1 in 5 people experience downward mobility in their lives, with some moving into a vicious cycle of low pay and low self-esteem, a new Social Mobility Commission report has found.

The research carried out for the Commission by Ipsos MORI shows how unfairly that downward movement is shared. Women, notably with children, and non-graduates are more likely to move down than others. But so are children of front-line workers and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, particularly those born outside the UK.

While most policy experts look at ways of helping people move up occupational groups to become more socially mobile, many ignore the fact that to do so others have to move down.

In the post-war decades there was room at the top following a mushrooming of professional and managerial jobs. But this is no longer the case and progress is stagnant. Those from professional classes at the top often hang on to their jobs, through networking and help from their parents. While others, whose parents may have struggled to get into high status jobs, have shifted down.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has already made us re-evaluate and give higher recognition to key workers such as nurses, porters, cleaners and shop workers and the Commission believes they should also be better rewarded. The Commission calls for a new debate to ensure fairer recognition for a broader range of occupations.

The report Changing gears: understanding downward mobility, is the first to look in depth at the reasons behind downward mobility and the impact it has. It defines those who are downwardly mobile as those who have dropped at least one occupational class below their parents. It also looks at the difference between voluntary and involuntary downward mobility.

The first reason, by choice, could be to improve work life balance or explore a more interesting career. However, others are forced to move down because they don’t have the right qualifications, they lose their jobs, or their circumstances change. This in-depth qualitative research looks at the impact on both these groups. Some felt content to shift down a gear. Others felt undervalued and had lost their sense of purpose.

Steven Cooper, interim co-chair of the Social Mobility Commission said:

Downward mobility can be an acute struggle for many and there has never been a more important time to recognise this. The pandemic has highlighted the essential role played by nurses, porters, supermarket workers and carers. These workers have always been underpaid and often undervalued. Together, we need to start recognising and rewarding them more fairly.

• 1 in 5 men (21%) and 1 in 4 women (24%), aged 30 to 59, experienced downward mobility between 2014 and 2018 in the UK
• 48% of women whose parents worked in the police, fire or military were downwardly mobile. The equivalent figure for men was 43%
• The downward mobility rates for the children of nurses are 48% for men and 40% for women
• 38% of men and 40% of women from Black African backgrounds, born outside the UK, are likely to be move down an occupational group compared to just over 20% from white British backgrounds
• Nearly a third (32%) of women with 4 or more children experienced downward mobility, compared with 23% with no children
• Graduates have a 15% chance of experiencing downward mobility compared to about 30% for those with GCSEs or below – those studying arts, languages and design are more likely to be downwardly mobile than those studying medicine, education or maths
• Downward mobility is lowest for children of lawyers, doctors, teachers and scientists

The Commission does not make direct recommendations but wants to open up the debate about downward mobility and reassess what ‘up’ and ‘down’ look like. For example, the data shows that many children of front line workers have moved ‘down’ an occupation group partly because occupations such as nursing, the police and the military are now much more likely to be graduate-led than in the past.

The Commission argues that those who do not choose to be downwardly mobile need support and recognition for the work they do. Sometimes this will be higher pay, but it will also be about greater use of apprenticeships, extra training in the right skills and better career progression. The Commission has already drawn up an employers’ toolkit to help employers attract and recruit a higher proportion of workers from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Professor Lindsey Macmillan (Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, UCL) said:

Downward mobility is the elephant in the room for policy makers hoping to improve rates of social mobility. With the slow-down in growth in top occupations, the only way that people can move up is for others to move down. While it is hard to identify those who have chosen to move down, the balance of the evidence suggests that this is too often a forced state for many, which is accompanied by long-periods of lower wages.

Ben Page, Chief Executive, Ipsos MORI said:

While there is a lot of attention on upward social mobility, much less attention is paid to downward social mobility. This new study shows that it is much more likely to affect BAME people, and children of some key workers than professionals and white people. If this continues, Britain won’t get any more equal. Already the proportion of people who think there is equality of opportunity in Britain has fallen from 53% to 35% in the last 10 years. The consequences of Covid-19 on top of existing trends could be stark.

