• 425,000 jobs a year to be supported over the next four years in the most ambitious programme of infrastructure investment on record.
• This comes as the Government publishes its new jobs update which sets out the support provided to millions of people since the pandemic began and how the Plan for Jobs will continue supporting people into work and develop the skills they need to thrive as we emerge from the pandemic.
• Prime Minister and Chancellor to meet with new apprentices in the Midlands

In the most ambitious National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline to date, the Government sets out how £650 billion of private and public investment will be implemented in infrastructure projects across the country over the next decade – creating new opportunities for thousands of apprentices, technicians, graduates and skilled workers.

This comes as the Government also publishes its new jobs progress update – setting out how millions of people and businesses have been supported through its Plan for Jobs and over £350 billion of support since the pandemic began. Since its launch last year the Plan for Jobs has safeguarded the economy, supported people back into work and will continue to invest in giving people the skills they need for a successful career.

Work is the best route out of poverty, it gives families financial security, and it provides opportunity to grow and develop. That is why jobs continues to be the Government’s highest economic priority.

Just as for HGV shortages, the Government will continue to work closely with business to identify any challenges in the labour market and respond pro-actively to help prevent disruption to markets and consumers.

The Prime Minister said:

From entry level roles and post university careers, we’re creating the jobs this country needs to build back better following the pandemic.

Business confidence is growing and thanks to the action we’ve taken we’re expected to see two million fewer people out of work.

We are investing in our Plan for Jobs because supporting people into work, ensuring they get the skills they need to get good jobs and helping businesses fill their vacancies is the best way to get the economy moving.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said:

We put a Plan in place to protect jobs and businesses in their hour of need and I am immensely proud to say that it is working.

Today’s announcement of 425,000 jobs supported per year over the next four years shows that we are sticking to that plan as we level up opportunities across the country.

But this isn’t just about numbers – our Plan for Jobs is also about giving people the hope and opportunity to meet their potential as we emerge from the pandemic and the economy recovers.

Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions, said:

Our multi-billion pound Plan for Jobs is working, getting tens of thousands of people back into employment but also going further by helping workers boost skills, earnings and prospects.

Our 13,500 extra Work Coaches in communities across the UK are matching talent to opportunity so people can increase hours, income or secure a better paid job, as we build back better.

So far, £68.5 billion has been spent on the furlough scheme alone, protecting 11.6 million people since its inception, or over a third of the entire workforce right across our United Kingdom. That’s 910,000 jobs in Scotland, 470,000 jobs in Wales, and nearly 290,000 jobs in Northern Ireland.

Millions of self-employed people and small business owners have been supported through 9.9 million SEISS grants claimed, worth £27 billion.

And the Plan is working. Since the pandemic began, the government has doubled the number of front-line Jobcentre staff – totalling 27,000 work coaches in just eight months. Unemployment has fallen for 6 monthly releases in a row, with peak unemployment forecast to be two million fewer than previously feared, and the number of employees on payrolls has increased for the eighth consecutive month, up by 182,000 in July 2021. The unemployment rate in the UK is now lower than the US, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia.

The Plan for Jobs is also supporting people to develop the skills they need to find the jobs of tomorrow. So far:

• 63,000 young people have started their Kickstart job;
• Restart will help over a million long-term unemployed people on Universal Credit;
• More than 80,000 apprentices have been newly hired under our new incentive payments;
• More than 138,000 people have benefitted from the Job Entry Targeted Support, and; *An average of 1,200 job seekers per week enrolling on a Sector-based Work Academy Programmes.

As we move to a new phase of the Plan for Jobs, the Government will continue to maximise employment across the country, create high quality, productive jobs, and deliver the skills that people, businesses and the economy need to thrive as we build back better.

