HM Government

• Culture Secretary backs UK digital economy at leading Nordic tech hubs
• Digital Minister takes cyber trade mission to tap huge markets in Singapore and promote UK fintech sector in Tokyo

Karen Bradley will travel to Finland and Sweden where she will set out the Government’s commitment to growing the UK’s digital economy which is already worth more than £118 billion a year and employs more than 1.4 million people.

Matt Hancock will be leading a trade mission of UK cyber firms to Singapore and follow the Prime Minister’s recent trip to Japan with another ministerial visit to the country to deepen ties and build new trade connections.

Both will promote the benefits of investing in the UK and the benefits of collaboration with UK companies. They will set out that the UK remains a strong place for investment with particular strengths across the tech sector, including in AI, govtech, gaming and cyber security, and that the 2017 Tech Nation report placed the figure for tech investment in the UK at £6.8bn.

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:

Britain has become an undisputed European hub for tech investment, with twice as much investment in tech as any other European country, and plans set out in our recent Digital Strategy will help make sure this continues. I’ll be in FInland and Sweden to showcase and promote the UK’s booming digital economy and outline how deeper collaboration with our world-leading companies can benefit both regions.

Minister for Digital Matt Hancock said:

The UK is a world leader in cyber security and our industry is thriving with exports worth nearly £1.5 billion last year. I’m determined to help the next generation of firms grow as we build a truly global Britain and hope to make real progress by leading a delegation including some of the nation’s most innovative businesses.

Tech firm growth in the UK is spread right across the country, with more than two thirds of UK investment in the sector outside London last year. The ministers will say that since 2001 new technologies have created 3.5m new jobs in the UK and London has more people working in fintech than any other city in the world – standing at 44,000 in 2016.

The Nordic region is the fastest growing start-up region in Europe, so the Secretary of State will:

• meet investors and companies at two of the region’s leading tech hubs: Helsinki’s Start-up Sauna, which includes Leadfeeder, a start-up with partners in the UK, and Stockholm’s Sup46, which produced Skype and Spotify and brought a delegation to London Tech Week in June this year.

• visit established telecoms company Ericsson where she will promote further cooperation in next generation mobile technology, 5G. The UK is at the forefront of testing and trialing the technology and Swedish firm Ericsson is currently collaborating on one of the Government’s £16 5G test networks at King’s College in London, announced earlier this year.

• highlight the UK’s expertise as she visits Finland’s Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and Sweden’s Civil Contingencies Agency. This follows a recent Swedish delegation visiting the UK’s world-leading National Cyber Security Centre.

The UK is a world leader in cyber security and committed to working with like-minded partners to target and defend against threats. The cyber security sector in Britain has grown from an estimated £2.8bn in 2011 to £22 billion in 2015. The UK’s cyber security workforce has increased by 160 per cent since 2011.

Digital Minister Matt Hancock will:

• lead a UK cyber security delegation, including companies such as Deep Secure, Digital Shadows, Immersive Labs and NNC Group, to Singapore International Cyber Week at the GovWare Conference. In the same week DiT and InnovateUK will also lead other trade missions to the TechInnovation event.

• open the Singapore International Cyber Week to engage an audience of international ministers on the UK’s priorities and showcase the UK as a world leader in digital, tech and cyber innovation.

• visit Japan to celebrate the work of the UK’s hugely successful video games industry on a visit to Sega, the nation’s leadership in digital innovation as he visits Sony, and promote the country’s fintech, AI, robotics and 5G sectors.

The Government’s recent Digital Strategy followed the Government’s Industrial Strategy which aims to create an economy that helps Britain secure a future as a competitive, global nation.

The Industrial Strategy is about finding and seizing the opportunities to work more productively to create the conditions that boost earning power for everyone throughout the UK – its people, places and companies.

The ministers will also make the point the UK is an excellent place to visit and receives more than 1 million visits from Sweden and Finland combined to the every year and more than 400,000 from Japan and Singapore.