The study uses three occupational groupings:

• professional occupations – includes directors, doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, journalists
• intermediate occupations – includes police officers, secretaries, shopkeepers, garage proprietors, electricians, chefs
• working occupations – includes dental nurses, fitness instructors, bus drivers, hairdressers, cleaners

Notes to editors

The Social Mobility Commission is an independent advisory non-departmental public body established under the Life Chances Act 2010 as modified by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. It has a duty to assess progress in improving social mobility in the UK and to promote social mobility in England.

The Commission board comprises:

• Sandra Wallace, Interim Co-Chair, Joint Managing Director Europe at DLA Piper
• Steven Cooper, Interim Co-Chair, Chief Executive Officer, C. Hoare & Co
• Alastair da Costa, Chair of Capital City College Group
• Farrah Storr, Editor-in-chief, Elle
• Harvey Matthewson, Aviation Activity Officer at Aerobility
• Jessica Oghenegweke, Presenter, BBC Earth Kids
• Jody Walker, Senior Vice President at TJX Europe (TK Maxx and Home Sense in the UK)
• Liz Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Futuredotnow
• Pippa Dunn, Founder of Broody, helping entrepreneurs and start-ups
• Saeed Atcha, Chief Executive Officer of Youth Leads UK
• Sam Friedman, Associate Professor in Sociology at London School of Economics
• Sammy Wright, Vice Principal of Southmoor Academy, Sunderland

Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute brings together methodological and public policy experts dedicated to developing and conducting customised research for clients in the government and public sector to help them make better, evidence-based decisions.

The research was carried out with Dr Luke Sibieta (Sibieta Economics of Education) and Professor Lindsey Macmillan from the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, UCL

Quantitative analysis by Professor Lindsey Macmillan and Dr Luke Sibieta based on secondary analysis of major social surveys. Data were taken from:

• the Labour Force Survey (LFS)
• the National Child Development Study (NCDS), a cohort of all people born in one week in March 1958, and the British Cohort Study (BCS), a cohort of all people born in one week in April 1970
• Understanding Society, a household panel survey that followed 40,000 households from 2010 onwards

• Research shows that being in a room with fresh air can reduce the risk of infection from particles by over 70%
• The film is part of the ‘Hands. Face. Space’ campaign which urges public to adopt simple health behaviours to help reduce the risk of the virus spreading

A new public information campaign has launched today by the government to highlight how letting fresh air into indoor spaces can reduce the risk of infection from coronavirus by over 70%.

The campaign, which forms part of wider ‘Hands. Face. Space’ guidance, sees the release of a new short film created with scientists and an engineer at Leeds University.

The film illustrates how coronavirus lingers in the air in spaces with no fresh air, increasing the risk of people breathing in infected particles, and how the risk can be reduced significantly by regularly ventilating enclosed areas.

The new film will run across social and digital advertising in England.

Research shows that being in a room with fresh air can reduce your risk of infection from particles by over 70%, as fresh air dilutes the particles.

As we spend more time indoors, experts are recommending that people either:

• open windows for short, sharp bursts of 10 to 15 minutes regularly throughout the day
• leave windows open a small amount continuously

This is to remove any infected particles lingering in the room.

Additionally, it is advised that any household systems that use outdoor air, including kitchen or bathroom extractor fans, are used correctly and regularly as an additional method to remove infected particles.

Airing indoor spaces is particularly important when:

• people have visitors (when permitted) or tradespeople in their home, for example for construction or emergencies
• someone from a support bubble is meeting with another household indoors
• a care worker is seeing a patient indoors
• someone in the household has the virus, as this can help prevent transmission to other household members

Public Health Minister, Jo Churchill said:

We all spend more time inside over the winter, so ventilation is essential.

As the weather gets colder and wetter, letting in fresh air in short burst helps to reduce the risk of coronavirus in our homes. We should all remember: open your windows, and Hands. Face. Space.

Professor Catherine Noakes, from Leeds University who advised on the film, said:

When a room does not have any fresh air, and where people are generating large amounts of aerosol through activities such as singing and loud speech, that is when transmission of coronavirus is most likely. Fresh air must come from outdoors – recirculating air just means the aerosols containing the virus move around the same room rather than being extracted outdoors.