Further information:

• More information about the Plan for Jobs support measures can be found online
• The new Plan for Jobs Progress Update has been published online.
• Details about the Infrastructure Pipeline can be found on the Infrastructure and Projects Authority website.
• As a result of today’s infrastructure pipeline, £89bn of investment will be targeted to social infrastructure to help communities through 165 education projects worth £2.5 billion, including major rebuilding projects at schools and sixth form colleges. In total, this investment equates to £254m Economic Infrastructure (Public), £208m Private Investment (across all sectors), £97m Regulated Utilities, £89m Social Infrastructure (Public).
• To help suppliers make business critical decisions as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis, the Government is also setting out details of £30bn of planned procurements over the next 12 months in social and economic infrastructure.
• Today’s new Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 also sets out a vision to put digital technology and innovation at the heart of our approach to infrastructure investment and delivery.
• The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) estimates over 425,000 individuals will be required, on an average annual basis, across 2021/22 to 2024/25 to deliver the planned investment of £200 billion. These future workforce estimates are based solely on the planned investments within the pipeline. The analysis should be treated as an indication of potential workforce demand and not an exhaustive view.

• Latest round of support for businesses aims to secure record extra renewable energy capacity
• Offshore wind backed by £200 million with additional £24 million ringfenced for floating offshore wind projects

Details of how the UK will get more electricity from renewable sources will be published today (Monday, 13 September), as the Government announces the biggest-ever round of its flagship renewable energy scheme.

The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is the Government’s primary method of encouraging investment in low-carbon electricity. It is open to projects operating in Great Britain.

It incentivises investment in renewable energy by providing developers of projects with high upfront costs and long lifetimes with protection from volatile wholesale prices. This in turn ensures consumers don’t pay increased costs when electricity prices are high.

£265 million per year will be provided to businesses in the fourth round of the scheme, which aims to double the renewable electricity capacity secured in the third round and generate more than the previous three rounds combined. The additional offshore wind capacity resulting from the funding alone could power around 8 million homes.

Today’s announcement contains £200 million to support offshore wind projects. This will help meet the manifesto commitment to ensure the UK has 40GW of capacity by 2030. There will also be £55 million available for supporting emerging renewable technologies. £24 million of that is ringfenced for floating offshore projects for the first time, showing commitment to the development of this high-potential, innovative technology.

For the first time since 2015, established technologies, including onshore wind and solar, will also be able to bid. The Government is seeking up to 5GW of capacity from these technologies, with a £10m budget. This will support investment in all parts of Great Britain, particularly Scotland and Wales.

The CfD scheme has boosted the success of the UK’s world-leading offshore wind industry. As set out in the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the offshore wind sector could support up to 60,000 jobs by 2030.

The previous round of the CfD scheme delivered record-low prices and secured enough clean energy to power over 7 million homes. The scheme’s competitive design also protects consumers and thanks to the investment of successive governments the price of offshore wind has been reduced by around 65%.

These costs continue to fall as green technology advances, with solar and wind now cheaper than coal and gas in most of the world. Ahead of the COP26 Climate Change Summit, the Government has committed to supporting green technology and the high quality jobs it creates to help the UK build back better from the pandemic.

Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

The Contracts for Difference scheme has helped the UK become a world leader in clean electricity generation and lowered prices for consumers.

The new plans set out today deliver on the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan and will support the next generation of renewable electricity projects needed to power our homes and meet our world-leading climate change targets.

CfD contracts are allocated through a competitive auction process where the cheapest projects in each technology group are awarded contracts first.

Today’s announcement establishes Government support that will be available for renewable projects, along with levels of electricity generation capacity that are anticipated to be delivered by the fourth CfD round. Final levels of support and capacity could be higher and will be announced ahead of the round opening in December.

Updated guidance is also being published for onshore wind projects in England, to ensure local communities are given a more effective voice on local development. Renewable projects are subject to strict planning controls that afford protections to local communities and the environment and guidance will ensure communities are engaged with and are able to benefit from renewable infrastructure in their area.

