The first Economic and Social Pillar meeting of the UK-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council was jointly hosted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, and his counterpart, the Saudi Minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr Majed Bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, yesterday (7 July 2019).

Commercial opportunities that were agreed during the Strategic Partnership Council include:

• a £100 million contract with manufacturer De La Rue to help tackle illicit trade by introducing a digital tax stamp solution for soft drinks and tobacco products sold in the Kingdom

• a full banking licence for British bank Standard Chartered

• a venture capital licence for Hambro Perks

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, said:

Saudi Arabia continues to take positive steps towards a more modern and diverse economy though its Vision 2030 plan.

The UK’s experience and expertise mean we are in a unique position to offer Saudi Arabia support with their economic diversification. More investment and more trade benefits both of our economies.

The UK’s world-leading expertise in investment and finance is also helping Saudi Arabia to reform its economy as part of its Vision 2030 plan. In April this year, Aramco listed its first international bond, worth $12 billion, on the London Stock Exchange, and soon the UK will open a new Export Finance office in Jeddah, to support UK companies in accessing opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

While visiting Saudi Arabia the Chancellor met the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and held meetings with business and political leaders, including the Minister of Commerce and Investment of Saudi Arabia, Dr Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, the Minister of Finance, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan, and Energy Minister, Khalid Al-Falih.

The Chancellor was also joined in Saudi Arabia by the Minister for Investment, Graham Stuart, and a delegation including David Schwimmer, CEO of the London Stock Exchange Group.

Further Information

Agreements reached as part of the Strategic Partnership Council include:

• Standard Chartered Bank has been granted their banking license in the Kingdom.

• INEOS has signed an agreement to invest $2 billion with Saudi Aramco and Total to build its first ever plants in the Middle East.

• Alderley has announced a $10 million contract award from Saudi Aramco for the design and manufacturing in-kingdom of Modular Skids. This is the second award of its kind awarded from Saudi Aramco to Alderley in Saudi Arabia with a total of more than £52 million in contract awards in Q1 2019.

• Health Education England signed a Memorandum of Understanding in April for the International Postgraduate Medical Training Schemes (IPGMTS) between Health Education England (HEE) & Scholarships affairs, Ministry of Education.

• Manchester, Birmingham, King’s College London and Queen’s Belfast Universities have each signed separate agreements with the Ministry of Education, Scholarship Department at the International Higher Education Conference this year to enable 200 Saudi nurses to join one of these UK universities.

• De La Rue announced a five-year contract with the General Authority of Zakat and Tax (GAZT) to implement and operate a digital tax stamp solution for all tobacco products and soft drinks sold in the Kingdom.

• The Royal Mint signed a contract with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) to supply both lower denominations and one Riyal coins together with supporting the Central Bank on coinage forecast advice.

• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK): GSK will be announcing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) in the next couple of weeks. Through this MoU, GSK aims to further expand its local manufacturing of its innovative pharmaceutical portfolio and invest in local talents and capabilities aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals.

• London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG): Saudi Aramco established a Global Medium-Term Notes Programme (GMTN) and issued their inaugural $12 billion debut bond with five tranches – the largest corporate bond from Middle East, Africa or Asia on London Stock Exchange. This follows a US Dollar denominated sukuk ($2 billion, 4.30%, Jan-2029), listed in September 2018.

A University of Manchester spin-out is developing nanomaterials known for their use in lighting and solar energy into new fluorescent biomarkers that could detect and improve treatment of some of the deadliest forms of cancer.

Nanoco: developing new techniques to detect and treat cancer

According to the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, 10,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK and it is the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths. It has the lowest survival rate of all cancers, with only 3% of those diagnosed surviving more than 5 years.

Nanoco is working with Professor Sandy MacRobert and researchers at University College London on its pancreatic cancer project. This innovation could help with better diagnosis and treatment.

Quantum dots can guide the physician

Quantum dots are made from a semiconductor material and are about 10,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. They have traditionally been made of toxic materials and used in products such as television screen displays.

Nanoco has developed a way of making quantum dots from non-toxic materials and is investigating how its bio-compatible type of quantum dots, VIVODOTS™ nanoparticles, could be used as fluorescent biomarkers, with the support of funding from Innovate UK.

Nanoco life science chief technology officer Dr Imad Naasani said:

Quantum dots are fluorescent so, if you hit them with energy, they emit different wavelengths of light. They work in the same way that fireflies do in nature.

Their properties make them attractive for many uses. Because they are very stable, bright and don’t photobleach they can be used for real-time imaging of targeted tissue. We can make them bind to a tumour, for example.

A surgeon can use them for image-guided surgery. Other applications could be tracking of stem cells in the body after injection to see if they reach targeted tissues.

Efforts focused on pancreatic and skin cancers

Nanoco is focusing its efforts on image-guided surgery for pancreatic cancer and on early detection and simplified diagnosis of skin cancers. It is carrying out pre-clinical safety tests.

In our skin cancer project, we are aiming to show that our VIVODOTS™ nanoparticles will work more effectively than current state-of-the-art methods.

It currently takes 3 months to rule whether a lesion is malignant or not and this has a big burden on the medical system. GPs can’t make quick decisions, they have to take samples and send them away. The stress imposed on the patient is huge.

