The UK regions were given a boost today through new measures announced by the Department for International Trade (DIT) designed to increase inward investment into the UK and help the country build back better.

Minister for Investment, Gerry Grimstone, announced the second round of successful bids for the Government’s High Potential Opportunities (HPO) programme. The programme, coordinated by DIT, selects investment opportunities to promote to foreign investors, driving investment into the UK’s regions and nations.

19 new investment projects were selected in the second round of the programme, following bids from Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across the UK.

The diverse new selection of HPO projects include investment opportunities into heat networks in the North East and Tees Valley, which will showcase an ecosystem in energy, engineering, and manufacturing; precision medicine in Scotland with opportunities to invest in AI applications in healthcare supported by national centres of excellence; and compound semiconductors in Wales for further investment into the UK’s next generation electronic devices.

Now the projects have been announced, DIT’s global network – based in 177 cities around the world – will provide support by showcasing these opportunities internationally and contacting investors to promote the projects.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said:

Trade, the investment it brings and the deals we’re negotiating will benefit every part of the UK and help us build back better across the country.

More investment will help to provide strong foundations for a robust economy in the years to come, boosting productivity and creating jobs, whilst demonstrating the crucial role that foreign investors from our key trading partners play in boosting our regional economies.

In a further bid to encourage foreign investment into the regions, the department also launched a new ‘Investment Champions’ Programme for the Northern Powerhouse, involving 10 prominent foreign investors that are based locally.

The new programme will involve the businesses working with DIT to showcase the region’s strengths and attract foreign investment. They include Japanese glass manufacturer Nippon Electric Glass, German industrial manufacturing giant Siemens, French gaming firm Ubisoft and US medical device firm Hologic, both of which recently expanded their operations in the Northern Powerhouse.

The programme replicates the existing ‘Midlands Engine’ model – where foreign investors based in the Midlands act as advocates for the region and are tasked with driving investment.

Minister for Investment, Gerry Grimstone said:

The UK has so much to offer international investors across a variety of key sectors and regions, and our Investment Champions will be crucial in showcasing the success of foreign firms’ growth and confidence in the UK.

Inward investment will help us to build back better while levelling up all parts of the UK. These are just the first steps we are taking to increase inward investment and drive economic recovery.

Following a nomination process in autumn 2018, DIT has already launched 17 High Potential Opportunities, which benefited a range of businesses.

The recent round of successful HPO bids include:

• Agri-Tech (Vertical Farming), York, North Yorkshire & Leeds
• Animal Health, M3 corridor
• Applications of Data & AI Analytics, Leeds
• Biomanufacturing, Tees Valley
• Cell & Gene Therapy, Hertfordshire
• Data Driven Healthcare & Technologies, Birmingham & Solihull
• Rehabilitation, Leicester & Leicestershire
• Healthy Ageing, North East
• Medtech Health, Wales (Newport, Cardiff & Swansea corridor)
• Molecular Diagnostics & Early Detection for Healthy Ageing, Greater Manchester, Cheshire & Warrington
• Precision Medicine, Glasgow, Scotland
• CAV Modelling & Simulation, West & East Midlands, South East Midlands, and Oxfordshire
• Compound Semiconductors, Wales
• Automation and Robotics in Food Processing, Lincolnshire
• Marine Autonomy, Heart of the South West, Dorset, Cornwall & IoS
• Smart Aviation, Heart of the South West
• Plant Based Products, North East
• Heat Networks, North East & Tees Valley
• Civil Nuclear Fusion & Supply Chain, Oxfordshire

The new Investment Champions for the Northern Powerhouse are:

• Siemens
• Ubisoft
• Atom Bank
• Westinghouse
• Tech Mahindra
• McCann Worldgroup
• Dentsu Aegis
• Schneider Electric
• Nippon Electric Glass
• Hologic

Among the Investment Champions for the Midlands Engine are:

• Alltech
• Orchard Valley Foods
• CRRC Times Semiconductor Co Ltd
• TVS Motor Company Limited
• Amtico
• Arcadis
• Eicher Motors Ltd (Europe Office)
• J F C Manufacturing (Europe) Ltd
• Yamazai Mazak UK
• Aston Manor Cider
• Micro-Land
• Enzen
• Eatron Technologies
• Avensys
• CAF
• Capgemini

Both companies are large brewers of beer and cider, as well as offering related services, such as wholesale supply of their own and other producers’ drinks to pubs and restaurants. Marston’s also owns a significant number of pubs located across the UK.