Notes to Editors

Key points (£ budgets in 2011/12 prices):

Pot 1: Established technologies (includes Onshore wind, Solar and Hydropower):

• £10 million pot budget
• Cap of 5GW on total capacity
• Maximum capacity limits of 3.5GW imposed on both onshore wind and solar PV

Pot 2: Less-established technologies (includes Floating Offshore Wind, Tidal Stream, Geothermal and Wave):

• £55 million pot budget
• No capacity cap imposed
• £24 million ringfenced support for floating offshore wind projects

Pot 3: Offshore wind:

• £200 million pot budget
• No capacity cap

Further information:

• Contracts for Difference are 15-year private law contracts between renewable electricity generators and the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC), a Government-owned company that manages CfDs at arm’s length from Government.
• Contracts are awarded in a series of competitive auctions, known as allocation rounds, which have been run every two years since 2015. In the auction process, the lowest price bids are successful, which drives efficiency and cost reduction.
• CfDs give greater certainty and stability of revenues to electricity generators by reducing their exposure to volatile wholesale prices, while protecting consumers from paying for higher costs when electricity prices are high.
• More information on how the Contracts for Difference scheme operates can be found here.
• The scheme has delivered substantial new investment and helped deliver significant reductions in the costs of capital for some renewable technologies, such as helping to reduce the price of offshore wind by around 65%.
• Alongside the Draft Budget Plan, the Government is also publishing today:
• A Draft Allocation Framework, which sets out the rules for the fourth CfD round, and the eligibility requirements applicants must satisfy.
• An Administrative Strike Price Methodology Note, setting out the methodology used to determine the maximum backstop prices available to individual renewable technologies in the fourth round.
• Monetary support (pot budget) estimates in this notice, including the £265 million total figure and split across the three pots, are presented in 2011/12 prices in line with the Control for Low Carbon Levies. These figures are an estimate of annual support in the most expensive year in the first four years following deployment. Actual annual figures will vary over the lifetime of the contract depending on future wholesale electricity prices, and outcomes of the competitive auction process.

Information on methodology behind ‘homes powered’ estimates:

• The ‘8 million homes’ estimate is based on the estimated consented pipeline for offshore wind (around 7 GW). Actual generation secured through this allocation round will vary based on the outcome of the competitive auction process, and given the large number of projects from other technologies competing in the round.
• This has been calculated using load factor estimates for offshore wind commissioning in 2025 from the published 2020 BEIS Generation Costs Report, and published estimates of average household electricity consumption.
• Importantly, wind generation is intermittent – it is not possible to continuously power a home through wind alone.

Marking the start of the greenest London International Shipping Week yet, the UK backs a world-leading absolute zero target for international shipping emissions by 2050, as announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today (13 September 2021).

This target, which would need to be agreed through the International Maritime Organization, would be a significant increase of ambition for the sector, which is currently accountable for 3% of global emissions.

This announcement comes as the government launches the greenest ever London International Shipping Week, building on a string of initiatives aimed at slashing emissions and establishing the UK as international leaders in green maritime.

At a speech on 15 September, the Transport Secretary will announce the winners of the multimillion-pound Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. Focused on innovative green maritime solutions, the competition was launched as part of the Prime Minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution last November.

The Transport Secretary is also expected to reassert the importance of building a thriving maritime sector focused on innovation, highlighting his ambition to have zero emission vessels entering into commercial service by 2025, which opens the possibility for cleaner and greener channel crossings in the next decade.

These initiatives follow on from commitments outlined in the world-leading Transport decarbonisation plan to explore the establishment of a UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE), a dedicated unit within the Department for Transport (DfT) focused on decarbonising the maritime sector.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

As a maritime nation with a rich history, and host of COP26 this year, we are proud to be at the forefront of the greener era for maritime, charting an international course for the future of clean shipping.

I’m incredibly excited by the changes happening in this sector, with the speed of progress highlighted by the prospect of zero emission commercial vessels in UK waters in the next few years and green Channel crossings within a decade.

