Business Secretary and COP26 President Alok Sharma today (Wednesday 4 March) announced a £36.7 million investment to design, test and manufacture electric machines in some of the UK’s most polluting industries.

The announcement comes as the Prime Minister holds the first meeting of a new Cabinet committee focused on tackling climate change, discussing how the government can go further and faster towards net zero.

£30 million will be used to create 4 new, cutting-edge centres of excellence – based in Newport, Nottingham, Strathclyde and Sunderland – which will bring together climate change pioneers to research and develop green electric machines including planes, ships and cars.

Using state of the art equipment, the network will specialise in researching and developing technologies to electrify transport. Each centre will propel UK manufacturing to the forefront of global efforts to tackle climate change and ensure the UK can reach net zero emissions by 2050.

A further £6.7 million will be awarded to 14 projects that will help ensure the final buyer in supply chains – such as large automotive manufacturers – can access the parts and components they need to develop electric machines with ease.

This investment will have applications for electric vehicles, as well as other industries including rail, marine, aerospace and energy – all with the aim of switching away from fossil fuel technologies.

Business Secretary and COP26 President Alok Sharma said:

The electric revolution is an opportunity for our transport sectors to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.

The UK is leading the way in developing cleaner technologies to help us reach our target of zero emissions by 2050 and these new centres will play an important part in that.

The £30 million industrialisation centres will provide a home for virtual product development, digital manufacturing and advanced assembly techniques, that could drive world-leading improvements in the testing and manufacturing of electric machines.

This includes power electronics, electric machines and drives – all of which are crucial to controlling electricity in electric vehicles and ultimately to their widespread rollout on our streets.

More than 30 partner research and technology organisations will be a part of the industrialisation centres. The network will be headed up by lead partner Newcastle University, along with 21 other universities from around the UK, plus 13 research and technology organisations – and will be essential in attracting both foreign direct investment and new, innovative entrants into this space.

Driving the Electric Revolution challenge

The Business Secretary also today announced the winning projects for the government’s Driving the Electric Revolution challenge.

The 14 winning projects will help boost supply chain efficiencies in industries affected by electrification, from aerospace to automotive, to energy and rail.

A total of £6.7 million will be shared by the 14 projects, which comprise 38 major businesses from around the UK, including GKN, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said:

Funding and increased support for state-of-the-art electric manufacturing centres will help people, goods and services move across the nation, in a greener, safer and more reliable way than ever before.

By investing in world-leading science and engineering institutions, we are creating a modern transport system, bringing communities closer together while reducing the UK’s contribution to climate change.

Notes to editors

New era of green fuel

Drivers across the UK could soon be filling up their cars with a greener, lower emission fuel, the Department for Transport also announced today (Wednesday 4 March).

The government is consulting on plans for E10 – a lower carbon fuel made with 10% ethanol – to become the standard grade of petrol at UK filling stations from next year.

Made from any plant that contains sugar, E10 has the potential to cut CO2 from transport by 750,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to taking around 350,000 cars off the road.

Driving the Electric Revolution

Examples of the winning Driving the Electric Revolution challenge projects include:

• Electric machines – led by Belcan Engineering Services, this project will develop and help scale up UK manufacturing capability for electric machines that can be used in planes and cars
• Power electronics – run by the Compound Semiconductor Centre in Cardiff, this project will ensure that semiconductor materials – an essential building block for the next generation of electrification technologies – can reach the final buyer in a supply chain more quickly and efficiently
• Drives – this will enable project partners to increase their productivity in manufacturing drives and enable the lead partner – Magtec of Sheffield – to increase its supply of electric drivelines for large electric vehicles, such as bin lorries

Both the new centres and the winning projects are part of the government’s Driving the Electric Revolution challenge, which aims to help the UK seize the economic opportunities from the global transition to clean technologies and electrification.

The Driving the Electric Revolution centres and the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge together aim to position the UK to seize the economic opportunities from the global transition to clean technologies and electrification. They will help businesses across numerous sectors including transport, energy, construction and agriculture to invest and work together to capitalise on the UK’s strengths in this technology.

