Tag Archives: HM Government

Over 40,000 attendees from more than 70 countries will be participating in Europe’s largest technology gathering – London Tech Week – starting today (Monday 12 June), as recent overseas investments show London retaining its dominance as a global tech hub.

The UK tech sector is ranked the second biggest global market for developing new technology. In 2016 UK digital tech investment reached £6.8 billion, 50% higher than any other European country – contributing £97 billion to the UK economy 2017 and employing 1.64 million people (Tech Nation report 2017). Tech giants such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft have all made significant investments since June 2016, bringing thousands of new highly skilled jobs to the UK and boosting research and innovation.

Now, the government is bringing together international investors, global household tech companies and UK businesses, to help boost exporting opportunities and encourage more investment into London’s tech hub.

The government will also provide £17 million of new research funding for robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as a £1 billion programme to strengthen digital infrastructure, including full fibre and 5G.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

We’ve got a big job to do as an international economic department with tremendous opportunities out there for the UK and we’re determined to make a success of global Britain, particularly with London as a world-leading global tech hub, second only to San Francisco.

The UK has the tech ecosystem, the confidence of investors and start-ups, and an unprecedented level of government support, to seize new international opportunities to ride the 21st century’s technological wave. All of which we will be showcasing this week with the largest gathering of tech businesses in Europe.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) will welcome investors from countries across the world including Australia, Canada, India, Latin America, Spain, Turkey and the USA to meet London’s small and medium sized tech businesses at City Hall today – along with Deputy Mayor Rajesh Agrawal.

It will also welcome some of the world’s biggest technology companies, representing billions of pounds of investment in the UK, to Lancaster House on Thursday. They will be joined by international tech entrepreneurs looking to set up their businesses in the UK and UK firms looking to expand as the government commits to creating the best environment for growing future global tech firms here in the UK.

During the week, DIT will be collaborating with organisations like Tech City UK and Sino Open Data Apps to provide advice and support to companies looking to expand into global markets such as China and the USA. DIT recently led 60 UK technology companies to China, Japan and South Korea, arranging over 600 face-to-face meetings with over 300 local investors. The department helps UK companies attend over 600 global events each year to build connections and export opportunities.

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Termon Farm Supplies, Carrickmore, Omagh. The following products were seized as they are not authorised in the UK: 3 x 100ml bottles BVP Copper with Vitamin B12 injection 4 x 100ml bottles BVP Copper 20mg/ml suspension for injection This is an offence… read more

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Damian Green has been appointed First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office. read more

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will meet a number of his Gulf counterparts this week, as foreign ministers engage with allies on the tensions in the region.

Reflecting the UK’s close friendship with all of the Gulf states, this morning (Monday 12 June) he met the Qatari Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Later this week, the Foreign Secretary will hold talks with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

In all meetings, the Foreign Secretary will urge his counterparts to take immediate steps to de-escalate the current tensions and find a rapid resolution through mediation. He will say that it is in the interests of the wider region as well as the UK that a swift solution is found. He also will express the UK’s concern that collective action by the other Gulf states is having an adverse impact on the lives of ordinary people in Qatar.

At this morning’s bilateral with Sheikh Mohammed, the Foreign Secretary urged Qatar to engage with neighbours on their concerns and do more to address support for extremist groups, building on the steps already taken.

After the meeting, the Foreign Secretary said:

I have been in touch with my counterparts across the region about the current tensions with Qatar. I have urged all sides to refrain from any further escalation and to engage in mediation efforts. In that regard I pay tribute to the work of the Amir of Kuwait.

In finding a resolution, I call on Qatar to take seriously their neighbours’ concerns. Qatar is a partner of the UK in the fight against terrorism but they urgently need to do more to address support for extremist groups, building on the steps they have already taken to tackle funding to those groups.

I am also concerned by some of the strong actions which Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have taken against an important partner, and urge them to ease the blockade on Qatar. I call on all states to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and to find a rapid resolution through mediation.

Further information

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The MDP deployments involved close co-operation with the various Home Office Police Forces that had requested support, and with the 1,000 military personnel who were mobilised at the same time.

In the first 24 hours following the activation of Operation Temperer, MDP officers were deployed to support 8 police forces across England and Wales. This number increased to 18 over the Bank Holiday weekend, with up to a quarter of the force’s total strength of Authorised Firearms Officers deployed to provide reassurance to the public at a variety of iconic sites, crowded places and public and major sporting events around the country.

The MDP also provided armed officers to support British Transport Police with keeping the rail network safe, including at London transport hubs, and MDP officers were also deployed at Stansted Airport to support Essex Police.

The busiest day for the MDP was Saturday 27 May, when the force supported policing operations at 60 public events across England and Wales, including high profile music concerts, festivals and sporting occasions.

These included:

• Chester Races
• Radio One Big Weekend in Hull
• Tall Ships Festival at Gloucester Docks
• Iron Maiden concert at London’s O2 venue.

Joint patrol at Porton Down. Photo: Ministry of Defence Police. All rights reserved

The police forces who received support from the MDP ranged from the Metropolitan Police Service in London to Dyfed-Powys in Wales, and from West Mercia to South Yorkshire, a response described by MDP Gold Commander Assistant Chief Constable Paul McLaughlin as ‘extraordinary’. He said:

We responded exceptionally well. The professional manner and attitude of our officers and staff was first class. We provided very large numbers of officers in response to what was requested, and the transition at local level in terms of military personnel back-filling for the MDP also went very smoothly.

Advance planning was key to the success of the MDP deployments, together with solid liaison with the National Police Co-ordination Centre and the Operations Directorate, he added.

Deployment guarding the Stansted Express, Photo: MDP Photographer, Paul Kemp. All rights reserved

And MDP Deputy Chief Constable Andy Adams commented:

The MOD response to Operation Temperer has been impressive and I know that the wider department will be expressing their own support for what their colleagues have been doing. I would like to take the opportunity to recognise the important role MDP officers and staff undertake through our dual focus at times like this: our role within the MOD and that of delivering a policing service which can be called upon outside of the department.

Critical incidents always generate the ‘can do’ attitude in those who are operationally focused; people put themselves out, are prepared to endure long hours and simply want to get on with the job. For these people, public service overrides personal interests and other commitments.

I saw many examples of that throughout this operation. There has been an enthusiastic approach to ‘getting the job done’ and I, for one, am extremely grateful for the commitment of everyone involved.

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