Ventilation units or any household systems that use outdoor air can be just as effective as opening windows or doors as long as they are limiting the recirculation of the same air.

Coronavirus is spread through the air by droplets and smaller particles (known as aerosols) that are exhaled from the nose and mouth of an infected person as they breathe, speak or cough. They behave in a similar way to smoke but are invisible. The majority of virus transmissions happen indoors. Being indoors, with no fresh air, the particles can remain suspended in the air for hours and build up over time.

The longer people spend in the same room as these particles, the more likely they are to become infected.

GP Dr Amir Khan said:

As we approach winter, and inevitably spend more time indoors, fresh air is extremely beneficial. For COVID-19, it is important to ventilate indoor spaces if someone in your home has the virus as this can help prevent transmission to other household members.

You should also let fresh air into your home when you have any visitors and just after they leave in case they are infected. Remember, opening windows alongside washing your hands, covering your face and making space is also essential in reducing your risk of COVID-19.

Ventilation to provide fresh air in enclosed spaces is just as important as the other actions, so remember this as well as ‘Hands, Face, Space’. These are the most effective ways we can all control the spread of the virus. Visit gov.uk/coronavirus for more information.

The public are encouraged to continue to be vigilant of coronavirus symptoms. These include a:

• new continuous cough
• high temperature
• loss or change in your sense of taste or smell

If you, or someone you know, display any symptoms, you should get a free test or call 119.

Assets

The importance of ‘Hands. Face. Space’ and ventilation

The recommendations around ‘Hands. Face. Space’ remain important measures to consider as simple but vital behaviours that have the power to protect the public from both the short and potential long-term impact of coronavirus.

Wash your hands

While coronavirus is not likely to survive for long periods of time on outdoor surfaces in sunlight, it can live for more than 24 hours in indoor environments. Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer, regularly throughout the day will reduce the risk of catching or passing on the virus.

Cover your face

Coronavirus is carried in the air by tiny respiratory droplets that carry the virus. Larger droplets can land on other people or on surfaces they touch. Smaller droplets, called aerosols, can stay in the air indoors for at least 5 minutes, and often much longer if there is no fresh air. Face coverings reduce the dispersion of these droplets, meaning if you’re carrying the virus, you’re less likely to spread it when you exhale.

Make space

Transmission of the virus is most likely to happen within 2 metres, with risk increasing exponentially at shorter distances. While keeping this exact distance is not always possible, remaining mindful of surroundings and continuing to make space has a powerful impact when it comes to containing the spread.

Ventilation

In addition, airing rooms is important as it reduces the number of infectious aerosols in the air. Simple actions like opening windows regularly throughout the day, especially when you share a space with others, and making sure that mechanical ventilation systems and kitchen and bathroom extractor fans are used correctly, will reduce your risk.

The value of 70% is based on modelled risks within table 3 in the EMG paper. Increasing the ventilation rate from 1 litre per second per person (very low ventilation rate) to 10 litres per second per person (recommended ventilation rate in standards for many buildings) gives a reduction in relative risk between 68% and 86% depending on the viral emission rate and the duration of exposure. This is based on models and is subject to uncertainties. However, the relative influence of ventilation on the removal of airborne contaminants is well understood.

Evidence taken from:

• SAGE EMG paper, Role of Ventilation in Controlling SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

• van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, et al. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med 2020; 382(16): 1564-7

• C. Fears et al., “Persistence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Aerosol Suspensions,” Emerg. Infect. Dis., vol. 26, no. 9, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.3201/eid2609.201806

• Beale S, Johnson A, Zambon M, null n, Hayward A, Fragaszy E. Hand Hygiene Practices and the Risk of Human Coronavirus Infections in a UK Community Cohort [version 1; peer review: 1 approved]. Wellcome Open Research 2020; 5(98)

• C. Fears et al., “Persistence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Aerosol Suspensions,” Emerg. Infect. Dis., vol. 26, no. 9, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.3201/eid2609.201806

