Thank you Mr Chair. This statement is delivered under the topic raised by Ukraine and I request that this be accurately reflected in the Journal of the Day.

Mr Chair, it is now nearly three weeks since President Putin launched his premeditated and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and, as we have heard today, our Russian colleagues persist in playing the role of the Kremlin’s storytellers, peddling their lies in an attempt to justify Russia’s military action against Ukraine.

In February, during the run up to the invasion, more than 100 different stories promoting unfounded claims around pre-texts for invasion were identified as being disseminated by Kremlin-controlled media. Accompanied by baseless rhetoric and disinformation, our Russian colleagues blindly attempted to falsely cast Ukraine as a threat – but they fooled no-one.

And here and now, our Russian colleagues continue to lie in transparent attempts at disinformation to provide continued pretexts for military action. Last week, along with my Ukrainian and US colleagues, we exposed Russia’s absurd accusations and lies surrounding the false notion that Ukraine sought to pursue offensive biological and nuclear weapons capabilities. That my Russian colleague’s public reaction to delegations speaking the truth was “amazement” says it all.

Mr Chair, I would urge our Russian colleagues, who have a unique position in Vienna to see uncensored news from around the world reporting the truth, to take a moment. To consider their position, responsibilities and legacy as diplomats and citizens of Russia and stop their complicit propagation of President Putin’s lies to their own people.

Whilst these lies continue, the Kremlin’s war machine lumbers on. Frustrated by staunch Ukrainian resistance, the Russian military has increasingly resorted to attacking indiscriminately from distance using: Multi-launch Rocket Systems, Iskander Ballistic Missiles, Artillery, Air-to-Ground Attack and cruise missiles to attack all major Ukrainian cities, critical national civilian infrastructure, including sea ports, residential areas, and even hospitals. Russia is using cluster munitions and thermobaric rockets, weapons designed to inflict maximum damage wherever they are deployed.

Mr Chair, we heard my Russian colleague’s ridiculous claims that Ukraine was responsible for the impact on commercial shipping in the region. I would note that it is Russian naval forces that have established a distant blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade. And, it is Russia that has targeted several foreign flagged commercial vessels over the past weeks. Russian naval forces are also continuing to conduct missile strikes against targets throughout Ukraine.

Russia has unleashed a horrendous amount of violence on the Ukrainian people. In particular, the atrocious and indiscriminate destruction of Mariupol and the resulting civilian casualties is unforgivable. It should sit heavily on all of us in this room (including our Russian colleagues) as humans, diplomats, and military advisers. The UK has offered technical support to the International Criminal Court in bringing those responsible for war crimes in Ukraine to justice – including support in the immediate priority of gathering and preserving evidence. Russian commanders carrying out war crimes should know they cannot act with impunity. The world is watching, and their actions risk landing them in a jail cell. Nobody is forgotten, and nothing is forgotten.

Mr Chair, my Russian colleague again insisted that the so-called “Special Military Operation” is going to plan. But it is not. For the first time this week, Russia has finally admitted so. The Chief of Russia’s National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, announced it should my Russian colleague need the reference. Russia is paying a high price for each advance as the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to offer staunch resistance across the country.

The Ukrainian people’s response in the defence of their homeland against a foreign invasion has been stoic, united and defiant. From President Zelenskyy’s leadership from Kyiv to the thousands upon thousands of Ukrainians who have volunteered to join the territorial defence, their displays of courage, determination, and resolve will go down in history.

The United Kingdom, along with many others, repeatedly warned that any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake and would come at a severe cost. In this regard, we continue to support Ukraine, our friends, in their fight for their homeland.

We have so far provided Ukraine with nearly 4000 light, anti-armour defensive weapons systems or NLAWs, and we will shortly begin delivery of a small consignment of anti-tank Javelin missiles as well. These help Ukraine defend against the armoured forces threat it faces.

The UK Government has also taken the decision to explore the donation of Starstreak, high velocity, man-portable anti air missiles. This defensive weapon system would allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to better defend their skies.

Mr Chair, I would reiterate, all of our support to the democratic sovereign nation of Ukraine is defensive in nature and will help them defend themselves against this Russian war of aggression.