Taking action now allows us to lead the charge on this global shift, creating highly skilled jobs for British workers and shaping the landscape for what clean shipping and trade will look like for future generations.

As the greenest shipping week to date, the UK is focused on working in collaboration with the sector to build a strong sustainable future for UK maritime. As recently published in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, warming is happening quicker than previously estimated. Therefore action is needed across all sectors and the UK will do all it can to slash emissions from shipping.

Maritime UK chair Sarah Kenny said:

The government’s leadership on global shipping targets will be welcomed across the sector.

The UK is the natural home for maritime business and will play a pivotal role in helping this most global of sectors to decarbonise. There are already fantastic technologies being developed and deployed here, and the industry is determined that these accelerate in close partnership with government.

The UK will rise to the challenge and, in doing so, create tens of thousands of green jobs in coastal communities across the UK.

International challenges require international solutions and it’s right government seeks to lead regulatory action here in London. We can play a leading role in driving change globally and this starts at London International Shipping Week.

Throughout the week, ministers and industry will be leading a host of events taking stock of the sector’s progress.

Kicking off with a ministerial roundtable at the Foreign Office on 13 September, leaders from across the sector will discuss how to level up all parts of the UK with a focus on decarbonisation, coastal communities and port towns and industries.

DfT will publish its Maritime Biennial Report on 14 September, outlining the strength of the sector, the next phase for its recovery from the pandemic and progress on our ambitious Maritime 2050 strategy.

On 15 September, the Transport Secretary will announce the winners of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, while the Maritime Minister, Robert Courts will be at Port of Southampton opening the newest cruise terminal, which is the greenest one yet.

Minister Courts is also set to take centre stage on 16 September at the coveted gala dinner in the iconic National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the heart of British maritime, where he will outline the future for UK maritime and the opportunities that exist as we build global trading networks.

The week will be rounded off with the Maritime Minister joining Mersey Maritime on 17 September for its annual awards event, where he will present the DfT Maritime 2050 Award – celebrating industry action towards our shared Maritime 2050 ambitions.

The British people are a proud nation of givers, with the majority of us reporting that we have donated to charity at some point in the last year. Whether it is to improve our local communities, fund medical research or protect animals and wildlife – we want to do our bit to support others near and far. Charities are part of the rich fabric of our national life. They bring pleasure, purpose and essential services to millions. The pandemic has been hard on charities. But in many cases the third sector managed to continually sustain and support others during an incredibly challenging time. This is to be commended and encouraged.

The importance of charities and their help in reaching people that the government cannot is precisely why the third sector alongside others have benefitted from government schemes designed to offer hope to organisations otherwise facing a highly challenging future. In fact, we created an additional dedicated scheme of £750 million for frontline charities precisely because of the value we place on them.

Earlier this week one such charity, the Churchill Fellowship, sparked debate with a controversial rebrand which appeared to airbrush Sir Winston Churchill from its public profile. The Churchill Fellowship has now stated that it is not seeking to disown the reason that they exist, which is welcome. But I found it quite extraordinary that it got to the position where this clarification was required.

Sadly it is not an isolated case. Just last week the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation overruled legal advice to move a statue of Thomas Guy from its main forecourt. A public consultation had been run on the matter, with statements from the foundation citing Guy’s shares in the South Sea Company, which had a major role in the evils of the slave trade. His role in founding one of the world’s finest hospitals was deemed entirely secondary to this share ownership. Three quarters of those who responded said the statue should remain in place, and yet they announced they were moving it anyway.

This is just another example of a worrying trend in some charities that appear to have been hijacked by a vocal minority seeking to burnish their woke credentials. In so doing they not only distract charities from their core missions but also waste large amounts of time and money. I’m quite sure this is not what the millions of British people who donate to charities every year had intended their hard earned and thoughtfully donated cash to be spent on. Moreover, as we work as a country to emerge from the pandemic, we need our charities to be totally focussed on their important work. We don’t need them hunting for divisions in a way that serves neither their benefactors nor the country.

