The Prime Minister met President Sisi of Egypt today in Downing Street.

President Sisi was in London to attend yesterday’s UK-Africa Investment Summit and the two leaders agreed on the need to increase trade between the UK and Egypt.

They welcomed the resumption of flights to Sharm El Sheikh.

The Prime Minister and President spoke about UK and Egyptian collaboration in the field of education and undertook to build on this in the coming years.

The leaders also discussed the situation in Libya, following their attendance at the Berlin Conference on Libya on Sunday. The Prime Minister stressed the need for a ceasefire and for UN-led talks to find a political solution to the conflict.

Published 21 January 2020

Green energy supply in Africa is set for a major boost after the UK government announced winners of an investment package for the continent’s clean energy infrastructure at the African Investment Summit today.

Solar farms in Kenya, geothermal power stations in Ethiopia and clean energy storage across sub-Saharan Africa will receive funding and see leading UK scientists and financial experts working with their African counterparts to realise the continent’s huge potential for renewable energy.

With African energy demand set to rise by 60% by 2040, UK experts will help deliver green solutions for the continent’s growing energy needs, bringing clean energy to thousands of people and creating jobs and increased prosperity.

Business and Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom said:

Our world-leading scientists and financial experts will work hand in hand with African nations to support their quest for energy security, powering new industries and jobs across the continent with a diverse mix of energy sources while promoting economic growth.

Speaking at the summit, Ms Leadsom emphasised the opportunity for many African countries to leapfrog coal power to cleaner forms of energy but stressed that more needed to be done to unlock investment.

A world-leader in reducing carbon emissions at home, today’s investment in global clean energy comes after the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the £1 billion ‘Ayrton Fund’ for British scientists last Autumn to help developing nations reduce reliance on fossil fuels and reduce their carbon emissions.

As part of the initiatives announced today, the UK will support African countries with the technical skills and expertise they need in order to attract investment in renewable projects, getting innovative projects like wind and solar farms up and running. Close collaboration with African countries will be key as the UK gears up to host the UN climate talks (COP26) later this year.

UK funded projects in Africa include winners of the Energy Catalyst Competition, which has seen solar plants, energy storage batteries and hydro-power built in countries such as Botswana and Kenya; a £10 million programme which matches UK based green finance experts with project developers from developing countries to facilitate investment in clean energy projects; and the Nigeria 2050 calculator, a modelling tool designed by UK scientists to support the Nigerian government’s sustainable development planning.

Kenya is also set to benefit from a £30 million government investment in affordable energy-efficient housing which will see the construction of 10,000 low-carbon homes for rent and sale. This will support the creation of new jobs in Kenya’s green construction industry and help tackle climate change.

Over 50% of the UK’s energy production came from renewable sources last year, and with London’s expertise as the global hub for green finance, the UK is best placed to be Africa’s leading partner and help it harness its wealth of renewable sources as it moves away from coal power.

Commenting on the latest labour market figures the Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

It’s good news that Scotland’s unemployment level has fallen and employment increased recently. However, we can’t be complacent as unemployment is up year on year and the number of people in work in Scotland is still lagging behind the rest of the UK.

The UK Government is working flat out to ensure Scotland and every part of the UK prospers, including through investing more than £1.4 billion in city and growth deals. I urge the Scottish Government to use its extensive powers and work with us to improve the lives of people across Scotland.

Overview

Today’s highlight is that Scotland’s unemployment fell slightly (-7,000) and at 3.8% is down 0.3 p.p. from the three months before (June to August). This is slightly up from the year before (+4,000) and up from the record low of 3.2% at the beginning of the year 2019. Although, an unemployment rate of 3.8% indicates still a very strong and stable labour market performance by historic standards. There’s also a robust increase in employment over the last three months (+18,000). Note, that the UK overall experienced a marginal fall in unemployment too (-7,000 and its rate remained unchanged). These figures point to a strong labour market performance, however indicate a slight weakening of the labour market from one year ago.

For the three months to November, Scotland’s overall labour market is marginally strengthening: employment increased robustly (+18,000) and unemployment fell slightly (-7,000) and activity increased modestly (+12,000). In addition, monthly claimant count numbers are worsening marginally over the month of December, as there are 115,700 people in Scotland claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and out-of-work Universal Credit (seasonally adjusted); this is up 900 on the month of November (revised) and 16,400 up on the year before.

As a result, Scotland’s unemployment rate at 3.8% is now slightly up on the rate of around 12 month ago and up on the recent record low at the start of the year 2019, when it was 3.2%. Also, Scotland’s unemployment rate is matching that of the UK as a whole, which remained unchanged over the last quarter. Furthermore, the number of people employed at 2,654,000 in Scotland is somewhat down on the recent record high at 2,702,000. This means that Scotland’s employment rate, at 74.3%, remains below the UK’s rate at 76.3%.