Driving the Electric Revolution centres – locations

• DER Centre North East – CESAM (Centre for Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing), International Advanced Manufacturing Park, Sunderland
• DER Centre Scotland – University of Strathclyde – located in NMIS (The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland) and PNDC (Power Networks Demonstration Centre)
• DER Centre Midlands – Distributed facilities, with a focus on the Power Electronics & Machines Centre, Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham
• DER Centre South Wales & South West – Distributed facilities, coordinated by the Compound Semiconductor Application Catapult Innovation Centre, Newport

Driving the Electric Revolution competition

Further winning consortia include:

• Paragraf of Cambridge, working with Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, Rolls-Royce, Semelab and Aero Stanrew.
• Magway of Wembley, London working with Force Engineering, Aecom and Space Syntax
• Search for the Next of Nottingham, working with Semefab
• Dynex Semiconductor of Lincoln, working with City University of London
• Yasa of Oxford, working with Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult
• TRW of Pontypool working with Romax Technolgy
• Lentus Composites of Eynsham, Oxfordshire, working with NCC Operations
• WMG at the University of Warwick, Voltalogic, Ashwoods Automotive and Hyrdo Alluminium Rolled Products
• API Capacitors of Great Yarmouth working with Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult and Integral Powertrain Limited
• Cogent Power working with Compound Semiconductor Centre, Microsemi Semiconductor and Advanced Hall Sensors
• C. Brandauer & Co of Birmingham working with WMG at the University of Warwick and Jaguar Land Rover

Year of Climate Action

In 2019 the UK became the first major economy to introduce a new law to end our contribution to climate change by 2050. Reaching net zero will grow our economy, create thousands of new jobs in greener industries and protect our natural environment and planet for future generations.

2020 is the Year of Climate Action and everyone has a role to play. Together we can all make a difference. To find out more visit the Year of Climate Action website.

My lords, ladies, and gentlemen.

I want to start by expressing my gratitude to The Times and One Essex Court for continuing to organise and sponsor this competition. It is so important that we encourage and recognise the talents of the next generation of legal minds.

And what a great deal of talent there is.

As you can imagine, my job often requires large amounts of reading. Indeed, my private office places reams and reams of it into my red box every evening.

Now, I would never suggest for a moment that digesting those papers, often in very detailed legal language, ever becomes dense or tiresome…but, what I can say is that reading the essays submitted to this competition was a breath of fresh air…!

I was hugely impressed with the extraordinary quality of all the essays and it really was a pleasure both to read them and to chair the judging panel this year.

One thing I noted throughout was the willingness of the essayists to challenge the approach taken by government. That instinct to question people in power is entirely the right one and, though it may not always be comfortable for us, it is a feature of a functioning democracy that we are open to question.

The ability to do that is something the internet enhances and amplifies.

It is a conduit for the freedom of speech that is a cornerstone of our democracy. An open, vibrant online space can undoubtedly be a force for good – to educate, innovate, share ideas, and grow businesses.

However, when it is used to bully, abuse, and spread illicit material, we have a duty to act.

The terrorist who carried out the attack last month in Streatham had shared videos and bomb-making instructions online – no doubt hoping to gain support for the vile ideology to which he subscribed.

The challenge here is to strike the right balance between openness and safety. In doing so I think it’s important that we consider principles first and whether there is a role for the government to play.

The parallel I would make is with the film industry.

It is an important sector both culturally and economically but I think we can all agree it is absolutely right that films are classified properly – so that children can be protected from adult themes and those who do not wish to view, for example gratuitous violence, can make informed decisions about what they watch.

The government works closely with the film industry and are satisfied that the sector is largely able to regulate itself.

In theory, at least, online content shouldn’t be all that different – but agreement over the idea of regulation and a willingness from the sector to make it happen was not forthcoming. And though some efforts were made voluntarily by a number of providers, progress was too slow and advances were not embraced by the sector as a whole.

