The UK Prime Minister has hosted a festive food and drink market at Downing Street today (30 November) to showcase British businesses who are making the most out of our international trade policy, ahead of Small Business Saturday.

He was joined by Cabinet Ministers including, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, Food and Agriculture Secretary George Eustice, Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan as well as Minister for Exports Mike Freer to support businesses who are seizing opportunities for growth by exporting their goods internationally.

Twelve businesses held market stalls in Downing Street to showcase their finest products including Snowdonia Cheese, a Welsh cheese company; Tayto, a Northern Irish snack company; Loch Fyne Oysters, a Scottish seafood company; and Montezuma’s, an English chocolate company.

Those invited to the event also include the co-founder of Fever-Tree Drinks, the homegrown premium soft drinks company established in 2004, which is now the world’s leading premium mixer brand, exporting to over 80 countries worldwide and selling more than 500 million bottles in 2020.

The Prime Minister also spoke to the owner of Wilkins and Sons, who have been making quality preserves since 1885. Wilkins and Sons now export to over 60 countries across the world and brought in a turnover of £49 million in 2019 alone.

UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said:

It’s great to see the best of British food and drink here in Downing Street, especially in the run up to Christmas.

We currently export to 207 countries but this government is supporting British food and drink exporters to sell even more of their brilliant produce abroad.

As it’s St Andrew’s Day, I’m looking forward to sampling a Clootie McToot dumpling, some Loch Fyne Oysters and a winter warmer from the Isle of Harris Distillery.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

We are committed to ensuring that food and drink from all four corners of the UK can be and will continue to be loved across the globe.

Today’s announcement of new agri-food and drink attachés in key markets will help to further unlock barriers to trade. They are one of the many ways we are helping to open up new exporting opportunities around the world and are part of our plans for a truly Global Britain.

Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said:

We want people at home and abroad to be lining up to buy British.

What we have announced today will further unlock the potential of new and existing markets, enabling our farmers and food and drink producers to take advantage of new opportunities and fly the flag for UK produce around the world.

Businesses from all four corners of the UK are benefiting from international exports and putting their world class products on the global market. One example is Isle of Harris, an award-winning Scottish gin business who took part in the event. Isle of Harris export their products to over 20 different countries, supporting the UK as the world’s biggest exporter of gin.

We’ve also created new trade and investment teams in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Northeast, with dedicated teams to ensure every business, everywhere in the UK, gets our full support. Exports will support highly paid jobs and by sending our products abroad we will secure growth and jobs at home across the Union.

Earlier this month, the government launched an Export Strategy which will help businesses across the UK double exports and sell their world-class products around the globe. The 12-point export strategy will give businesses the tools they need to become a nation of exporters and reap the benefits of our free trade deals.

The Government will create a network of agriculture, food and drink attachés in priority markets to further unlock barriers to trade and open up new exporting opportunities around the world. As well as posts in China, USA, India, Canada and Mexico, the attachés will be covering growth markets in the Gulf, Africa, South America and the Asia-Pacific region. There will also be additional capacity and resource in Europe.

Unlocking the UK’s exporting potential will help level up the country and boost the UK’s economy, with government-led research estimating that exports currently support 6.5 million jobs across the UK and showing that exporters pay higher wages and are on average 21 percent more productive.

Background:

More details on the businesses who held stalls in Downing Street:

Tayto: As the third largest manufacturer of crisps in the UK, Tayto’s crisp production is made from 100% UK & Irish potatoes supporting British farming jobs and supply chains. In Armagh is Tayto Castle, with over 300 employees, Tayto have been making some of the world’s best loved crisps and snacks since 1956. Tayto exports their products across the world.

Ballylisk Dairies: The Wright family has been farming in Ballylisk, Armagh since 1820. The fifth generation of Wrights, currently running the business, is the first generation to make cheese. The company employs less than 10 people and exports their products to Europe.

Clootie McToot: A family run business based in Perthshire Scotland which create Clootie Dumplings, with the recipe being handed down through generations of the family.

Loch Fyne Oysters: Located in Cairndow Scotland, Loch Fyne Oysters support over 22 locations owned by Loch Fyne restaurants across the country, including London, Poole and Edinburgh. Loch Fyne Oysters is a global exporter, including markets such as; Dubai, Hong Kong, USA and Singapore.

Isle of Harris: A distillery founded in 2015 to provide employment for the Isle of Harris. They use sugar kelp seaweed, gathered sustainably by hand from their local sea-lochs, as their key botanical to express the island’s unique maritime nature. Named 2021 Scottish Gin Distillery of the Year, Isle of Harris Distillery employ around 40 staff on the island and the company export to over 20 different countries.