We will make the Russian government pay the price of its actions. The UK stands with the Ukrainian people in their fight for their homeland. We will work with our partners – for however long it takes – to ensure that the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the independence of Ukraine is restored.

Thank you. And I ask that this statement be attached to the journal of the day.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) referred the merger to an in-depth Phase 2 inquiry in September 2021, after identifying competition concerns during its initial Phase 1 investigation.

In February 2022 the CMA provisionally concluded that the deal does not substantially reduce competition in the UK and may not be expected to do so in the future. Following a consultation that ended on 4 March 2022, the CMA has upheld its provisional findings and cleared the deal.

Sony is one of the three major record labels active in the UK today, along with Warner and Universal Music Group. In addition to its main label offering, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony also owns The Orchard, an A&L services provider. A&L services typically cover promotion, marketing and distribution. They also allow artists to retain full ownership of their copyrights and a greater percentage of royalties. A&L contracts tend to provide a narrower set of services with less financial support and shorter-term contracts than traditional record contracts.

AWAL is an emerging music distributor offering an alternative to traditional music deals by providing both A&L services and a ‘DIY platform’ that allows artists to upload their own music for distribution.

The CMA’s inquiry focused on the 2 main areas in which the firms’ businesses overlap. It assessed the extent to which The Orchard and AWAL may be expected to compete to provide A&L services. It also looked at how closely Sony and AWAL may be expected to compete to sign successful artists, and those with the potential to become successful, where higher levels of support and investment are provided.

The CMA found that, while not currently competing closely due to their different areas of focus, The Orchard may have become a stronger rival to AWAL in the supply of artist services in future. However, there are many other providers who will continue to compete effectively with both firms – including independent A&L companies, the A&L branches of the other major labels (like Warner’s ADA and Universal Music Group’s Virgin) and independent labels.

In terms of its rivalry with Sony, AWAL is still a relatively small player when it comes to signing artists who require higher levels of support and investment. Despite trying to expand its offering, AWAL was expected to continue to compete with Sony only on a limited basis. In the course of its investigation, the CMA also found that many other firms have begun providing similar services which can be expected to make up for the limited loss of competition from AWAL.

As part of its assessment, the CMA considered a wide range of evidence, including thousands of internal documents from both firms, evidence submitted by their competitors and customers, and its own analysis of market conditions.

Margot Daly, Chair of the independent CMA Inquiry Group, said:

We launched this inquiry as we wanted to be sure that this deal wouldn’t lead to worse outcomes for artists and fans. The music industry is vital to the UK economy and effective competition ensures that it works for everybody.

Having carefully assessed the merger we found that it is not likely to affect competition in a way that will reduce the choice or quality of recorded music available or increase prices.

For more information, visit the Sony / AWAL merger inquiry page.

The CMA is committed to making sure markets are working well for music fans and recently launched a separate probe into music streaming, paying particular attention to the roles played by record labels and music streaming services.

1. All the CMA’s functions in Phase 2 merger inquiries are performed by inquiry groups chosen from the CMA’s panel members. The members of this inquiry group are Margot Daly (Chair), Paul Hughes, John Thanassoulis and Ashleye Gunn. The CMA’s panel members come from a variety of backgrounds, including economics, law, accountancy and/or business; the membership of an inquiry group usually reflects a mix of expertise and experience.
2. The CMA ran a 3-week consultation on the provisional findings up to 4 March 2022, during which time anyone could make submissions to the CMA. The responses are published on the merger inquiry page.
3. The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law.
4. The CMA launched a separate market study into music and streaming services on 27 January 2022.
5. For media queries, please contact the press office via press@cma.gov.uk or on 020 3738 6460.

Good morning everyone thank you so much for inviting me to speak to you.

It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to talk about the importance of international higher education. It’s a fascinating part of my brief at the Department for Education – and one whose significance I believe has, over the past few dismal weeks, become ever more important.

The opportunity for people – particularly young people – to study in other countries, to weigh their views and experiences against those of other cultures as they develop their minds and lives is so extraordinarily important at all times. But as we see the world begin to fracture once more into different spheres of influence and thought that importance grows.

