This is an historic moment. Daesh once imposed their rule of terror on an area the size of the United Kingdom. Now the last territory held by Daesh in Syria has been liberated.

We pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of the global military Coalition, including British forces, that made this possible.

But we cannot be complacent. Even without territory, Daesh and its poisonous ideology will continue to pose a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, as well as to the wider world. The international community must remain firm in its determination to counter and defeat it.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

I commend the tireless work and extraordinary courage of the British forces and our global Coalition partners that have fought Daesh in Syria and Iraq.

The liberation of the last Daesh-held territory is a historic milestone that would not have been possible without their commitment, professionalism and courage.

But we must not lose sight of the threat Daesh poses and the Government remains committed to eradicating their poisonous ideology. We will continue to do what is necessary to protect the British people and our allies.

Seventy projects up and down the Great British Coast have been awarded a total of over £36 million from a UK government fund to help develop and improve tourist attractions, create jobs and promote socio-economic growth.

This major injection of funding for coastal communities will go towards supporting innovative businesses, protecting historic buildings, new museums and restoration of much-loved coastal heritage sites.

This latest investment represents 26 awards from the fifth round of the government’s Coastal Communities Fund and 44 awards from the third phase of the Coastal Revival Fund in 2018-19. It comes on top of over £180 million from both funds invested in more than 350 projects so far across the UK.

The 26 Coastal Communities Fund projects announced today (23 March 2019) are forecast collectively to support over 15,000 jobs, and attract up to £40 million in additional investment from public and private sector sources.

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

I am determined to support investment and development of our coastal communities and create an economy that works for everyone as we prepare for Brexit and beyond.

All of the ambitious projects receiving funding today were designed and developed by local people who know what will make the biggest difference to their areas.

The sheer range of ideas demonstrate the potential of our coastal communities and will all create good jobs, boost growth and improve people’s lives now and in the future.

Coastal Communities Minister, Jake Berry MP said:

This is an investment in the future of our coastal communities which builds on their rich heritage and huge potential.

The world-class attractions and innovative businesses supported by the Coastal Communities Fund and the Coastal Revival Fund will increase tourism, encourage investment and ensure people thrive up and down the Great British Coast.

Today’s investment in coastal communities builds on the government’s commitment to ensure people have the opportunities to prosper no matter where they live.

The government recently announced the Stronger Towns Fund, a £1.6 billion investment which will enable new Town Deals across England, and the delivery of locally led projects creating new jobs, providing further training to help people gain valuable skills for employment, and boosting local growth.

Further information

Some of the successful projects to receive funds include:

Bord Waalk – (Northumbrian dialect for Bird Walk) – National Bird Sculpture Trail – Amble Development Trust, Northumberland (Coastal Communities Fund)

£396,000 awarded to the Bord Waalk – National Bird Sculpture Trail in Amble to create a bird themed sculpture trail of national significance to build on the highly successful Harbour Village project and raise the profile of Amble as a tourist destination.

Connecting Cumbria’s Hidden Coast – Copeland Borough Council, Cumbria (Coastal Communities Fund)

£1.06 million awarded to a project to improve visitor infrastructure, facilities and activities along Cumbria’s ‘hidden’ coast to create new visitor demand and enhance the coastal destination offer.

Blackpool Museum Project – The AMUSEUM, Blackpool City Council, Lancashire (Coastal Communities Fund)

£1.75 million awarded to deliver the AMUSEUM – Britain’s first museum telling the story of Blackpool and its role in the development of British popular entertainment and the great British seaside holiday.

SeaGrown – putting Scarborough at the heart of the English Seaweed Industry – SeaGrown Ltd, Scarborough, Yorkshire (Coastal Communities Fund)

£472,000 awarded to establish England’s first commercial seaweed hatchery, cultivation site and outreach centre in Scarborough, driving economic growth by creating sustainable jobs in sectors currently offering few opportunities in the area.

Seafront Improvement – New Forest District Council, Milford-on-Sea (Coastal Revival Fund)

£50,000 awarded to implement Seafront Improvement (promenade access works) for improved coastal protection and coastal access along a 240 metre frontage.

Salcombe Jubilee Pier Revival – South Hams District Council, Salcombe (Coastal Revival Fund)

£50,000 awarded to conduct work to prevent further structural deterioration of the pier and to undertake work to promote its historical value to the many people that use it.

Projects to receive funding

The full list of funding recipients can be viewed below:

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The Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) was introduced in 2012 and supports projects in the UK delivering sustainable growth and jobs in coastal areas.