Cradocs Savoury Biscuits: Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits, an artisan craft bakery in the Brecon Beacons, has been baking crackers for 12 years and have strong export links to South Korea.

Snowdonia Cheese: Founded in North Wales, Snowdonia cheese is a multi-award-winning business which sells to more than 25 countries including Canada, Australia, the United States, France and Germany.

Ma Baker: Ma Baker opened an award-winning micro bakery in 2015 following a year of volunteering in cookery schools/bakeries around London. She provides the Bread School courses to help others learn to bake bread.

Fever-Tree: Fever-Tree makes Premium Mixers and Sodas. Established in 2004, Fever-Tree now sells in 78 countries and sold over 500 million bottles in 2020. The company employs around 150 people over two locations in London.

Wilkin & Sons: Wilkins and Sons have been farming at Tiptree, Essex, since 1757 and making quality preserves since 1885. As well as conserves and condiments, the company makes fruit liqueurs using its farm grown fruit and gin from a local distiller. Their products can be found in over 60 across the world.

Montezumas: Founded in 2000, Montezuma’s is one of Britain’s most innovative chocolate brand, with a strong focus on sustainable business growth. Montezumas employs over 200 staff at around 9 stores across England.

Perky Blenders Coffee: Perky Blenders Coffee have featured in the Independent’s Best’s ‘Best Coffee Subscription Services,’ and have won two Time Out Awards as the ‘Best Coffee Place’ within three London Postcodes. The business currently employs around 35 people in England and they now supply to over 60 stores – including Whole Foods, The Conran Shop, Anthropology, and the award-winning Eat17 Spar shops. All their coffee beans are sourced sustainably.

Thank you, Prime Minister. A year ago this week, this country made headlines when we became the first nation in the Western world to authorise a vaccine for Covid-19.

This kicked off one of the greatest collective endeavours this nation has seen in peacetime – and think how far we’ve come since then.115 million jabs right across the UK, and a booster programme that is expanding at a phenomenal pace.

Today we’ve hit that milestone of 18 million booster doses across the UK, and the daily number of jabs has gone up a third since the start of this month. Not only that, but we’ve delivered more booster doses than any other country with the exception of the USA and China. And that is something that we can all be very proud of.

And I’d like to thank the NHS, the armed forces, the volunteers, and everyone who’s done so much to make this programme a success – as well as every single person that has come forward for their jab.

Thanks to you, we’ve made so much progress over the course of a year, we have now weakened the link between cases and hospitalisations and deaths. This is the real-world protection that our vaccination programme provides. Boosters in particular play a very huge part. The booster dose provides a much higher antibody response than the primary course so it’s more important than ever that people step up and get protected.

We’re now dealing of course with this new variant, Omicron, which the World Health Organisation said just yesterday, they said that it poses a ‘very high global risk’.

There have now been 13 confirmed cases in England and also 9 confirmed cases in Scotland, and we expect to see these numbers rising over the next few days.

There’s a lot we don’t know of course, and our scientists are working night and day to learn more about this new variant, and what it means for our response.

Our strategy is to buy the time we need to assess this new variant. While doing everything we can to slow the spread of the virus and to strengthen our defences.

One important defence is antivirals. We’ve already secured hundreds of thousands of doses of two antivirals, that have the potential to speed up recovery time and stop infections progressing.

Another, of course, is that vaccination programme. It’s true that we don’t yet have a full picture of how our vaccines respond to this new variant. But although it’s possible for them to be less effective, it’s unlikely that they have no effectiveness against serious disease.

So the best way that we can strengthen our protective wall is to get as many jabs in arms as possible. I asked the JCVI, our independent expert advisers, to look urgently at our vaccination programme in light of this new variant.

And as the Prime Minister just set out, we’ll be massively expanding booster doses, in line with the JCVI advice. This includes halving the dose interval for booster jabs from six months to three months, expanding the booster doses to include all remaining adults aged 18 and above, and offering booster doses for people who are immunosuppressed.

I’d like to thank the JCVI for acting with such speed in response to this potential threat. This means we’re now able to put our booster programme on steroids – and protect even more people, even more quickly.

We’ve got the jabs, thanks to the brilliant work of our Vaccines Taskforce, who’ve made sure that we’ve had a strong supply of vaccines all the way throughout this pandemic, and today we are setting out our plan to get those jabs in arms – and we’ll shortly be hearing a bit more from Amanda.