The decision by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) follows an investigation into several possible ways in which the deal could harm competition in the supply of beer and cider in the UK.

As pubs currently owned or operated by Marston’s might choose to sell fewer independent brands after the merger in favour of more Carlsberg products, the CMA considered whether access to pubs by smaller independent brewers could be adversely affected as a result of the deal.

The CMA found, however, that Marston’s pubs form only a small part of the potential UK customer base for brewers, and that independent brewers would continue to have sufficient access to pubs after the merger, allowing them to compete effectively.

The CMA also considered whether combining the wholesaling services that both companies provide, through which they distribute their own and other producers’ drinks to pubs and restaurants, could raise competition concerns. While the establishment of the joint venture means that the 2 businesses are likely to distribute each other’s products more frequently, potentially leaving less room to take on other brands, the CMA found that brewers will continue to have sufficient alternative wholesalers to choose from after the merger.

In relation to their role as brewers, the CMA found that Carlsberg and Marston’s have different areas of focus, meaning competition between the 2 businesses is generally limited at present, with Carlsberg largely focusing on the production of lager and Marston’s focusing on ale. They also face several competitors in all of the product categories where they are both active.

The CMA’s investigation has therefore concluded that the deal does not give rise to competition concerns.

For more information, including a summary of the CMA’s decision, please visit the Carlsberg UK Holdings Limited / Marston’s PLC merger inquiry page.

Heritage organisations across the country are set to receive a lifesaving financial boost from the government thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.

445 organisations will share £103 million to help restart vital repair and maintenance work on cherished heritage sites, to keep venues open and to save jobs and livelihoods.

This vital funding is from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund – funded by Government and administered at arms length by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Both funds are part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund which is designed to secure the future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues with emergency grants and loans.

433 organisations will receive a share of £67 million from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage to help with costs for operating, reopening and recovery. This includes famous heritage sites across the country, from Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, Blyth Tall Ship to the Severn Valley Railway, the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincolnshire to the Piecehall in Halifax. The funds will save sites that define communities across the country.

Beneficiaries also include famous locations that have starred in film and TV and are huge draws for tourists the world over, such as Gloucester Cathedral – whose cloisters formed the backdrop for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films – and Highclere Castle – the setting of Downton Abbey. These sites define how our nation is seen around the world.

Grants are between £10,000 and £1 million with a further round of grants of up to £3 million due to be announced imminently.

12 organisations, including English Heritage, Landmark Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and the Canal and River Trust, will receive £34 million from the Heritage Stimulus Fund to restart construction and maintenance on cherished heritage sites to preserve visitor attractions and protect livelihoods for some of the most vulnerable heritage specialists and contractors in the sector.

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) has also been awarded a grant from the Culture Recovery Fund through Historic England. The AHF will use the funding to support charities and social enterprises occupying historic buildings to develop new business plans and strategies for organisations affected by the pandemic.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

As a nation it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past. This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post covid.

Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces, said:

There’s no truer way to experience the past than to walk in the footsteps of those who have lived it – that’s why preserving our built heritage is so important.

At Historic Royal Palaces, we care for six nationally significant buildings, opening them to the public and preserving them for future generations. Sadly, the pandemic meant that we had to stop some of our critical conservation work. The grant we have received from the Culture Recovery Fund will enable to this work to resume – so we can give some of Britain’s most historic buildings the care and attention they deserve, while supporting the specialist craftspeople who are vital for the future of our national heritage. We are enormously grateful to the Government for this support.

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive said:

It is heartening to see grants, both large and small, from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund helping heritage sites and organisations across the country which have been hit hard by the effects of Covid-19. These grants range from giving skilled craft workers the chance to keep their trades alive to helping heritage organisations pay the bills, and to kick-starting repair works at our best-loved historic sites. The funding is an essential lifeline for our heritage and the people who work tirelessly to conserve it for us all, so that we can hand it on to future generations.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund said:

It is absolutely right that investing in heritage should be a priority during this crisis and this support by Government is crucial. Heritage creates jobs and economic prosperity, is a major driver for tourism and makes our towns, cities, and rural areas better places to live. All of this is so important for our wellbeing and will be particularly vital when we start to emerge from this incredibly difficult time.

Our heritage is still facing a perilous future – we are not out of the woods yet. But this hugely welcome funding from Government, and the money we continue to invest from the National Lottery, has undoubtedly stopped heritage and the organisations that care for it being permanently lost.

Kate Mavor, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said:

This support for our nation’s heritage is fantastic news. Over the last few months, our teams have been working hard to welcome visitors back safely to the great castles, stone circles, abbeys and historic houses in our care. This funding will help us invest to safeguard the historic fabric of these much-loved places, which everyone can learn from and enjoy.