This audience does not need me to tell it that the universities of the United Kingdom have a hugely significant role to play – not just because our country is one of the great global leaders in student recruitment, not just because the appetite of foreign students to live and study in our country is ever increasing – but most centrally because of what our universities represent.

I think of course of exceptional traditions of academic excellence. But what has made that excellence, what has enabled it to flourish and survive is liberty. Liberty is today under attack in the world. No where more violently and obviously than in Ukraine.

We should all be proud that the UK continues to be at the very forefront of international efforts to support the resistance to tyranny in Ukraine. In my department we are trying to do our bit too.

We have been working closely with the higher education sector and across Government to ensure that Ukrainian students are supported during this difficult time.

I am very pleased to say that this includes new visa concessions announced by the Home Office for Ukrainian nationals, including students, that will provide them with an opportunity to extend their leave or switch to a Graduate visa without having to leave the UK.

We recognise the current uncertainty is going to mean that many students may experience additional challenges and I very much want to thank the HE Sector for the remarkable work they have already done in supporting Ukrainian students, from providing crisis counsellors to making Student Hardship Funds available for students who need financial assistance, to simply showing friendship.

So, before I go on, I would like to emphasise my gratitude to the sector for all your hard work – and all the support I know you will give in the months ahead.

It is a great testament to you that the UK has remained the destination of choice for so many international students.

Your world-class reputation, your globally renowned teaching, your cutting-edge research and innovation.

Our International Education Strategy, published in 2019 and updated last year, is pivotal to protecting and enhancing your reputation.

At the heart of this strategy are two principal ambitions which we want to achieve by 2030.

First, to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year And second to host at least 600,000 international higher education students in the UK per year.

Well, we are already delivering against both of these ambitions.

In 2019, the value of education exports was estimated to be £25.2 billion an increase of over 8% in just a year.

I was incredibly proud that we met our international student recruitment ambition for the first time in 2020/21 – nearly 10 years early – with 605,130 international students, studying in the UK.

Clearly, as you have demonstrated, the sky is the limit. But now you’ve burst through the sky – where next?

There are several parts to this answer, but the first and most obvious is that we, in Government need to work with you to support every part of the international student journey from application to employment.

This includes optimising the application process for potential students, raising awareness of private finance options, and looking at best-practice in graduate employability.

There is much more to be done, but doing these things will make sure the UK remains highly attractive to international students.

There are, of course, challenges.

We cannot ignore the uncertainties of recent years – further demonstrating the need for our institutions to diversify their intake of international students – and broaden the regions they recruit from.

We are already seeing progress, we’ve seen notable increases in student entrants from our priority countries. In 20/21 entrants from Nigeria rose by 89% and those from India by 27%. This is a brilliant endorsement of our improved student offer including the Graduate route.

Not only to ensure sustainable future recruitment, but to guarantee we continue to benefit from the diversity, fresh ideas and new perspectives that international students bring to our campuses.

As you well know, the UK’s international higher education offer is more than just international students. You represent world beating research institutions. Your transnational education – or TNE – programmes mean that students all over the globe can access a UK education, wherever they may be.

As we continue to reform our post-16 sector, I think there is very great potential for the sustainable growth of TNE.

Education exports from UK HE transnational education have been rapidly growing in value – almost doubling in 10 years, from £350 million in 2010 to £690 million in 2019.

I want the UK to remain at the forefront of innovation in TNE provision especially as we look to what we have learned over the past few years.

The work of the International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith, is integral to the continuing success in growing UK education exports. I know many of you will know Steve. I hope you continue to engage with him in this exciting mission.

He is working across five priority countries: India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam to open up export growth opportunities for UK education.

We want to offer our full support for education exports and trade.

As you know, the UK now has an independent trade policy, which we are using to shape the future of UK trade around the world, bringing benefits to the education sector and those of the countries that we trade with.

We very much want to support the sector as best we can in negotiations.

So we’re working with the Department for International Trade promoting education in Free Trade Agreements and ensuring the sector’s views are represented.

Now more than ever, the Government is seeking to strengthen our relationships with partners and allies around the world.

This is all part of our ambition for a Global Britain – with close and strong relationships in every continent, championing the rules-based international order, standing up for and promoting British values across the world.