We’ve set some hugely ambitious targets, and we’re asking a huge amount from the NHS. But I have no doubt that that they will rise to the challenge, just as they have done throughout this pandemic.

I know that the developments of the past few days have been worrying for some people, and that we’ve brought back memories…what we’re seeing recently has brought back memories of the strain of the last winter.

But although we can’t say with certainty what lies ahead, we have one huge advantage that we didn’t have back then. Our vaccination programme, which has already done so much to keep this virus at bay.

But these defences will only keep us safe if we use them. This is a national mission and we all have a role to play. If we want to give ourselves the best chance of a Christmas with our loved ones, the best thing we can all do is step up, roll up our sleeves and get protected when the time comes. I’ll now hand over to Amanda.

As part of a major international operation to tackle illegal wildlife trade in October, Border Force officers across the UK successfully seized hundreds of products containing endangered species of plants and animals, as well as other items listed on CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Wildlife Fauna and Flora).

Operation Thunder led to Border Force officers seizing 250 items including live animals and corals, products including python skin and turtle shell, elephant tusks and ivory goods, as well as health products claiming to be slimming supplements containing cactus and orchid extracts and crocodile blood.

The illegal wildlife trade is a haven for international organised criminals: it is the fourth biggest illegal trade in the world, worth over an estimated £15 billion annually. The international operation was co-led by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and INTERPOL and involved police, customs, environment, wildlife and forestry agencies from 111 countries.

The Heathrow-based Border Force CITES team are recognised as world leaders in their field. Samantha Trackman, a Higher Officer in the Border Force CITES enforcement team who coordinated the UK’s response, said:

Our yearly participation in the global Operation Thunder series highlights our commitment to tackle wildlife crime, which has a devastating environmental impact.

This operation is a crucial part of a global response to a global issue. The trade in endangered species is driven by organised crime groups, and the movement of banned animal products is key to how they operate.

This is why Border Force’s specialist CITES officers will continue their vital work at the border to prevent the importation and exportation of endangered animals and plants, as well as working alongside enforcement partners such as the National Wildlife Crime Unit, police and scientific authorities from across the UK to eradicate this ruthless and exploitative trade.

Border Force is responsible for frontline detection and seizure of items covered by the CITES convention, which regulates the trade in endangered animals and plants. The endangered species trade is strictly controlled under CITES, and Border Force plays an important role in preventing the illegal importation, exportation and transhipment of these goods.

Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling and trafficking of any kind should call the UK hotline on: +44 (0)800 59 5000.

This session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council reviewed 13 States: Suriname, Greece, Samoa, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Hungary, Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Antigua and Barbuda, Eswatini, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand and Ireland. As a strong supporter of the UPR process, the UK has participated and raised priority human rights concerns in all reviews since the process began in 2006.

Modern Slavery and human trafficking

Recent figures indicate child labour figures have drastically worsened. It is very likely that there will be substantially more people subject to modern slavery and human trafficking worldwide by the time new data is published next year. While modern slavery and human trafficking persist, we will continue to work with our partners to tackle these horrendous crimes.

We remain committed to eliminating all forms of modern slavery by 2030 in line with Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 and continue to encourage and help others to do so. The Universal Periodic Review is an essential part of this work. During this review, the UK encouraged countries undergoing review to undertake a range of actions such as ensuring that legislation is implemented to address modern slavery crimes, that national action plans and dedicated officials to deliver them are put in place, and that criminal justice systems deliver more effective investigations and prosecutions. We continued to advocate that countries ratify and implement all necessary Protocols, including the 2014 ILO Forced Labour Protocol, which is an important tool to address forced labour and provide protection for victims.

UN Treaty Body elections

Since 2017, we have consistently made the recommendation to ‘adopt an open, merit-based selection process when selecting national candidates for UN Treaty Body elections’ to a number of states. These expert bodies are a central part of the UN human rights system, charged with monitoring the implementation of human rights conventions in states which have signed up to them. The UK continues to advocate strengthening the quality, independence and diversity of Treaty Body membership.

Hungary

I welcome Hungary’s support for the Call to Action to End Human Trafficking, Modern Slavery and Forced Labour. I recognise Budapest holds the longest running PRIDE march in the region, but I am concerned by a series of measures introduced in Hungary in the past two years that appear to discriminate against the LGBT+ community. I welcome Hungary’s National Roma Integration Strategy from 2011 to 2020, and encourage continued work to address Roma discrimination, societal exclusion, and poverty.