• D. K. Milton, M. P. Fabian, B. J. Cowling, M. L. Grantham, and J. J. McDevitt, “Influenza Virus Aerosols in Human Exhaled Breath: Particle Size, Culturability, and Effect of Surgical Masks,” PLoS Pathog., vol. 9, no. 3, 2013, doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003205

• W. Chen, N. Zhang, J. Wei, H. Yen, and Y. Li, “Short-range airborne route dominates exposure of respiratory infection during close contact,” Build. Environ., pp. 1–33, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106859

• Digital prescribing systems will replace outdated paper prescriptions, improving patient safety and reducing errors
• The NHS is on course to eliminate paper prescribing in hospitals and achieve the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to introduce digital prescribing across the entire NHS by 2024

More patients and healthcare staff will benefit from single electronic hospital patient records as 16 trusts across England receive a share of nearly £16 million to introduce e-prescribing.

These complete, single electronic records have helped improve patient safety across the NHS and save staff time, which they can spend on patients.

Instead of relying on handwritten notes and paper medicine charts, staff can now quickly access potentially life-saving information on prescribed medicines and patient history. This can also reduce medication errors by up to 30% when compared with the old paper systems.

Electronic prescribing systems have been shown to save time and money by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy. Investing in these systems will help to save money and increase productivity for the NHS overall.

Minister for Patient Safety, Nadine Dorries said:

We are determined to make the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world. The introduction of digital prescribing systems has helped us reduce potentially deadly medication errors and save our hard-working staff valuable time, enabling them to dedicate their full attention and care to patients.

As we enter what is set to be a challenging winter, the best way we can continue to protect patients and staff is if we all work together and continue to follow the national restrictions to suppress the virus.

The funding is part of a £78 million investment to achieve the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to eliminate paper prescribing in hospitals and introduce digital prescribing across the entire NHS by 2024.

Since 2018, 216 NHS trusts have received a share of this fund and the proportion of trusts with an electronic prescriptions and medicines administration (ePMA) system is expected to have risen from 19% in 2018 to more than 80% by March 2021.

Dr Paul Curley, Deputy Medical Director and Chief Clinical Information Officer at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which received £1.6 million in 2018, said:

At The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust we successfully implemented eMeds, our ePMA system. eMeds has revolutionised prescribing and improved medicines safety across the trust, and a number of benefits have been realised including high staff satisfaction levels, greater visibility of prescriptions and reduced prescribing errors.

We deployed eMeds at significant pace across 3 hospital sites in 10 months, against a planned implementation period of 24 months. We believe that our ePMA project has been one of our most successful implementations and was driven by the objective of clinical improvement. It was completed only months before the COVID-19 pandemic and so was hugely beneficial for our overall response.

Nearly £11 million will go towards a range of services offering practical and emotional help – allowing organisations to recruit more staff, adapt to remote counselling methods during the pandemic and keep helplines open for longer.

In addition Ministers have today announced a further £7 million will go towards a range of innovative programmes aimed at perpetrators – designed to prevent domestic abuse from happening in the first place.

It comes as charities have reported a sharp increase in demand during the pandemic, including a 46% rise in calls, with some victims feeling at greater risk of harm or deciding to report abuse for the first time.

The package of support confirmed today includes:

• £10.1 million going to rape and domestic abuse support centres and Police and Crime Commissioners to fund services across England and Wales.
• £7.17 million for a range of innovative programmes aimed at perpetrators to last beyond the pandemic to help offenders change their behaviours and prevent these destructive crimes from happening in the first place. Independent research has shown these programmes cut risk of physical abuse, with the Drive Partnership, which is one of the programmes being funded, demonstrating an 82% reduction in risk 29 funding awards totalling £7.17 million have been awarded to Police and Crime Commissioners working with perpetrators of domestic abuse, including West Mercia, Dorset and Sussex.
• £680,000 going directly towards up to 34 domestic abuse organisations that have shown a need for extra funds. The 34 organisations provide support services for victims, including front line services and virtual services. Funds might be needed, for example, to provide new temporary staff to deal with additional calls to helplines or to provide additional counselling for victims.
• A renewal of the #YouAreNotAlone campaign for the period of new restrictions which signposts people towards support services and online resources, and reminds people that the new national restrictions do not apply if you are in danger at home.