The Coastal Revival Fund (CRF) was introduced in 2015 to help coastal areas bring at risk heritage and community assets back into economic use. Applications to the current round of CRF were invited in summer 2018.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has appointed a charitable foundation to help deliver a £200m Youth Endowment Fund – part of the government’s long term plan to tackle serious violence.

The fund will support programmes and community partnerships working with children at risk of being drawn into crime and violence.

It will be run independently by charity Impetus, working in partnership with the Early Intervention Foundation and the Social Investment Business across England and Wales.

This focus on long-term early intervention complements the government’s decisive action to support the police to tackle the immediate challenge of knife crime. Last week, a further £100m was committed to support forces with high levels of violent crime to take immediate action. This is on top of the additional funding of up to £970m that policing is already due to receive from April from the Government and Council Tax.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Tackling serious violence requires a cross-society approach, and early intervention is vital to protect young people from being groomed by gangs and drawn into crime.

We all need to work together to stop further tragedies. This fund will support important work in the community to prevent vulnerable children and young people from falling into a life of drugs, gang culture and violence.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Intervening early in the lives of vulnerable children and young people is a central part of our approach to tackling serious violence.

It’s vital we do everything we can to equip these youngsters with the skills and resilience they need to lead positive lives and prevent them from offending in the first place.

Our £200m Youth Endowment Fund is a key part of this approach and will help us tackle the root cause of this scourge.

It will work with local communities to ensure that support reaches those at most risk, diverting them away from crime and violence to lead fulfilling lives.

In addition to the £200m injection, Impetus will work with other funders to seek to grow the fund to a potential £300m through donations and investments.

Impetus is a charity focused on transforming the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Delivered over ten years, the fund will support the public health approach to tackling serious violence and in which a statutory duty will shortly be open for consultation.

CEO of Impetus Andy Ratcliffe said:

This is a significant and sustained investment that puts prevention at the heart of efforts to tackle youth crime and violence.

We need to be ambitious if we’re to tackle this issue – that means early intervention to stop children and young people getting themselves into serious trouble.

The Youth Endowment Fund will be working with front line organisations to provide the support they need to put young people on the right track.

Impetus plans to launch the first funding round, a general open call round, with the aim of awarding the first round of grants in the autumn.

In addition, the fund will be used to evaluate the impact of interventions so that the most effective ones can be scaled up and delivered more widely.

Combining strong law enforcement with early intervention underpins the Serious Violence Strategy’s commitment. By investing in preventative initiatives young people will be provided with the tools, support and opportunity to live violence-free lives.

CEO of the Early Intervention Foundation Dr. Jo Casebourne said:

It is so important that the Youth Endowment Fund has been established with evidence and evaluation at its heart.

This long term, strategic approach will allow us to invest in more of the services and support that have already been shown to work in reducing the risk of young people becoming involved in antisocial and criminal behaviour, and to test a range of promising and innovative approaches.

CEO of Social Investment Business Nick Temple said:

The Youth Endowment Fund provides a generational opportunity to tackle the causes of violence amongst children and young people.

Our unique approach is one which combines robust evidence, dedicated and expert support to organisations and local areas, and a proven ability to manage high quality grants programmes.

Good evening..

Thank you to the Asian Media Group.

I’m delighted to be here tonight at the Asian Business Awards, 22 years after the first of these fantastic events, in 1997, the year I was first elected to Parliament.

Quite a bit has changed since then – I’ve got a bit greyer,

and the Asian business community in the UK has gone from strength to strength…

…Asian markets have become more and more important to British businesses…

…and the global balance of economic power has shifted decisively in favour of the emerging Asian economies.

Later this year, India will overtake the UK to become the world’s fifth largest economy.

Kalpesh, you spoke earlier about Steve Jobs’ phenomenal success. That reminded me that in 1997 Michael Dell, founder of Dell computers, gave this piece of advice: the best thing to do with Apple would be to “shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders”.

Luckily, at number 39 on the Forbes rich list, his career progress does not appear to have impeded his judgement.

But some things haven’t changed – my beliefs when I first became an MP are the same things that drive me 22 years later as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

A belief in the market economy as the best, indeed, the only way to deliver future prosperity for the British people.

A belief in Britain as an open, tolerant, outward-looking nation, confident and competitive in the world.

And above all, a belief in the power of business – that self-starters, entrepreneurs, investors are the engine of our economy, and the bedrock of our communities.

And our job in government is to reinforce that vision….

and support successful business leaders like you to power up the British economy for the 21st Century.