Notes to editors

Media enquiries – accredited journalists only: DCMS News and Communications team – 020 7211 2210

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The two leaders are expected to agree that the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has significant potential to boost transatlantic prosperity – and should be swiftly transitioned to form a new bilateral arrangement between the UK and Canada after Brexit.

They are expected to agree the establishment of a new joint working group to prepare the ground for transitioning the deal.

This will be the 13th working group we have established across 18 countries since the EU referendum to begin work on ambitious post-Brexit trade deals.

The Prime Minister will also welcome the appointment of her new trade envoy to Canada, Andrew Percy.

Mr Percy will drive forward work to build the strongest possible bilateral trade and investment relationship.

The UK is already the second biggest destination for Canadian investment abroad, after only the US.

Our bilateral trade relationship is worth £15.2 billion annually to both our economies, with £1.75 billion Canadian money having been invested in the UK since March.

The UK has been a leading champion of CETA as an EU member. The ambitious deal eliminates nearly all (98%) Canadian import duties – a significant boon for those looking to export to the country.

And transitioning the benefits of CETA will now create massive opportunities for trade between Britain and Canada once we have left the EU.

The UK has over 10,000 companies exporting goods to Canada, supporting around 240,000 jobs in the UK. The elimination of Canadian import duties is expected to particularly benefit the British food and drink sector, with the wines and spirits industry benefitting from the immediate removal of tariffs for wines and spirit products entering Canada. Non-tariff barriers for alcohol products will also be reduced, improving conditions and opportunities for UK exporters.

In Canada, the Prime Minister will also host a business roundtable event with major Canadian investors into the UK.

The Prime Minister and Mr Trudeau are expected to agree that Canada is a natural partner for the UK in building a rules-based international system and strengthening and improving the WTO to ensure a global economy that works for everyone.

A number of commercial deals are expected to be announced during the visit.

These include the expansion of Vancouver-based social media company Hootsuite in London, the expansion of Tesco’s product range to 100 West Coast supermarkets by the end of this year, and the Turner and Townsend £34 million contract to oversee refurbishment of part of the Canadian Parliament – which the Prime Minister is due to visit on Monday.

This is a significant show of confidence in the UK economy and our prospects for post-Brexit trade and investment.

Speaking ahead of the visit, the Prime Minister said:

Canada and the United Kingdom have a long shared history.

British and Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen and women have fought and died alongside each other in the pursuit of freedom, including at the Battle of Britain, where 23 brave Canadian servicemen lost their lives.

We have developed the institutions of Westminster democracy, personal rights, and the common law. And we celebrate together our shared monarchy, and close ties of family and friendship.

My visit to Canada today is not only about recognising our past but also looking ahead to our bright future. We are both countries with ambitions to lead on the world stage and progressive values that underpin those ambitions – values including the importance of free trade, and respect for international law.

When we come together and work as one to project our shared values on the world stage, we form a powerful union.

Further information:

Business roundtable event attendees:

• Neil Bruce, CEO, SNC Lavalin
• Dave McKay, CEO, Royal Bank of Canada
• Mark Machin, CEO, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)
• Ryan Holmes, CEO, Hootsuite
• Janet De Silva, CEO, Toronto Board of Trade
• Michael Sabia, CEO, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec
• Alain Bellemare, CEO, Bombardier
• Janet Ecker, CEO, Toronto Financial Services Alliance
• John Manley, CEO, Business Council of Canada
• Anne Healey, CEO BAE Systems Canada
• Pavi Binning, Weston Group

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Devolution in Wales has come a long way over the 20 years since the referendum. The Senedd is now an established part of our constitutional landscape – taking critical decisions on matters that affect everyday lives.

I am pleased with the contribution that the UK Government has made to the devolution journey in recent years. It has been a true re-writing of the devolution settlement – the most far reaching and significant package of powers ever devolved to Wales.

We have facilitated the 2011 referendum which saw the Assembly take on full law-making powers; established the Silk Commission to consider further devolution of powers; steered the Wales Act through Parliament and introduced a fiscal framework that guarantees fair funding for Wales for the long term.