Tanzania

I am pleased to see the re-opening of previously banned media organisations in Tanzania and urge the Government to prioritise media freedom and guarantee freedom of expression. I welcome the recognition of and progress in the Government of National Unity in Zanzibar. I urge the Government to remove restrictions on opposition parties and allow them to meet and operate freely. I call for the establishment of independent electoral commissions for Tanzania and Zanzibar. I recommend Tanzania to fully implement the provisions of the 2008 anti-trafficking law; end illegal pre-trial detention; and to amend the Media Services Act and the Political Parties Act and related legislation to ensure freedoms of expression and assembly are protected.

Ireland

I commend the progress made by Ireland to promote and protect human rights, in particular the establishment of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and ratification of the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I commend Ireland on their first ever prosecution for human trafficking offences in September and recommend the Government develop and implement a National Action Plan to prevent and combat all forms of modern slavery including a budget, responsibilities and time frame, and reinstate a dedicated anti-trafficking unit.

Tajikistan

I welcome Tajikistan’s implementation of legislation to reduce gender-based violence and the 2020 Election Assessment Missions by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). However, I remain concerned about restrictions on political opposition and urge Tajikistan to follow up promptly on ODIHR’s recommendations, amend legislation which undermines the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and ensure that media workers can operate freely, both online and offline. I also recommend that Tajikistan adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation to end discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation, end the practice of maintaining lists of LGBT+ persons and amend legislation which undermines the right to freedom of expression.

Thailand

Thailand’s progress made on human rights, including the adoption of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights is a positive step towards their transition to democracy. I encourage Thailand to take further steps to create an open and enabling environment for civil society. I recommend Thailand implement a National Referral Mechanism for modern slavery which adopts a victim-centred approach and ensure national guidelines for victim identification and ensure the protection of civic space and for Human Rights Defenders to be able to operate freely and fully exercise the rights to freedom of expression, including online, and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Sudan

I note the decision to postpone Sudan’s UPR to next year, and hope that Sudan’s civilian-led Government will be able to participate fully in the review process at the rescheduled date.

Good afternoon,

Every day our scientists are learning more about this new Covid variant, but there is one thing we already know for sure: right now, our single best defence against Omicron, is to get vaccinated and get boosted.

If you are boosted – your immune response will be stronger.

So yesterday, in addition to offering a second dose to all 12 to 15 year olds – the independent JCVI recommended that boosters should now be offered to everyone over 18, and that we halve the minimum gap between a second dose and a booster from six months to three months.

This means that over 14 million more adults have now become eligible for a booster in England alone.

So I’m here today with the Health Secretary and the Chief Executive of NHS England to set out our plan to make this happen.

The target we have set out ourselves is to offer a booster to everyone eligible by the end of January.

And as with the first jabs, we’ll be working through people by age group, going down in five year age bands, because it’s vital that the older and more clinically vulnerable get that added protection first.

So even if you had your second jab over three months ago and you’re now eligible, please don’t try and book until the NHS says it’s your turn.

We’ve already done almost 18 million boosters across the UK but we’ve got millions more to do to protect the most vulnerable.

Then we’ll move down the cohorts rapidly, and working together with the Devolved Administrations, we want to ramp up capacity across the whole United Kingdom to the levels we achieved in the previous vaccination effort.

We’re going to be throwing everything at it, in order to ensure that everyone eligible is offered that booster in just over two months.

Across England, we will have more than 1,500 community pharmacy sites vaccinating people near where you live.

All of our sites will increase their capacity, and we’ll stand up extra hospital hubs on top of those already active.

There will be temporary vaccination centres popping up like Christmas trees.

And we’ll deploy at least 400 military personnel to assist the efforts of our NHS, alongside, of course, a fantastic jabs army of volunteers.

I know the frustration that we all feel with this Omicron variant, the sense of exhaustion that we could be going through this all over again.

But today our position is – and always will be – immeasurably better than it was a year ago.

What we’re doing is we’re taking some proportionate, precautionary, measures while our scientists crack the Omicron code, and while we get the added protection of those boosters into the arms of those who need them most.

So we’re going to get behind the men and women of our NHS, who have saved so many lives on the frontline, and run our vaccination programme for almost a year without a break, and who are going back into the breach yet again.

And I want to say on behalf of the whole country, I want to thank every one of them for their extraordinary efforts.

And the best way that we can all show our gratitude is by doing our bit and stepping forward when our time comes to get that booster.

I’ve been waiting faithfully for my moment to come and it’s happening on Thursday I’m pleased to say.

So whenever your turn comes, get your booster and ask your friends and family to do the same.

It’s time for another Great British Vaccination Effort.

We’ve done it before, we’re going to do it again, and let’s not give the virus a second chance.