Matthew Mckeague Chief Executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund:

Social enterprise and charitable organisations based in historic buildings play a range of critical roles in communities across England – offering chances to learn, create and come together, helping foster local identity and social capital and by providing key services. This funding announced today will be a crucial lifeline to many organisations and projects, enabling them to carry on delivering their vital work in the months and years ahead.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

A full list of successful organisations for the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage can be found attached.

Mr Chair,

At the outset, let me congratulate you and members of the Bureau on your election.

This has been an extraordinary year and I would like to recognise the considerable efforts made to ensure we can continue our consideration of critical issues.

The United Kingdom wishes to underscore five additional points.

First, we are gathered under the shadow of COVID 19 and its impact on almost everything. While it is still early to know the long-term effects on terrorism, with more people at home in front of computers – especially young people – we are concerned about terrorist use of the internet to mobilise and recruit support and perpetuate their dangerous narratives.

The drivers of terrorism and extremism are multifaceted and complex. In our long-term efforts to reduce the threat of terrorism, however, we need to ensure that good governance, rule of law and programmes on poverty reduction are maintained to allow healthy, prosperous societies to flourish.

Second, terrorists and violent extremists have continued to adapt their outreach and methods. While Daesh may have lost territorial control, it continues to perpetuate its ideology and objectives through its network and affiliates, and Al-Qaida remains a persistent threat. However, terrorist attacks continue to be motivated by a range of ideologies, and the rise of right wing extremism and terrorism confirms that terrorists have no single identity, religion or nationality. We encourage all states to join the Open Briefing organised by CTED on behalf of the CTC, on 9 October and contribute to the discussions on this important topic.

Third, civil society and humanitarian actors continue to provide critical assistance in some of the most complex conflict zones and under tremendously difficult conditions due to Covid. We welcomed the increased focus on the protection of principled humanitarian action in the Security Council’s counterterrorism resolutions last year. We look forward to continuing to work with all relevant partners to ensure that counterterrorism measures are implemented in accordance with international law, while also upholding counterterrorism obligations set out by the Security Council.

Fourth, the frameworks set out by the Security Council and the General Assembly consistently stress the importance of human rights to preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism. The United Kingdom continues to stress that human rights and effective counterterrorism are not mutually exclusive but rather that integrating human rights and gender considerations throughout the full spectrum of counterterrorism activity is essential for credible, sustainable and effective responses. We have seen that gross violations of human rights can play a role in creating an enabling environment for the development of grievances and conditions that can fuel terrorism.

The United Kingdom reiterates the importance also of integrating gender throughout the full spectrum of counterterrorism efforts. On this historic anniversary of the WPS agenda, it is critical to ensure that we challenge old stereotypes and recognise that for responses to be right, we need to ensure the meaningful participation of women in all stages of counterterrorism, from planning to implementation and evaluation.

Mr. Chair,

A year ago this week, the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) conducted its second assessment visit to the United Kingdom, which included robust and comprehensive discussions on all aspects of counterterrorism and PVE. We are hoping to soon see the finalised report. We proactively invited this follow-up visit because we wanted to share our lessons-learned, good practices and experiences, as well as identifying emerging trends and dynamics. No country can fight terrorism alone and we welcome opportunities to learn from others and collectively improve our responses. We encourage other states to work with CTED and use the assessment visits to share their counterterrorism experiences and identify their CT priorities and needs. The recommendations in the report should form the basis for support provided by the UN system, as these recommendations are approved by the visited state, developed by specialised CT experts and in line with all their counterterrorism obligations.

Fifth, the global mission to raise aviation security standards must continue in line with the landmark Security Council Resolution 2309 to ensure a shared global understanding of the current threat to aviation where all Member States fully meet their aviation security obligations and move towards the implementation of the Global Aviation Security Plan. We are pleased that the Counter-Terrorism Committee will hold an Open Briefing on this topic later this year. We encourage Member States to share their experiences and good practices in implementing Security Council resolution 2309.

In conclusion, now, more than ever, we must collectively ensure that terrorists and violent extremists cannot exploit this pandemic to perpetrate their horrific attacks, and further exacerbate the suffering of communities at this time. The United Kingdom will continue to work with Spain and Egypt, Member State partners, the UN, and civil society, as we look to the review of the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy next year. The threat landscape is continually evolving and we must ensure that we are collectively prepared and that our institutions and our tools are fit for purpose.