We have also helped to put real power into the hands of the Welsh people at a local level through the Swansea and Cardiff City Region deals – we have the same ambition for a growth deal for North Wales – and have committed to scrapping tolls on the Severn Crossings.

We are now in another period of change for Welsh devolution – the devolution of powers that are repatriated when we leave the EU. We have been clear from the outset that the outcome of the process will be an increase in the decision-making powers of the Assembly and the Welsh Government.

It is important to recognise that the UK Government will not devolve and forget. We now challenge the Welsh Government to generate growth, champion innovation, increase productivity and deliver better public services. That is what people in Wales want and that is what they deserve.

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The Low Pay Commission has always had a strong interest in compliance with the minimum wage rates it recommends. There is, after all, little point in having a minimum wage if workers do not receive the correct rate.

With more workers than ever paid the minimum wage or close to it, more people are at risk of being underpaid. Our analysis finds that up to 1 in 5 people who should be paid at least the minimum wage may in fact receive less. This equates to between 305,000 and 580,000 workers at its highest point, though it is a difficult thing to measure.

The LPC welcomes the recent increases in funding for HMRC’s enforcement of the minimum wage, and recognises the progress it has made. However, we also think there is more the Government could do to identify non-compliance and stop it happening in the first place. In our report we lay out recommendations for ways the Government could go further.

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As major fashion buyers from the across the world descend on the capital for London Fashion Week, latest trade figures show exports of fashion goods rose to £10.7 billion in 2016.

The figure is the highest on record and represents an 8 per cent increase on exports of footwear, clothing and textiles since 2015.**

There is clear global demand for British goods, with the USA, Hong Kong and Australia snapping up more than £1 billion worth of exports in 2016. The countries account for the top three buyers of home grown brands including Burberry, Mulberry and Temperley London, outside of the EU.

To build on this export success, the Department for International Trade (DIT) has collaborated with the British Fashion Council (BFC) to give British designers access to high profile buyers from developed markets. Through the BFC’s ‘International Guest Programme’, up and coming designers will be linked to key markets including the USA, China and South Korea.

International Trade Minister Mark Garnier said:

From street style to haute couture, it’s no surprise that our prestigious fashion industry is in vogue with more than £10 billion worth of goods heading overseas last year.

Our best brands will display their talent this London Fashion Week and as an international economic department, we are committed to supporting them make the most of their exporting potential.

That’s why we’re connecting home grown designers to international fashion buyers through bespoke fashion programmes and events.

Supporting the best of British style

Working with DIT, the BFC are also promoting leading British fashion designers on the world stage by taking 15-20 designers on a trade mission to Paris Fashion Week. Emerging new UK fashion designers will be able to showcase to international press and buyers at a dedicated pop-up showroom as part of Paris Fashion Week.

One company showcasing at London Fashion Week this year with help from DIT is Baia Bags. Susy Brown began the company from her bedroom five years ago in Yorkshire. Since then, she has slowly built the business with every item designed and handmade herself – using only British sourced products and materials.

Baia Bags was picked up by Fortnum and Mason and has exhibited at LFW four times. Ms Brown is now exploring other international markets including Italy, and already exports to the USA. DIT has helped to secure her a place at London Fashion Week this year and show in Paris next season.

London Fashion Week runs from Friday 15th to Tuesday 19th September and will welcome guests including press and buyers from over 59 countries.

Notes to editors

• **The latest figures from HMRC: Fashion includes textiles (SITC 65), apparel (SITC 84) and footwear (SITC 85). £10.7bn is the highest value in the HMRC data, which is available from 1996.
• DIT partner with BFC on eight of their fashion events.
• Priority markets for the ‘International Guest Programme’ include: USA, China, South Korea, Italy and Germany
• The programme involves targeting international buyers and understanding their budgets and styles and matching them with appropriate British designers.
• The International Guest Programme is hosted by the British Fashion Council’s International team and provides a tailored and targeted schedule for that ensures that they meet the most relevant brands with the highest international potential.

Further information

• Contact the DIT Media and Digital Team on 020 7008 3333

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