On 20 December 2019, the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy issued a public interest intervention notice in relation to the proposed acquisition of Mettis Aerospace by Aerostar, a fund established in China, either directly or through Ligeance Aerospace Technology, a company owned by Aerostar and incorporated in China.

The decision to intervene was on public interest grounds relating to national security under the Enterprise Act 2002. The Secretary of State discharges this responsibility in a quasi-judicial capacity, which means that he or she must act, and be seen to act, in a fair and impartial manner. The decision was reached after considering representations from the Secretary of State for Defence.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was asked to prepare a report on the jurisdictional, competition and national security aspects of the proposed transaction and this was received on 13 February 2020. They confirm that the parties no longer intend to pursue the proposed acquisition. They have provided the CMA with written evidence and assurances to support this conclusion.

As such, the Secretary of State has today ended the intervention and, as a result, lifted an order which prevented the completion of the transaction and the transfer of material or information between the parties.

Today’s decision does not preclude the government from using its powers again should the circumstances change.

The zone which is a state-of-the-art facility for young people, will be built in the centre of Warrington.

This long-term support will contribute towards the running costs of the initiative – due to open in Spring 2021 – that will provide young people across the town with a safe and inspiring place to spend their leisure time.

There will be 20 different activities at the youth zone including a rooftop 3G kick pitch, arts and leisure activities, a catering kitchen offering healthy and affordable meals and training areas for courses and activities. There will also be one-to-one mentoring, a well-being area and an employability and enterprise section.

Jamie Reed, Head of Corporate Affairs, Sellafield Ltd said:

Our social impact strategy sets out how we aim to deliver the maximum social impact from the £2 billion of public money we spend each year.

Investing in this fantastic facility fits into this category – it’s a great project worthy of support. We have 2,000 people working in the town, mainly focused on engineering design and project delivery of new and existing facilities at Sellafield in West Cumbria, and we want to support the future of the area through investment in the development of young people.

I recently visited a similar OnSide Youth Zone in Birkenhead and was massively impressed by the range of amazing top-class facilities such as climbing walls, dance studios and music rooms; but the main take-away was from the clear benefit that these facilities provide to young people.

Warrington, like many towns in the North West, suffers from unemployment and the need for more accessible and effective routes into skills and training for young people. The OnSide charity offers – through the Youth Zone – crucial, targeted services that support employability and wellbeing.

Warrington Council leader Russ Bowden said:

I’m delighted that Sellafield Ltd, a significant employer in the area that invests in the training and development of its staff and the community, has come on board to support this very exciting development for our town.

Dave McNicholl, Warrington OnSide Youth Zone Chief Executive said:

We are delighted to welcome Sellafield Ltd as a Founder Patron. There are currently 12 youth zones within the OnSide network across the country and these have proved to be a successful model, making a real difference to the local communities where they are located.

The youth zones can only be successful with the support of local councils and organisations and I’m really excited that Sellafield Ltd are on board as they can bring ideas and innovation to this essential initiative.

Jamie added:

We are really pleased to be on board, look forward to see the building’s opening and the outcomes it will achieve.

The Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

The UK notes the announcement of the results by the Independent Election Commission on 18 February.

I commend the bravery of the people who exercised their democratic right to vote, and pay tribute to the military and civilian institutions who ensured a peaceful Election Day.

We will continue to work with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to protect and expand such rights.

I would strongly encourage any concerns around the electoral process to be handled through due legal and constitutional processes.

This is an important time for Afghanistan’s future so I also welcome President Ghani’s decision to postpone the presidential inauguration to 9 March.

Afghan leaders need to peacefully resolve their political differences and cease any activity that stands in the way of unity.

Now is the time to come together and make preparations to pursue peace.

Further information

Published 26 February 2020

Government response to Recommendation 17 of the IICSA Interim Report.

Recommendation 17: The Chair and Panel recommend that the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Education, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office work together to establish current levels of public expenditure, and the effectiveness of that expenditure on services for child victims and adult survivors of child sexual abuse in England

Related link

Government response to recommendation by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse