The UK and South Africa will join forces to drive economic growth and turbocharge infrastructure investment, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced today [Tuesday 22nd November] at the start of President Ramaphosa’s formal State Visit.

The next phase of the UK-South Africa Infrastructure Partnership is being launched today, supporting South Africa’s economic growth through major infrastructure developments and offering increased access to UK companies to projects worth up to £5.37bn over the next three years. The UK Government will also confirm new grant-funded technical assistance to South Africa to help unlock green hydrogen opportunities and boost skills in this key sector.

As an example of the opportunities for UK businesses, Globeleq – a UK company which is majority owned by British International Investment – is today announcing they have reached legal close on six solar power projects, with construction expected to kick off in South Africa next year.

South Africa is the continent’s second largest economy and is already the UK’s biggest trading partner in Africa, with trade worth £10.7 billion annually. Unlocking export finance offers significant opportunities for British businesses to invest and trade.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is in London for a two-day state visit, hosted by His Majesty The King. After attending a state banquet for the South African delegation this evening at Buckingham Palace, the Prime Minister will welcome President Ramaphosa to Downing Street for a bilateral meeting and lunch on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

South Africa is already the UK’s biggest trading partner on the continent, and we have ambitious plans to turbocharge infrastructure investment and economic growth together.

I look forward to welcoming President Ramaphosa to London this week to discuss how we can deepen the partnership between our two great nations and capitalise on shared opportunities, from trade and tourism and security and defence.

A new education and skills partnership between the UK and the South African governments will also promote shared learning in technical and vocational education, driving youth employment.

UK funding will build the highly sought-after technical and entrepreneurial skills in the biggest growth sectors including green technology and electric vehicle manufacture, ensuring South Africa’s youth are benefitting from the green transition.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The UK’s relationship with South Africa is hugely important to us. Together we are working to deliver for the British and South African people, creating jobs, enhancing trade and investment, and boosting inclusive economic growth.

This week’s State Visit, the first under His Majesty The King, is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our ties but also allows us to trigger greater growth, create even more opportunities for British and South African businesses alike, and further promote South Africa’s transition to green energy.

The South Africa Just Energy Transition Partnership, launched at COP26, also offers new opportunities to collaborate on renewable technology and green innovation. The UK and South Africa are today announcing the creation of a new Partnership on Minerals for Future Clean Energy Technologies to promote increased responsible exploration, production and processing of minerals in South and Southern Africa.

Countries in the region are among the world’s leading producers of vital minerals used in clean technology, including platinum group metals and iridium for hydrogen production and vanadium and manganese for battery storage.  This partnership will utilise the UK’s expertise as the home to leading global mining houses and financial services centre for metals to bolster sustainable and responsible production.

Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

Today we’re moving into a new era of our dynamic trade relationship with South Africa, with exciting collaboration on infrastructure, clean technology, and renewable energy sources.

These new opportunities will unlock trade and investment for businesses from the Eastern Cape to East Anglia and boost growth, create jobs and future-proof our economies against a changing world.

From 2012, schools that had been judged outstanding were legally exempt from further regular inspection, unless there were specific concerns about the school. The exemption was lifted in 2020.

Today’s commentary notes that over 80% (308) of these schools that had a graded inspection last year did not retain the outstanding grade. The majority were judged to be good. However, around a fifth were rated requires improvement (17%) or inadequate (4%).

When selecting schools for inspection, Ofsted prioritised those that had gone the longest without inspection, which for some was as long as 15 years ago. The average for schools inspected last year was 13 years.

When the exemption ended, 43% of exempt schools had not had a graded inspection for at least 10 academic years, and a further 38% had gone between 5 and 10 academic years.

Since their last inspection many of these schools will have experienced significant change, including a new headteacher, new governors, or becoming an academy managed by a multi-academy trust.

Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, said:

Regular inspection gives parents confidence in the quality of their child’s school. Exempting outstanding schools deprived parents of up-to-date information. It also left a lot of schools without the constructive challenge that regular inspection provides.

The exemption was a policy founded on the hope that high standards, once achieved, would never drop, and that freedom from inspection might drive them even higher. These outcomes show that removing a school from scrutiny does not make it better.

There were 3,900 outstanding primary and secondary schools when the exemption was introduced, and 3,400 were outstanding when it ended.

Some 1,400 schools remained outstanding throughout the period because they were not inspected at all and so kept their grade. About 1,900 schools ceased to be outstanding (usually after an inspection triggered by a risk assessment), and 1,500 additional schools were judged outstanding during the exemption period.

Thank you President, and I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing.

We too condemn in the strongest terms DPRK’s further serious breach of Council resolutions, which threatens international peace and security.

The Council last discussed the DPRK’s ballistic missile launches just over two weeks ago. At that meeting, all but two Council members emphasised the seriousness of the situation and supported a clear response. Yet despite the egregious violation of Council resolutions, the same two members prevented the Council from fulfilling its role.

When the DPRK tested intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2017, the Council’s response on each occasion was robust and unified, with the unanimous adoption of resolutions 2371, 2375 and 2379. Negotiations between the DPRK and the US began within months.

A return to dialogue remains the only means of resolving insecurity on the Korean Peninsula. However, continued Council silence in the face of DPRK’s provocations will not achieve this. We therefore support the draft Presidential Statement proposed by the US. The UK will continue to call upon DPRK to cease its illegal activity and to engage meaningfully with offers of dialogue from the United States and the Republic of Korea. Diplomacy remains the only option..

President, we strongly encourage the DPRK to invest in food and medicine for its people rather than its illegal weapons programme, to provide access for UN staff, and allow aid to flow freely into the country. We welcome the 1718 Committee’s continued efforts to quickly exempt humanitarian assistance from sanctions.

Thank you.