A trade continuity agreement will see British businesses and consumers benefitting from continued trade with Iceland and Norway after we leave the European Union.  

Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner to Europe, Andrew Mitchell, signed the UK- Iceland-Norway agreement on trade in goods in London today (2nd April 2019) with Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson, Ambassador of Iceland to the UK, and Wegger Christian Strømmen, Ambassador of Norway to the UK.

The news has been welcomed by businesses including Grimsby Fish Dock, who say it will help to support jobs and ensure they can keep trading without significant disruption.  

The agreement covers trade in goods and will only be used in a no deal scenario. It maintains the same level of tariffs on goods traded between the UK, Iceland and Norway.

Trading on these preferential terms in a no deal scenario, rather than on World Trade Organization terms, will deliver significant savings and help to safeguard British jobs.  

British businesses could avoid up to £15 million a year in tariff charges on exports that would otherwise apply if an agreement wasn’t in place.

The UK’s trade with Iceland and Norway was worth around £30 billion last year, with just over £24 billion of this in goods.

Consumers and businesses in the UK will continue to benefit from more choice and lower prices on goods imported from Iceland and Norway, such as aluminium products and some fuel and oil products.

HM Trade Commissioner for Europe Andrew Mitchell said:  

Today’s agreement secures continued preferences for goods trade with Iceland and Norway for British businesses, as we prepare to leave the EU. These are key trading partners with whom we have a longstanding and historic trading relationship.

Our trade with Iceland and Norway was worth around £30 billion last year, with just over £24 billion of this in goods. This is good news for British businesses and we have a golden opportunity to further liberalise trade with these countries in the years ahead.

Grimsby Fish Market has welcomed the news, which it believes will be of benefit to businesses and consumers alike. The market has one of the largest daily auctions and the largest concentration of fish processors anywhere in the UK.

The town has strong links with Icelandic and Norwegian fishing industries with up to 75% of all the fish sold on the Grimsby Fish Market coming from Iceland and the majority of the fish sold to Grimsby fish processors coming from Norway.

Martyn Boyers, Chief Executive of market operator Grimsby Fish Dock Enterprises Ltd, said:  

Grimsby relies heavily on Icelandic and Norwegian supplies to the daily fish auction and to the processors.

This trade deal is extremely welcome, in fact vital, as 70% of the fish consumed in the UK is imported, most of that supply coming from Iceland and Norway.

It also gives clarity and confidence to numerous businesses within the Humber region.

The news has also been welcomed by Leonardo Helicopters, who employ nearly 2,800 people at their base in Yeovil, Somerset.

The company has a contract worth more than £1 billion to supply search and rescue helicopters to Norway and support them in service for the next 15 years.

Geoff Munday, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters UK said:

Leonardo welcomes the signing of the UK-Iceland-Norway trade agreement as Norway is an important export market for our UK designed and manufactured helicopters and airborne electronic systems.

We have been doing business with Norway for nearly 50 years, are currently delivering 16 AW101 new generation search and rescue helicopters and see significant future business opportunities.

The government is seeking continuity for existing EU trade agreements which the UK participates in as a member of the EU. These agreements constitute around 11% of the UK’s trade.   

The new UK-Iceland-Norway agreement maintains tariff preferences already in place on goods traded between the UK, Iceland and Norway. It will come into effect from exit day if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

The next generation of students will be able to take greater control of their future career paths through new online apps being launched today, which empower them to make better choices about where and what to study (2 April).

Universities Minister Chris Skidmore unveiled two innovative apps, created by the winners of a Government competition receiving around £150,000 funding each, which set out simple and accessible information about graduate outcomes for prospective students.

The launch of the new tools follow the latest data published by the Department for Education on Thursday showing graduate earnings broken down by subject, which help students and parents to understand likely earnings and employment outcomes from a range of disciplines.

The new online apps, available to access from the developers’ websites today, will help to revolutionise student choice on their future careers, bringing together data on potential future earnings, with information on careers and employment options, and the quality of teaching in an easy to use format. One works as a personalised digital assistant to access information, while the other is a game where players can simulate career paths.

The tools also aim to help students make more informed decisions about the best course and institution for them, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds who may receive less help from their parents to navigate university choices.

Universities Minister Chris Skidmore said:

The importance of choosing where and what you study at university cannot be overstated – it will impact the rest of your professional and personal life.

We have made more information available about institutions and outcomes than ever before, but sometimes the sheer amount of data can be daunting for students to navigate. We want to make it easier and fairer for them to access the information they need to make good higher education and career choices.

That’s why we’ve turned to the power of technology and funded two new apps, empowering students and ensuring they are well equipped to make these life-changing decisions which will help them succeed.

Two contracts were awarded to the winners of the Open Data Competition, one to AccessEd for ThinkUni, which offers students a ‘personalised digital assistant’ bringing together data on universities, courses and financial outcomes that are easy to explore and compare.