Education, as one of the UK’s soft power strengths, has a pivotal role to play in delivering this ambition.

One such example is the 2030 roadmap for India-UK future relations, launched last year by the Prime Minister and Indian Prime Minister Modi.

Through this ambitious Roadmap, we will elevate the India-UK relationship and guide our cooperation for the next ten years covering all aspects of our multi-faceted relations through education exports.

In 2020/2021, the UK welcomed 53,015 Indian students to the UK. I look forward to building on this success and our wider relationship with India.

Despite the impact and uncertainty of the last two years, I am proud to say that our collective, global efforts are supporting a new generation of young people to access and enjoy life changing international experiences wherever they study.

Aptly named after Alan Turing – father of computing and World War Two codebreaker – who studied for a time in the United States, our Turing Scheme is truly global, with this year’s participants planning to travel from their schools, colleges and universities to study and work across the globe in over 150 destinations.

Through study or work experience abroad, we want to support people from across the UK to experience the world.   To support this ambition, we have confirmed funding for the continuation of the Turing Scheme for the next 3 years, including £110 million for the 2022/23 Academic Year.

My department has been promoting Turing across the world with ministerial discussions in the US, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, India and others throughout the Commonwealth.

It has been excellent to see such positive engagement, and I look forward to seeing how UK institutions will continue to build and strengthen collaborative partnerships overseas as we move into the second year of the scheme. 

We have now announced plans for applications for the second year of the scheme, which will provide funding for mobilities in the 2022-23 Academic Year.

I urge institutions who want to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the scheme to register their interest now on the Scheme’s website and to start preparing their bids.

I am extremely proud of the work the higher education sector and Government have achieved over the past year.

As we step into the future, the positive lessons we have learned from the past year will play a crucial part in growing the UK’s education offer and strengthening the UK’s global agenda.

I strongly believe in the power of education to help us solve global challenges.

When I graduated (a long time ago) the Vice Chancellor said words to the effect of “some may see our ceremony today as arcane – I hope you will see it as an event which connects you with the greatest tradition of free thought and inquiry to be found anywhere in the world. I hope you will be proud of that and seek to preserve and protect it for future generations.”

I want more international students to the come to the UK not just because it’s good for our economy, not just because its good for those universities’ balance sheets, but because it will enable students from around the world to learn at our remarkable universities which continue to preserve and protect – for the world – the greatest traditions of free thought and inquiry.

Thank you for listening and thank you for all you do.

New, long-term environmental targets have been announced by the government today. The proposed targets are a cornerstone of the government’s Environment Act which passed into law in November last year.

They will drive action by successive governments to protect and enhance our natural world.

The proposed targets cover water, air quality and the diversity of our wildlife, including:

• Improving the health of our rivers by reducing nutrient pollution and contamination from abandoned metal mines in water courses and improving water use efficiency; and

• Cleaning up our air through a target to reduce exposure to the most harmful air pollutant to human health – PM2.5 – by over a third compared to 2018 levels; and

• Halting the decline in our wildlife populations through a legally binding target for species abundance by 2030 with a requirement to increase species populations by 10% by 2042.

Other targets include halving the waste that ends up at landfill or incineration by 2042, increasing total tree cover by 3% by 2050, and significant improvements in the condition of Marine Protected Areas by 2042.

New targets on water quality will tackle the most significant pressures on the water environment and help unlock the most serious challenges to clean up England’s rivers and support our wider ambitions under the Water Framework Directive, and in the 25 Year Environment Plan for clean and plentiful water.

Targets to cut air pollutant PM2.5 will reduce exposure to the most harmful air quality across the country and in locations where levels are highest, with a 50% cut in acceptable levels going well above and beyond previous EU targets while remaining achievable.

The proposed targets will now be subject to an eight week consultation period where government will seek the views of environment groups, local authorities and stakeholders.

The Environment Act put a key focus on driving forward nature’s recovery and the government is also setting out today new proposals in a Nature Recovery Green Paper which will support our ambitions to restore nature and halt the decline in species abundance by 2030.

We are proposing to make the processes clearer and more certain for all users, with more consistency in how we protect our nature sites. A rationalised legal framework, supported by local expertise and scientific judgement, will enable our regulators to be confident in making conservation decisions most appropriate for each site and ultimately ensure a better, more coherent protected site system.