In addition, victims of all crimes will benefit from a clearer set of rights regarding the support they should receive from the police, courts and other criminal justice agencies.

The new Victims’ Code sets out 12 key overarching rights, which are clear, concise and easy understand.  It will come into force on 1 April 2021 and includes a new right for eligible victims to be automatically referred to the Victim Contact Scheme as well as greater rights for victims of mentally disordered offenders.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC MP said:

Nothing will detract from our support for victims and their needs will continue to be a priority long after this pandemic.

This funding will make sure that vital help is always available for those who need it, while our new Victims’ Code will ensure their rights are recognised at every stage of the justice system.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel said:

My message to victims of domestic abuse during this unprecedented time is clear: You are not alone.

This funding and our awareness campaign will help victims get the support they need, and police work is continuing throughout the winter to ensure victims are protected and those committing these crimes feel the full force of the law.

It is also vital that we tackle the root causes of violent behaviour which is why we are funding perpetrator prevention programmes to identify serial offenders, and work with them to change their behaviour.

Minister for Housing and Rough Sleeping Kelly Tolhurst MP said:

We know that for some the lockdown has led to issues with violence in the home – this is completely unacceptable. Our message to those fleeing domestic abuse is that you can still leave your home and escape to safety if needed with your children – and we are keeping refuges open to support.

Our emergency funding is creating extra bed spaces over winter,  to help supporting victims escape and rebuild their lives, free from abuse.

Today’s funding follows the announcement of an unprecedented £76 million pledged by Ministers in May to help the most vulnerable in society during this challenging time and builds on transformational measures included in the landmark Domestic Abuse Bill.

Meanwhile, domestic abuse, sexual violence cases and other serious offences have been prioritised by the courts during the pandemic. The government is investing £80 million in a range of measures to reduce delays and deliver speedier justice for victims – including hiring 1,600 new staff and opening more temporary ‘Nightingale Courts’.

Chief Executive of Victim Support, Diana Fawcett, said:

We welcome this additional funding from the Ministry of Justice which will enable us to continue operating our essential live chat service 24/7, nationwide.

We recognise that those affected by crime may be worried about accessing support services during these current restrictions, so it’s more important than ever to respond to victims at any time, regardless of where they live. We also know that for victims of crime who live with their abusers, live chat offers them an alternative way to access practical and emotional support discreetly.

During this challenging time, our message to victims is clear. Our specialist support services are still open and are here to offer you free and confidential support whenever you need it.

APCC Victims Leads Deputy Mayor of London Sophie Linden, and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner of North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan, said:

Police and Crime Commissioners welcome today’s announcement. The additional money we are receiving will help domestic abuse and sexual violence charities in our communities provide the support vulnerable victims need, where they need it most.

We also welcome the re-launch the national #YouAreNotAlone campaign. The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened concerns around abuse taking place behind closed doors. Everyone needs to recognise they have a part of play in looking out for vulnerable members of our communities. And victims need to know that services are still open to them if they need help and support.

We continue to make the case for increased funding allocations which also provide certainty for our service providers and allow for longer-term planning, capacity building, and service resilience.

Since the pandemic government has made available over £92 million to ensure victims of crime can still access the support they rely on. This includes:

• £10 million for domestic abuse safe accommodation charities services.
• £26.4 million to support vulnerable children, including support for families of disabled children and working to safeguard vulnerable children including care leavers and children in the early years.
• £22 million to help victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence in the community access support services during the coronavirus outbreak, and a further £3 million per annum investment in Independent Sexual Violence Advisers until 2022. This funding applies to England and Wales.
• £3.8 million for community-based domestic abuse services and modern slavery services, and for added support for modern slavery charities who have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
• £7.8 million in emergency support for charities helping vulnerable children who have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. This includes children at risk of sexual abuse and criminal exploitation

Throughout the pandemic, the measures introduced by this government have been designed to protect and support everyone across the UK, including our most vulnerable. This announcement forms part of that ongoing work.