The government therefore had a responsibility to consider what steps it should take.

Many of the essays in this competition mentioned the government’s Online Harms White Paper. We believe it sets out a new regulatory framework with a clear onus on platforms having a duty of care to keep users safe.

One of the themes that came up repeatedly in the essays was the dangers of a ‘government controlled’ regulator. I couldn’t agree more.

That’s why our proposed regulator would be independent of government, with the ability to set its own safety standards and reporting requirements.

Crucially it would hold significant powers of enforcement. As the government announced recently, we expect to appoint Ofcom, which has already demonstrated its ability to act as an effective regulator for the communications sector.

Our aim is to make the UK regulated internet space the safest and most trustworthy online space in the world.

But, of course, we recognise that the White Paper is just a first step. It is not a magic wand to make the internet a safer place. If we’re going to make change that really works then it’s crucial that we take our time. So, we are listening to the sector – and its users – and we will continue doing so as we put a framework of regulation in place.

Another of the themes that came up repeatedly in the essays was the challenge posed by regulating an entity that doesn’t just exist within our jurisdiction, but the world over.

As in so many sectors, the UK has long been a world-leader in emerging technologies. Introducing a comprehensive system of online regulation would be a world first. In doing so we believe we can lead the way – innovating and finding out what works.

It is our hope that this strategy will lead to a unified global approach to regulation – one that underpins and safeguards the democratic values that we, and so many other nations, hold dear. Defending those principles was certainly a preoccupation for our essayists this year.

And that brings me onto our prizegiving. Our runners up this year are:

• Antonio Fanna
• Charlie Colenutt
• Talia Zybutz

In third place, we have Talodabioluwu Olu-Odugbemi.

In second place, we have Kathryn Handley.

Our winner this year drew parallels to the advent of the printing press and the ‘seditious’ discourse of coffee house culture. He beseeched the government to focus on the cause of the harms, rather than the platforms on which they take place.

I think the arguments in this essay were made brilliantly and it was a pleasure to read such an excellently presented case. Please join me in congratulating all the essayists and our winner, James Kane.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Travel advice: Six Nations match England against Italy on 14 March 2020 is now postponed

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Knife Crime Prevention Orders (KCPOs) were introduced through the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 and will give officers an additional tool to steer those most at risk away from violent crime.

The civil orders can be imposed by courts on any person aged 12 or over who police believe is regularly carrying a knife, or upon conviction of a knife-related offence. Legislation to pave the way for the launch of the pilot was laid in Parliament today (Wednesday 4 March).

The orders are intended to be preventative rather than punitive, to help people change their behaviour and avoid being drawn into knife crime.

Courts will be able to stop those under an order from associating with certain people, introduce geographical restrictions, and set curfews.

They will also include positive requirements such as attendance at educational courses, life skills programmes, participation in group sports, drug rehabilitation and anger management classes.

Minister for Crime and Policing Kit Malthouse said:

We are doing all we can to tackle serious violence and make our streets safer.

The police have our full support and these new orders are an example of us ensuring officers have the powers they need to bear down on violent crime.

Commander Jane Connors from the Metropolitan Police Service said:

We welcome this legislation that will be a valuable tactic in preventing violence on the streets of London.

Tackling violence is the Met’s top priority to which our officers are exploiting all preventative and enforcement tactics and powers.

The new KCPO’s no doubt will be well received in protecting young vulnerable individuals, who get caught up in violence whilst also preventing further acts of violence and helping to keep our communities safe.

The pilot will run for 14 months from 6 April, with the intention to introduce the orders across all police forces, pending assessment after the pilot.

The Offensive Weapons Act, which received Royal Assent in May 2019, is one aspect of wider action the government is taking to tackle serious violence. This includes recruiting 20,000 extra police officers over the next three years, providing the biggest increase in funding for policing in a decade and introducing new powers to make it easier for police to stop and search known knife carriers.