This could include new streamlined types of protected area, reducing the overlapping types of designation for nature sites, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation and Ramsar sites so that the public and stakeholders can see at a glance what’s protected and why.

Environment Secretary, George Eustice said:

These proposed targets are intended to set a clear, long-term plan for nature’s recovery. In a post EU era we now have the freedom to move towards a system that focuses on nature’s recovery as well as its preservation, and which places more emphasis on science and less emphasis on legal process. This change in approach will help us in the pursuit of the targets we are setting under the Environment Act.

Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper, said:

Our network of protected sites has been the backbone of England’s conservation effort for seven decades. It has been vital for hanging on to many special places, and many of our most vulnerable species, but we can and must do better. As Nature faces ever-increasing pressures, including from the effects of climate change, it is no longer sufficient to maintain the remnants of Nature that have survived, but to invest in large-scale recovery.

Ambitious targets to halt the decline in species abundance and to increase the area of land and sea protected for Nature, backed by a range of new policies to meet them, means that we are in a strong position to shift up a gear – not only protecting what’s left but also to recover some of what has been lost.

Natural England will work with government and other partners to help achieve these important new environmental targets, ensuring that any new system of protections not only maintains but restores our depleted natural world, contributing to England’s Nature Recovery Network

The proposed targets and green paper proposals will ensure the right framework is in place to meet the UK’s international commitments to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. They are both subject to an eight week consultation process.

In addition to the Green Paper, government and Natural England are providing a package of practical and financial support to help Local Authorities in areas affected by nutrient pollution to deliver the homes communities need. This applies to areas where protected sites are in ‘unfavourable condition’ due to nutrient pollution. Local Planning Authorities can only approve homes if they are certain it will have no negative effect, and today Natural England has extended this advice to new areas.

As part of the support package, the government is also offering £100,000 to each affected catchment to support cross-Local Authority work to enable development to continue. We welcome the new and proactive investment from Severn Trent Water, United Utilities, South West Water and Yorkshire Water which are collectively investing an additional £24.5 million in reducing nutrient pollution affecting these sites, including nature based solutions. We will work with the wider industry to deliver further action as far as possible.

The government’s response to the Green Paper and targets consultation is expected to be published in early summer 2022. Today’s announcements are part of the government’s commitments to leave our environment in a better state for future generations.

Additional information:

The targets consultation will include the following proposals:

• Halt the decline in species by 2030 and then bend the curve to increase species abundance by 10% by 2042. We will create or restore in excess of 500,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042, compared to 2022 levels;

• A maximum annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 10 µg/m3 across England by 2040 and a 35% reduction in population exposure to PM2.5 by 2040 (compared to a base year of 2018);

• A maximum annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 10 µg/m3 across England by 2040 and a 35% reduction in population exposure to PM2.5 by 2040 (compared to a base year of 2018);

• Reduce nutrient pollution in water by reducing phosphorus loading from treated wastewater by 80% by 2037 and reducing nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment from agriculture to the water environment by 40% by 2037;

• • Improve our marine environment with 70% of designated features in the MPA network to be in favourable condition by 2042, with the remainder in recovering condition, and additional reporting on changes in individual feature condition; and

• Increase tree canopy and woodland cover from 14.1% to 17.5% of total land area in England by 2050.

The publication of the Nature Recovery Green Paper will launch an 8-week consultation setting out proposals for:

• A new system of protections for sites and species – taking decisions based on scientific judgement to ensure a more tailored approach to protect Britain’s most vulnerable sites and species;

• Calls for proposals on how the private sector can play its part – building on the success of the UK Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code, ideas are sought on how to accelerate investment into nature;

• Scaling up private investment in nature – exploring measures to scale-up and de-risk a pipeline of investible nature projects through the £10 million Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund;

• A roadmap to achieve 30by30 – government’s intended path to achieving the Prime Minister’s commitment to protect 30% of our land and sea by 2030, as part of the global Leader’s Pledge for Nature; and

• An assessment of Defra’s delivery landscape – the Green Paper will explore what institutional and delivery arrangements would best support the government’s objectives for nature recovery.