1. To do this properly, we are significantly expanding the UK Government’s footprint in Ghana by ten per cent, with new frontline policy work on trade, trade policy, investment, defence, serious & organised crime, cyber security, infrastructure, climate change, illegal wildlife trade, and a new Diaspora office.

2. This is a clear sign of our commitment to the partnership as we leave the EU, a commitment to supporting ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ and our commitment to invest in Ghana’s as a leader across West Africa and the Commonwealth.

3. Before concluding I want to say a final word of thanks to Lt Col Simon Westlake, our defence attaché and his wife Angie who will soon complete their tour of duty. He has led our defence engagement with distinction. He has also led the forward-line of the HC football team with distinction – reaching out local communities throughout. I want to pay tribute to all the service he has given to furthering relations not only between the UK, Ghana and the sub-region but with so many friends and allies who join us here this evening.

4. I also want to say thank you to our artists performing here this evening: Ef-ee, The Jollof Balls, The Characters. And it’s great to see my good friend King Promise back here – he has had a huge number of his own hits (Oh Yeah, Abena, Selfish and Tokyo (the only hit song I know with London and Tema in the lyrics). He’s also collaborated with so many others : Sarkodie, M.anifest, Wizkid – I’m hoping sharing a stage with him tonight may mean his next youtube hit has King Promise ft. HC Walker.

5. This year, we mark a number of notable milestones: 70 years of the Commonwealth, The Chief Imam being 100, The Asantehene celebrating 20 years on the Golden Stool, 100 years of British Airways and 70 years of UK Export Finance. So too, we celebrate the 93rd birthday of Her Majesty the Queen tonight. Let me raise a toast :

a. “To His Excellency the President and the people of Ghana”