While The Profs have created TheWayUp!, a game for students to simulate different graduate career paths to help them make better choices about their future. It also aims to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds set aspirational educational and career goals to increase their chances of achieving them.

Both apps are in open beta and are available online from April 2, operating with the latest information on universities in the UK.

This work is part of the Department’s drive to improve transparency around higher education data, ensuring that information is easy to access for everyone going to university.

Statistics published by the government in June 2018 showed which courses and institutions give graduates the best outcomes, in terms of employment, earnings and teaching quality at universities. In addition the OfS published a data dashboard last week which helps students to see gaps in access, continuation, success and progression at institutions for different groups such as gender, ethnicity and disadvantaged backgrounds.

The apps, launched by the Universities Minister today at EdSpace in the Hackney Campus of New City College, come ahead of the Department’s EdTech Strategy which will be launched shortly, which aims to harness the power of technology in education and unleash young people’s potential.

Today (2 April 2019), thousands of people across the US will celebrate National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day with a dollop of jam, thanks to the rise in exports from the UK’s biggest seller of jams, marmalades and preserves in the USA, Mackays.

Founded in 1938, Mackays is a family run business producing a unique range of Scottish jams, marmalades and curds for a quality homemade taste. The company’s preserve is made by hand in traditional copper pans, remaining true to Dundee’s history of jam-making.

The US is Mackays’ biggest export market, where its jams are stocked in all 50 states and territories – accounting for 20% of international sales last year. With support from the Department for International Trade (DIT), Mackays’ preserves are now enjoyed in 94 countries worldwide including Australia, China, Guatemala, Guyana, Korea and Peru.

Ross Allen, Director of DIT North America, said:

My kids love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and I am delighted that more Americans are discovering the culinary peaks that can be reached by using top notch Scottish jam.

Mackays is an excellent example of a thriving transatlantic business and I look forward to following the growth of UK food and drink in the United States.

With 165 employees based in its Arbroath jam factory, Mackays fills 25 million jars a year. The company has established a globally recognised brand, with exports now accounting for 32% of its annual turnover of £18 million.

In 2018, the UK exported 50,000 tonnes of jam to 119 markets worldwide, resulting in jam exports rising by 9% to £145 million.

Martin Grant, Managing Director of Mackays, said:

Export is a crucial part of our business and a key driver for Mackays continued high growth; an increase of 25% in the last two years alone.

The popularity of our products in the States is testament to the global appeal of great taste, provenance and authenticity – all vital ingredients that go into each and every jar of Mackays.

Seeing our products embraced and interpreted by different cultures is one of the unspoken joys of export. In our home town of Arbroath, the jam piece – Scots for sandwich! – still suffices which makes seeing our Nordic customers adding lemon curd to baked fish or our friends in American combining jam with peanut butter such a treat.

Leading UK legal professionals have travelled (1 April 2019) to Nigeria as part of a government campaign to drive collaboration between law firms and business in London and Lagos.

The partnership between the UK and Nigerian legal firms was announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to Africa last year and is the latest phase of the Ministry of Justice’s (MOJ) Legal Services are GREAT campaign, which aims to promote the UK’s £24 billion legal services sector across the globe.

Twenty leading lawyers and barristers from across the UK will meet with prominent Nigerian business leaders and lawyers for a 3 day trade mission, taking part in skill sharing workshops, talks and seminars promoting collaboration and partnership working.

Lawyers from Clifford Chance and Mischon de Reya will be among the group representing the strengths of the UK legal system and the benefits of English Law across the globe.

The delegation will offer expertise in sectors including infrastructure and science, and cross-border transactions that will help to support Nigeria’s growing economy and drive further business between the UK and Nigeria.

Lord Chancellor David Gauke said:

This is an exciting new step for the Legal Services are GREAT campaign as we continue to build global partnerships.

Our legal system is rightly revered and renowned across the world, and the expertise of our leading lawyers will help to secure investment in Nigeria while creating new business opportunities for UK law firms and chambers.

The campaign is part of a wider government drive to strengthen ties with emerging global economic partners.

Last year the Prime Minister and President Buhari agreed to launch a new UK-Nigeria Economic Development Forum so that countries can identify barriers to broadening bilateral trade and work together to resolve them.

Some 111 African companies have already come to the UK to list on the London Stock Exchange, to raise money in one of the world’s leading financial centres.

Notes to editors

• Legal Services are GREAT launched in October 2017 to promote the UK’s outstanding legal services worldwide. It has already been promoted in numerous countries, led 2 trade missions to Kazakhstan and China, and reached thousands of international business executives. Further information is available on GOV.UK
• Trade between the UK and Nigeria is worth £4.2 billion every year
• For further details contact Jourdan.Wong-Muhammad@justice.gov.uk or call 020 3334 0185

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