The public’s trust depends on charities remaining true to their founding missions. The recruitment of a new Chair of the Charity Commission provides an opportunity for this refocus and resetting of the balance.

I have instructed those leading the search to ensure that the new leader of the Commission will restore charities’ focus to their central purpose and empower Trustees to be robust. With interviews beginning next week, candidates will be tested on how they will harness the oversight powers of the Commission to commence this rebalancing. And ministers will only select a candidate that can convince on these criteria. This is an important first step that will benefit not only the public but the charities themselves. I am convinced that the most successful charities of the next century will be those focused on their core purpose of delivering positive change.

The new Charity Commission Chair will need to ensure these organisations are on a sustainable financial footing. The government is rightly supporting charities, but rather than a developing reliance on government grants in the years to come, they should refocus their efforts on public giving.

The British people understand the importance of philanthropy and giving. We understand the importance of the vital work done by charities. But in return for that support charities must recognise there is a wider group to which they owe their existence. The taxpayer has made no demands of those in receipt of these lifelines but those who have accessed this funding must pay due consideration to the wider constituency that now has a stake in their work.

We do our bit when we donate to charities; they must do theirs by ensuring that every penny is spent on real impact.

This op ed was originally published in the Sunday Telegraph on 12 September 2021.

Led by a design challenge for young engineers from UK Naval Engineering Science and Technology (UKNEST), the Royal Navy will develop a Future Autonomous Fleet programme that could shape how it operates over the next 50 years.

Stemming from the design challenge, the future vision envisages drones based in the stratosphere to be launched at a moment’s notice; uncrewed fast attack crafts housing smaller autonomous boats; aircraft carriers propelled by both sea-based biofuels and wind power; and an underwater flagship at the centre of the fleet. Other conceptual ideas include the increased use of artificial intelligence to assist with low-level planning and underwater transport units carrying anything from munitions to food.

Although in the conceptual phase, the Royal Navy is on track to implement one of these futuristic visions into reality over the coming decade – The Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS).

PODS are interchangeable modules that can be fitted to the surface fleet. Similar in design to a shipping container, the PODS create the idea of a ‘plug and play’ warship and will enable Royal Navy ships of all sizes to be more adaptable and versatile when deployed.

Delivered using innovative technology such as heavy-lift drones or autonomous boats, a ship will be able to receive the equipment it needs to be re-tasked quicker without the need to go into a port to collect it.

Large in size, the PODS will house assets vital to supporting Royal Navy operations. These may include an autonomous boat for surveillance and reconnaissance, quadcopter drones to deliver supplies, humanitarian aid and disaster relief stores or medical equipment. Versatile in their approach, they have the capacity to become an additional medical room for service personnel at sea or a control centre for Royal Marines’ operations.

Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Nick Hine said:

“In a future scenario if we find ourselves unable to compete traditionally in terms of mass, we must think differently if we are to regain operational advantage.

“The young engineers who worked on this project are thinking radically and with real imagination and reflects how the Royal Navy is thinking too.”

Outlined in the recent Defence Command Paper, the Royal Navy is focussed on investing in a more innovative and automated fleet. Enhanced by the £24 billion increase in spending across four years as announced by the Prime Minister last November, the Royal Navy will improve the sustainability, lethality and availability of its vessels.

UKNEST young engineer, Fiona McIntosh said:

“The collaborative nature of the project, coupled with us being unconstrained in the ideas and technologies we discussed, really helped us base our concept on technologies we thought would be key to innovation over the coming decades.

“The sessions were really interesting and it was great to see all of the concept designs in a presentation to senior Royal Navy Officers at the end.

“It was encouraging to see that the designs had some similar features and the groups had envisioned similar technologies being utilised by the future fleet. Hopefully we’ll see some of our ideas incorporated into future platforms.”

Supported by the future conceptual ideas, the Royal Navy continues to be at the forefront of maritime technology as it adapts to meet future threats and maintain competitive advantage.