Notes to editors

Funding

• The Ministry of Justice will provide £10.1 million that will go directly towards services supporting victims as well as all Police and Crime Commissioners who will distribute funds themselves to organisations in their areas. The funding will be distributed from this week onwards.
• The Home Office has confirmed 29 funding awards totalling £7.17 million to Police and Crime Commissioners working with perpetrators of domestic abuse. This funding will introduce a range of innovative programmes from early intervention through to intensive targeted programmes for high-harm and high-risk offenders. This includes the Drive Partnerships which independent evaluation has shown participation results in substantial reductions in abuse and risk among the users of this service, with physical abuse reduced by 82% and controlling behaviours reduced by 73%. By funding perpetrator services, we will address the root of the problem by preventing offending.
• The government’s #YouAreNotAlone communications campaign, which raises awareness of domestic abuse and guides people to advice and support available in 16 languages, has been relaunched and will continue over the period of new restrictions.
• £683,000 will be awarded by the Home Office to the 34 domestic abuse organisations which received allocations from one or both of the two original £2 million pots of Covid funding, subject to their showing a need for extra funds.
• MHCLG has extended the spending period for their £10 million emergency funding for domestic abuse safe accommodation charities, and many charities have taken up this offer, ensuring extra bed spaces are in place over winter..

Victims Code

• Following a consultation in March a new Victims’ Code – which sets out the minimum level of services victims can expect from criminal justice agencies – will be published this week.
• The new Code will come into force on 1 April 2021, to allow criminal justice agencies and others who provide services under the Code time to embed any operational changes to meet their new obligations.
• Changes in the new Code include:
  • Simplifying and shortening the Code to make it clear, concise and easy to understand.
  • Changing the Victim Contact Scheme from an opt-in to an automatic referral scheme.
  • Offering greater flexibility over when a Victim Personal Statement, which tells the court how the crime has affected the victim, can be made.
  • New rights for victims of mentally disordered offenders, allowing them access to a Victim Liaison Officer to provide information on an offender’s management and potential release from hospital.
  • For the first time, the Code sets out the rights of victims of Foreign National Offenders to be updated on when an offender’s deportation may occur.
  • The new Code also includes practical information about how victims can access services provided by the National Health Service and sign-posts them to where they can get help and advice if they are approached by the media.

The Domestic Abuse Bill will:

• Create a statutory definition of domestic abuse, emphasising that domestic abuse is not just physical violence, but can also be emotional, coercive or controlling, and economic abuse. As part of this definition, children will be explicitly recognised as victims if they witness abuse
• Establish a Domestic Abuse Commissioner, to stand up for victims and survivors, raise public awareness, monitor the response of local authorities, the justice system and other statutory agencies and hold them to account in tackling domestic abuse
• Provide for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Domestic Abuse Protection Order, which will prevent perpetrators from contacting their victims, as well as force them to take positive steps to change their behaviour, e.g. seeking mental health support
• Place a duty on local authorities in England to provide support to victims of domestic abuse and their children in refuges and other safe accommodation
• Prohibit perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in courts in England and Wales
• Introduce a ban on the “rough sex” defence by incorporating the case of R vs Brown into legislation, invalidating any courtroom defence of consent where a victim suffers serious harm or is killed
• Create a statutory presumption that victims of domestic abuse are eligible for special measures in the criminal courts (for example, to enable them to give evidence via a video link)
• Enable domestic abuse offenders to be subject to polygraph testing as a condition of their licence following their release from custody
• Place the guidance supporting the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (“Clare’s law”) on a statutory footing
  ensure that when local authorities rehouse victims of domestic abuse, they do not lose a secure lifetime or assured tenancy
• Extend the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the criminal courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to further violent and sexual offences. Detailed factsheets on each point are available on gov.uk

DA Perpetrator Interventions Fund recipients:

• Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime
• Gwent
• Leicestershire
• Suffolk
• Hampshire
• Staffordshire
• Cheshire
• Nottinghamshire
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority
• Lancashire
• West Mercia
• Merseyside
• South Yorkshire
• Sussex
• West Midlands
• Essex
• Devon & Cornwall
• North Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire

Drive programme fund recipients:

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority
• West Mercia
• West Midlands
• Northumbria
• Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime
• Dorset
• South Wales

Good afternoon everybody. It’s a great pleasure to be here at TheCityUK conference today to talk about how we can make the UK a hub for digital and services in trade.

