UKEF support helps Peerless Plastics power ahead

About the transaction: Peerless Plastics & Coatings
Region Thetford, Norfolk
Sector Automotive
Export location Poland
UKEF support Export insurance

Thetford-based Peerless Plastics & Coatings specialises in the production and application of hard coatings for plastic, with the largest coating capacity in Europe.

The company sells to customers across a wide range of industries, including aerospace, rail, automotive, construction and healthcare.

With ambitious plans for overseas expansion, the Department for International Trade introduced Peerless to UKEF after a visit by International Trade Secretary Elizabeth Truss MP.

When the company secured an order from a Polish manufacturer to coat lamp covers, the buyer requested credit terms, at which point, Peerless moved to protect themselves against the risk of non-payment.

However, when they couldn’t secure the cover they needed from the private sector, Peerless turned to UKEF, who provided an export insurance policy.

Peter Llewellyn-Stamp, Managing Director, Peerless said:

Without UKEF’s support we would have been unable to proceed with this important win and their insurance policy was crucial to ensuring the successful completion of this contract. Their support will continue to be crucial as we look expand our overseas footprint.

Putting the right finance and insurance in place can give you the exporting edge, helping you to win contracts, fulfil orders and get paid.

Tell us about your business



Health and care workers to self-isolate on return to UK from high-risk countries

The move brings them in line with the general public and further protects the NHS and social care system from the spread of coronavirus from overseas, as signs of second waves begin to show in other countries.

Following review of whether the measure is still necessary, an exemption has been removed to minimise the risk of onward chains of transmission that might infect the wider workforce.

An exemption was originally put in place, at the beginning of June, which meant registered health and care professionals did not have to self-isolate when travelling to England from overseas.

This was to help ensure health and care workers travelling back from overseas could return to the England to provide essential healthcare, helping to strengthen the country’s response to the coronavirus outbreak and save lives.

Following the reopening of travel routes, and as more people begin to holiday abroad, the government has removed this exemption and, from 31 July, all registered health and care professionals must lawfully self-isolate when returning to England from a high-risk country.

The current list of countries exempt from self-isolation measures is available on GOV.UK. The data for all countries and territories is kept under constant review, and the exemptions list is updated with any changes on a regular basis as and when required to reflect the shifting international health picture.

Health and care professionals returning from a country which has a travel corridor to the UK will not be required to self-isolate on return.

This amendment to the regulations will ensure consistency with wider self-isolation measures and continue to protect public health. 

Information on travel corridors can be found here

Any changes to the regulations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved authorities.



Foreign Secretary welcomes first EU sanctions against malicious cyber actors

Press release

Dominic Raab welcomes decisive action which raises the cost for hostile cyber activity.

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The UK has welcomed today’s announcement (Thursday 30 July) that the EU has imposed sanctions against nine individuals and organisations from North Korea, China and Russia, in the first set of sanctions under the EU’s cyber sanctions regime. The UK was at the forefront of efforts to establish the EU Cyber Sanctions regime and will continue to implement this regime at the end of the Transition Period, through our own autonomous UK Cyber Sanctions regime.

These sanctions – which are now in force in the UK – send a strong signal that malicious cyber activity against our European partners and allies has consequences. The cyber sanctions will impose meaningful costs for the reckless behaviour of state and non-state actors through asset freezes and travel bans within the EU, including the UK.

The UK is committed to working with our international partners to agree responsible behaviours and promote international security and stability in cyberspace. And we’ve recently laid the statutory instrument for our own UK autonomous cyber sanctions regime, which will allow us to impose travel bans and asset freezes on individuals and organisations.

The UK has previously identified the organisations sanctioned today for their roles in state sponsored cyber attacks which targeted democratic institutions, critical national infrastructure, media outlets and international organisations. These include:

  • North Korean organisation Chosun Expo (linked to the Lazarus Group), for facilitating and supporting the ‘Wannacry’ attack. This ransomware incident impacted 300,000 computers in 150 countries, including 48 NHS trusts.

  • Chinese organisation Tianjin Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development Co. Ltd, for facilitating and supporting ‘Cloud Hopper’ – a sustained cyber campaign focused on large-scale service providers, seeking to gain access to commercial secrets.

  • Unit 74455 of the GRU, the Russian military intelligence service, for the ‘NotPetya’ cyber attack in June 2017 and 4 GRU officers who attempted a cyber attack against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in 2018.

The Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said:

Today’s actions will raise the cost on malicious cyber activity by state and non-state actors and will help counter future hostile activity in cyberspace. The UK was at the forefront of efforts to establish the EU Cyber Sanctions regime and we will continue to implement this regime after the end of the Transition Period.

Notes to Editors

  • On 16 July, the UK, US and Canada called for an end to irresponsible cyber attacks by the Russian Intelligence Services, who have been collecting information on vaccine development and research into the COVID-19 virus.

  • On 22 July, the UK made a statement following the US Department of Justice’s announcement of charges relating to cyber attacks against institutions in 11 countries, including the UK.

Further information

Published 30 July 2020



NHS-funded nursing care rates for 2019 to 2021



World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: UK statement

Today, 30 July, marks World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Every country in the world, including in the OSCE region, is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims. We must work together to stop the appalling trade in men, women and children across the world – traffickers cannot be allowed to act with impunity.

The UK Government has made tackling modern slavery a priority, and is committed to the eradication of all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking by 2030. In March 2020, the UK became the first country to publish a Government Modern Slavery Statement, which sets out how the government is preventing modern slavery in its supply chains.

Human trafficking requires a global and coordinated whole of society response. We therefore work closely with organisations and forums such as Alliance 8.7 and ICAT to share best practice, learn from others and encourage effective interventions.

International cooperation is even more urgent now that COVID-19 has increased the risk of exploitation of workers and has exacerbated the situation of those who are vulnerable to or already victims of modern slavery or human trafficking.

We all know that the OSCE is especially well placed to tackle this transnational issue. I would like to thank Valiant Richey and his team in the Office on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings as well as ODIHR and the field operations for their excellent work in this area. The UK was pleased to support a ground breaking OSCE project on the Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings in Supply Chains Through Government Practices and Measures.

We were impressed with last week’s Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons and their powerful use of survivor testimony. The conference highlighted the scale of action needed to ensure that traffickers are not able to act with impunity and the importance of building a victim-centred approach.

So, in the spirit of the action oriented OSCE Office, here are some suggestions of concrete actions our States can take to make a difference:

  • review our national track record on implementing the impressive body of OSCE commitments on combatting Human Trafficking, and, drawing on the valuable OSCE support and resources, scrutinise our own national government supply chains

  • consider donating to ICAT – co-chaired this year by the OSCE and working to improve coordination among international organisations to achieve a more comprehensive approach to preventing and combating trafficking in persons, including protection and support for survivors

  • sign up to the ILO Forced Labour Protocol, which aims to advance prevention, protection and compensation measures, as well as to intensify efforts to eliminate forced labour, including trafficking in persons and slavery like practices

  • and finally, consider donating to one of the two UN Trust Funds for Victims of Human Trafficking and Contemporary Forms of Slavery