First, let me say a few words about the horrifying terrorist attack in New Zealand last week, and in the Netherlands just a few days ago.

Violence of any kind against innocent people is deeply shocking…

…and attacks based on race, ethnicity or religion are particularly abhorrent and have no place in our society.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Christchurch and Utrecht, with the families and friends of those who died in these attacks and with all those who have been injured or affected by them.

But it is not enough only to condemn. As we confront the ideologies of hate, we must also make a positive argument for the kind of society that we want to be.

A democracy that is built on the indivisible foundations of religious, political and economic freedom;

A society that is confident enough in our identity and our values to embrace diversity;

And an economy that harnesses the power of that diversity to grow.

Market capitalism has been the greatest engine for prosperity the world has ever seen; but it has also been the driver of political freedom and stability.

In the marketplace, the common interest of commerce means that faith or ethnicity, class, background or nationality all matter less than your ability to strike a deal, develop a brilliant new product or service, or to spot an opportunity.

Those values of enterprise and tolerance have long been part of the British story.

And they are a part of the British Asian story too.

My friend and colleague, Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, asks the rhetorical question – how many countries can genuinely say that the son of a penniless, immigrant bus driver can become the holder of one of the most powerful political offices in the land – in the space of a single generation?

Energy, ingenuity and hard work – those are the qualities that have driven all of you in this room to become some of the most successful businessmen and women in the country.

And that is what tonight is all about.

A celebration of the men and women who are nominated for awards later this evening;

A celebration of the vital role the Asian community has played in modern Britain’s success.

And a celebration, too, of the power of business and enterprise to do good.

And of the willingness of so many who have done so well – to plough the proceeds of their good fortune and hard work back into our society through philanthropy.

As a Conservative I’m clear that it’s the private sector that drives growth and prosperity in our society.

So our guiding mission, as we leave the European Union, is to make sure Britain continues to be a great place to do business…

And we have a plan to do that.

First, as I set out in my Spring Statement last week, despite the slowing global growth, Britain’s economy has defied expectations.

It has grown for nine consecutive years, with the longest unbroken quarterly growth run of any G7 economy, and is forecast to continue growing in each of the next five years.

And thanks to the hard work of the British people, our debt is now falling sustainably for the first time in a generation.

A solid foundation as we build Britain’s future.

Second, we have a plan to raise Britain’s productivity and boost growth.

We are increasing public investment to its highest sustained levels in 40 years, with a £37 billion National Productivity Investment Fund…

…and record investment in our roads, railways and broadband…

…we are putting technical and vocational skills back at the heart of our education system – so that as digitisation of our economy changes the labour market, our workforce is ready to take on the jobs of the future…

…and we are cutting taxes on the wages people earn and on the businesses that employ them, with 32 million people receiving a tax cut from next month, and business enjoying the lowest rate of Corporation Tax in the G20.

But Britain’s future prosperity will be at risk if we leave the EU without a negotiated deal and a close future partnership.

The member states of the EU are our nearest neighbours and they are our largest trading partners.

Over 45 years, we have built close business and trading relationships…

…and complex supply chains which criss-cross our continent.

As business people, you will understand that it is those carefully constructed and painstakingly maintained relationships that underpin the value of a business…

…and we must protect that investment at all costs.

There will be change ahead as we navigate a path to a new relationship – so we will need to adapt.

But Brexit will be our chance to show that we can combine a strong and continuing partnership with the EU, with a new focus on building on our historic overseas relationships, and forging new links with the fastest growing economies of the world, many of which are in South and South-East Asia.

Making Global Britain a reality.

I am acutely conscious that I am standing between 850 people and their dinner – so let me conclude with one final thought.

Nearly three years on from the EU referendum, I know the ongoing uncertainty is damaging for business…

…and I know every one of you in this room would like us to have resolved this issue many months ago.

But democracy is a messy business:

Churchill famously described it as the worst form of Government, except all those other forms that have been tried.

But we are now in the final furlong.

And I’m confident that we are on track to get a deal – as we must.

And when we do, all the pieces are in place for our country to thrive:

Strong economic foundations;

Sound public finances;

World-leading businesses;

A cutting-edge tech sector;

A Global services industry;

A vibrant, entrepreneurial class;

A deep commitment to free and open markets;

An open and tolerant society;

I look forward to the day, very soon I hope, when I, and you, can stop talking about Brexit…

…get on with the business of business…

…investing; creating jobs; generating wealth…

…so that we can get back to the growth in our economy and the progress in our society that our people expect and deserve.

I know we can do it together.

Thank you.