We think we can create something like a cream that can be applied so a GP can get an answer in one or 2 days instead of 3 months. Three months is a long time so we expect a better outcome for patients too.

The aim is to link VIVODOTS™ nanoparticles with antibodies and inject them into the patient. This will help to identify cancerous cells during endoscopies, allow image-guided surgery and ensure the killing of any remaining cells left after surgery.

Funding supports high-risk innovation

The company was spun out of the University of Manchester by its chief technology officer Nigel Pickett in 2001. It is now quoted on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.

It specialises in the research, development and large-scale manufacture of heavy-metal-free quantum dots and semiconductor nanoparticles for use in displays, lighting, solar energy and bio-imaging.

The company is just finishing its early pre-clinical safety studies and has yet to test its technology in humans. It could take 5-7 years to develop it fully for use in hospitals and GP surgeries.

Imad added: > Innovate UK funding is helping to accelerate development at this early stage and to ensure a smooth translational phase so that the technology is attractive to big pharma and venture capital.

The company has received funding support from Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Science and Technology Facilities Council since 2011.

The 2 men were buried on Wednesday 03 July during a moving ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Salerno War Cemetery in Italy.

The service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), part of Defence Business Services, was conducted by the Reverend Iorwerth Price CF, reserve Chaplain to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment (RANG). Members of the 2nd Battalion, The RANG carried the coffins to their final resting place.

Nicola Nash, JCCC said:

These 2 soldiers lost their lives in 1 of the most ferocious battles of the Second World War. Although we were not able to identify them, they have now been laid to rest with honours and their bravery and heroism will always be remembered.

The remains of the 2 soldiers were found by the 1943 Salerno Association, outside of Salerno, on a hill nicknamed “the Pimple” by Allied soldiers during World War 2. This hill was heavily guarded by the Germans and was the focus of intense fighting during September 1943. Despite extensive research and DNA testing, the JCCC were unable to identify these two men.

The 1943 Salerno Association also found the ID bracelet of Major Robert Brown DSO, who was attached to the Royal Leicestershire Regiment and was also killed during action on the Pimple on 16 September 1943. The bracelet was handed back to the JCCC, who will present it to Major Brown’s daughter.

Stefano Esu, CWGC Works Supervisor, Italy, said:

I am honoured and grateful to be present at the burial of these 2 soldiers at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Salerno War Cemetery. I always try to do my best with great dedication and a sense of responsibility because it is thanks to the sacrifice of these young men that we can live in freedom. Their service and sacrifice have not been forgotten and we will proudly mark and care for their graves, together with all of those who served and fell, in perpetuity.

Two new headstones for the unknown soldiers have been provided by the CWGC.

In the government’s landmark LGBT Action Plan last year, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) committed to . exploring the issues faced by young people changing their gender.

New figures from the NHS’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) show that the number of children and young people being referred to the service is still increasing, up 6% when compared to the previous year.

In 2018/19, 2,590 children and young people were referred to GIDS, with the service continuing to see an increasing number of girls referred. Nearly three quarters of those referred last year were female, mostly of adolescent age.

Whilst the number of referrals last year still represents only a small fraction of the UK population (0.05% or around 1 in 1,900 of 13-17 year olds), it is clear that more young people, particularly adolescent girls, are seeking support around their gender identity from health services.

In a bid to better understand why so many young people, particularly girls, are being referred, the government has been reviewing evidence from gender identity services in other countries.

This shows that the pattern in the UK (where 2.8 natal girls are being referred for every 1 boy), is mirrored in a number of other developed countries:

• Tampere, Finland: 6.8 girls referred for every 1 boy
• Toronto, Canada: 1.8 girls referred for every 1 boy
• Amsterdam, Netherlands: 1.7 girls referred for every 1 boy

What it is not clear is what might be driving these increases. Despite a wide variety of theories, there is little hard evidence to support these at present.

That is why the government has been reviewing existing evidence, including information from other countries, to better understand whether the trends seen in the UK are also happening elsewhere. Following on from this, the GEO will now commission brand new research to explore the nature of adolescent gender identity and transitioning.

Minister for Women & Equalities, Penny Mordaunt, said:

“The statistics we have been made aware of show that more and more young people, particularly girls, are using health services to explore changing their gender.

“It is vitally important that we prioritise finding out why this is the case, making sure we gain an understanding of the driving factors behind this whilst doing everything we can to support these individuals and their families.”

A tender for the next stage of research will be released in the coming weeks. This will include a comprehensive international evidence review and analysis of referral data.

Alongside this clinicians and young service users will be interviewed, giving us a better understanding of their experiences and reasons for seeking support.

Government will also seek to improve understanding of gender identity among young people in the UK more generally, by including new questions on robust social surveys.

Alongside this the NHS have already started a series of longer-term studies to better understand the outcomes of children and young people who are referred to gender identity services.

Further Info:

This trend of higher numbers of adolescent girls presenting as transgender was also observed in responses to the government’s own National LGBT Survey. Of the 2,040 trans respondents aged 16-17, 39% identified as trans men, compared to 10% trans women. 51% identified as non-binary.