Now we all recognise Covid is a very difficult time, not just for Britain but right all around the world. But the way we are going to recover from this crisis is through trade.

And what is particularly important is trade in services, and trade in digital. We have seen how over the course of the pandemic there has been an acceleration of the use of technology, and of course Britain is incredibly well placed to benefit from the future growth in areas like digital, services, and technology.

From robotics to fintechs, to computer games, to green finance, we are the second largest exporter in the world, totalling £318bn, and we export nearly as many services from Scotland and the North West of England as the entirety of France does.

We are the top FDI destination in Europe, with more investment in technology than Germany and France put together, totalling more than £10bn. Our computer games industry is growing faster than ever, and in terms of “tech unicorns,” billion-dollar tech companies, we have more than any other country apart from the United States and China. Fintechs firms like Revolut, Monzo and Transferwise, so we really are leaders in the area of services and technology.

What I think we can do with our own independent trading policy is we can help shape the future of the global rules in areas like digital, in areas like services, that haven’t seen the level of reform that they need to at the World Trade Organisation.

We can work with likeminded partners, other countries that believe in free enterprise, democracy, and the global rules-based system, to actually promote those new areas like digital and data trade.

We are prioritising our services in digital industry, alongside our other key interests like advanced manufacturing, and like the food and drink industry.

In all of the trade negotiations we are currently engaged in we are looking for advanced services chapters with our negotiating partners in areas like data and digital, in areas like financial services, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and mobility.

Because we know that all of those specific chapters, specific areas, deliver real benefits not just for London and the South East, but right across the United Kingdom.

We also have just announced our new Office for Investment, bringing together a crack team across Government, under the leadership of Lord Gerry Grimstone, which will deal with the bureaucratic barriers that investors face when they’re seeking to invest in the United Kingdom.

We are also boosting our exports in areas like digital and services, we have just launched for example a digital and trade network across Asia Pacific to support companies out in that region, with people on the ground that understand the details of those businesses. And what is really important is that as we negotiate these new trade deals, we are drawing on the strong expertise of the industry that we have in the country.

So this is why we’ve established new Trade Advisory Groups, and on them sit organisations like CityUK, and other professional services, financial services, and legal services organisations – making sure that as we negotiate the deals we are getting the specific advice, the technical advice, that is going to give us the best possible deal for the United Kingdom.

We also make sure that leading professional service providers sit on our Strategic Trade Advisory Group, like KPMG. And we have also got the Board of Trade, which leads on our broader trade strategy and new ideas. We have got the founder and Chief Executive of Starling Bank, Anne Boden, on the Board of Trade, as well as the Lord Mayor of the City of London, because our trade policy is designed to benefit businesses across the UK. We can only make sure that it does that if we are involving and engaging you as we work on these trade negotiations.

We do see an opportunity to lead the world in areas like digital and data trade, and services trade.

Next year we will have the Presidency of the G7, and trade will be one of the key issues we are discussing. We will be looking at green trade; we will be looking at trade against pandemics; we will be looking at reforming the WTO to update the rules for the modern age; and we will also be looking at digital and data trade. And again, we will be involving organisations like TheCityUK in the work we’re doing to promote those initiatives.

We launched the UK Global Tariff earlier this year, it is a simpler lower tariff than the common external tariff. What it also does is reduce tariffs on a hundred green products, an idea we are very keen to promote across the world to encourage other countries to adopt it.

Because as we seek to move forward on the green agenda, as we are hosting COP26 next year, the UK has already become the first country in the world to make robust environmental disclosure standards mandatory, and we are doubling our international climate finance to £11.6bn.

We believe that through a combination of technology, of trade, and of working together with other nations we can make a real difference.

And in terms of our broader trade agenda, we have put in our manifesto our ambition to get 80% of the UKs trade covered by Free Trade Agreements within three years. We want to build a cat’s cradle of trade deals across the Atlantic and Pacific, with the United Kingdom at its heart.

Now this isn’t a typical cat’s cradle, we want one that’s supercharged by fibre optic cables and satellites, and we want it focused on our strengths which, alongside food and drink and advanced manufacturing, are digital and services.

Miles very kindly mentioned the Japan deal that we have recently struck. This deal is important because it shows the type of trade policy that the United Kingdom wants to have post EU as an independent trading nation.

It goes further than the existing deal in areas like digital and data, anti-data localisation, protecting the free-flow of data, but also protecting things like source code and net neutrality.

It goes further in terms of professional services, of mobility of professionals between the United Kingdom and Japan.

It goes further in areas like intellectual property protection, and it goes further in areas like protection of Geographical Indicators.

What it does is allows greater innovation, it allows greater trade, particularly in technology. But it also makes sure that our financial services trade is underpinned by regulatory dialogue and again underpinned by advanced data and digital agreement.

Our services are our biggest export to Japan, accounting for 51% of trade. I was very pleased that TheCityUK concluded that it raises the bar for trade agreements in services. I mentioned the temporary movement of high skilled professionals, but what we’ve also achieved in the Japan deal is measures affecting the supply of services, including technical standards and making sure they’re administered in a reasonable, objective, and impartial manner.

It also paves the way for us to explore mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and British providers stand to benefit from most rules Japan may liberalise, such as the Foreign Lawyers Act. I believe that these provisions show the UK’s commitment to a liberal and transparent trading environment.

And what we secured in the Japan deal is only the start. We are also in negotiations with the United States, we recently completed round 5. Again we are looking for an ambitious financial services chapter, with high regulatory standards and the agreement to facilitate cross border flows.

Of course, we are working with both parties in the United States, there is a consensus that a trade deal with the United Kingdom is a good thing, and we are determined to make further progress.

We are also working with our close allies, Australia and New Zealand, on gold standard deals that would go further in areas like services, in areas like digital data, and in areas like investment. And these agreements are important in themselves, for the economic benefit they bring, but they’re also important because they provide a bridge towards the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a very exciting agreement because it contains some very high-quality services chapters that will be of huge benefit to the United Kingdom.

British companies have been doing £111bn worth of trade with members of this free trade zone, and we can do even more as a full member of the organisation. It would give us unprecedented and deep access to over 40% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product, which equates to over £27tn. And if you add the EU to that number, that’s £40tn.

What I think is interesting about CPTPP is the ability to have a single set of rules operating across that area, which not only benefit our businesses, but also help to set the global environment in a world where the WTO hasn’t significantly updated its rule on some of these issues since 1995.

We are also doing further work alongside Trans-Pacific Partnership accession with countries like India and Brazil to remove market access barriers in areas in both goods and services.

One thing I did want to mention is the importance of digital and data and services in trade, and the fact we think it’s not fully being taken into account in the economic models we do at the moment. So this is where we have commissioned Tony Venables of Oxford University to look at the benefits in particular of digital and data, and services, chapters on trade agreements.

A recent study of USMCA suggested that digital and data chapter actually had more effect on the economy than any other part of that agreement, and we suspect that’s the case for deals like Japan and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and we want to get more evidence about the specific benefits that digital and data provide.

It has been great to have the opportunity to talk to TheCityUK about our ambitious plans to create a cat’s cradle of trade deals across the world, with advanced services and digital chapters.

We believe that we can open up new opportunities to businesses abroad and attract more investment across our country.

We have unparalleled opportunities ahead because we are prepared to be innovative, we are prepared to look at new ideas, we are open to these advanced digital and data agreements. And we believe that this can benefit domestic industry in the United Kingdom, but also attract more investment overseas.

I think this year, of all years, we have seen that our services and digital and data trade is a key for the future prosperity of the United Kingdom. At the Department for International Trade we are absolutely determined to make sure that we continue to deliver on that, that we continue to open up new opportunities, and we continue to work with this industry that is so vital for the whole United Kingdom.

Thank you.