Theresa May will welcome the depth and future potential of transatlantic ties today as she and President Trump co-host a business roundtable on the second day of his State Visit to the UK.

The Prime Minister will tell business leaders that by working together to seize opportunities and tackle shared challenges we will create more jobs, drive more growth, and ensure our economic partnership continues to grow even stronger in the years ahead.

The event at St James’ Palace will bring together ten leading companies – five from the UK and five from the United States – to discuss the strength of our economic links and the sectors where expanding our cooperation further could benefit both sides.

CEOs and senior representatives from BAE Systems, GlaxoSmithKline, National Grid, Barclays, Reckitt Benckiser, JP Morgan, Lockheed Martin, Goldman Sachs International, Bechtel and Splunk are expected to attend.

The businesses at the roundtable demonstrate the breadth of UK-US business links and represent a variety of sectors, from life sciences and defence to financial services and consumer products. They underscore the breadth of UK-US business ties and will discuss a number of areas where further collaboration can lead to greater investment and job creation in the future.

Discussions are expected to focus in particular on research, development and innovation, investment in infrastructure, and the scope for closer partnership in regulation and financial services.

Addressing the UK-US economic relationship the Prime Minister is expected to say:

It is a great partnership, but one I believe we can make greater still.

With a bilateral free trade agreement, with broader economic co-operation, and by continuing to work together to underpin, shape and influence the global economy and its rules and institutions – keeping markets free, fair and open, and keeping our industries competitive.

There are opportunities to seize, and there are challenges we need to work together to tackle. Today, let us look at how we do both.

Through dialogue like this we can ensure that our economic partnership not only endures but continues to grow stronger for many years to come – making our businesses more competitive, and creating jobs, opportunity and prosperity for all our people.

The United States is already the UK’s largest single trading partner in the world and trade between our countries – worth £190 billion last year – has grown by more than 70% over the last decade. We are also the largest investors in each other’s economies – with mutual investments valued at as much as $1 trillion.

Our businesses are creating jobs and opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic. The British companies at today’s roundtable collectively employ around 176,000 people in the UK and United States. And in total, British companies employ a million people across the United States with a million more working for American companies in the UK.

Emma Walmsley, Chief Executive Officer at GSK, said:

The US is one of the most important sources of healthcare innovation in the world. Life sciences is also a strategic strength for the UK and there is a great opportunity for us to partner further to retain and accelerate both countries’ global leadership in this sector, generating better outcomes for patients and economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic.

Sir Roger Carr, Chairman of BAE Systems said:

Our relationship with the United States of America is long-standing and operates to our mutual benefit on the firm foundation of trust, transparency and true partnership.

The roundtable is also due to be attended by The Duke of York, Chancellor Philip Hammond, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, Her Majesty’s Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch, US Ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Ivanka Trump.

Rakesh Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer of Reckitt Benckiser:

The U.S and UK are two of RB’s top three markets. Our commitment to the U.S was underlined in 2017 when we made the largest investment in our history with the acquisition of the U.S-based company, Mead Johnson Nutrition for nearly $18 billion. We have ear-marked a further combined $200 million of investment in both countries, with our intention to create two state of the art health laboratories in Zeeland, Michigan and Hull, which will result in new, high quality science jobs. The close relationship between the UK and the U.S was an important factor behind these investment decisions.

The business leaders expected at today’s roundtable are:

UK:

• BAE Systems – Sir Roger Carr, Chairman. Defence, security and aerospace company BAE systems employs around 64,000 people in both the US and the UK, with US business accounting for more than 40% of sales.
• GSK – Emma Walmsley, CEO. GSK is the UK’s leading vaccine, pharmaceuticals and consumer healthcare company, employing around 17,000 people in the UK and 15,000 across the US.
• National Grid – John Pettigrew, CEO. National Grid employs over 16,000 people in the US and over 5,000 in the UK. They supply energy for more than 20 million people in the northeastern United States.
• Reckitt Benckiser – Rakesh Kapoor, CEO. Reckitt Benckiser employs over 40,000 people worldwide, including 4,000 in the UK and 4,000 in the US. 20 million of its health and hygiene products are sold daily around the world.
• Barclays – Jes Staley, CEO. British multinational consumer and wholesale bank Barclays employs around 40,000 people in the UK and 11,000 in the US.

US:

• Lockheed Martin – Marillyn Hewson, Chairman, President and CEO. Global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin employs over 100,000 people worldwide, including around 2,000 in the UK – which is their largest presence outside of the US.
• JP Morgan Chase – Viswas Raghavan, CEO. American multinational investment bank and financial services company JP Morgan is the largest bank in the US. It has offices in London, Bournemouth, Glasgow and Edinburgh – with London serving as headquarters for the EMEA region. The Bournemouth campus is the largest private sector employer in Dorset.
• Goldman Sachs International – Richard Gnodde, CEO. Goldman Sachs is a global investment banking, securities and investment management firm headquartered in New York with offices in all major financial centres around the world. The company employs around 6,000 people in the UK and approximately 36,000 worldwide.
• Bechtel – Stu Jones, President – Regions and Corporate Affairs. Bechtel is the premiere US engineering, procurement, construction, and project management firm in the United States. London is home to its Global Infrastructure HQ, supporting major projects worldwide, including the largest civil works project in the world today – the Riyadh Metro Program. The firm employs approximately 30,000 staff worldwide and has employed more than 10,000 UK citizens over the past decade.
• Splunk – Richard Timperlake, Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa. Software company Splunk has customers in 110 countries and employs over 4,700 people worldwide. Splunk has two offices in the UK, recently expanding its office in Reading and announcing a move to a larger office in Paddington in late 2019.

Leading companies will discuss UK-US business links with PM Theresa May and President Donald Trump.

Business Secretary Greg Clark chaired the meeting, which brought together representatives from British Steel, the government, local MPs, trade bodies, trade unions, as well as local leaders and the Local Enterprise Partnerships.

The group reaffirmed its commitment to British Steel, and its ongoing efforts to leave no stone unturned to support the Official Receiver in finding a suitable buyer.

At the meeting, it was also agreed that there would be a sub-group formed of suppliers and customers, led by Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive of Make UK, which will focus on companies in British Steel’s customer and supply chain.

Members of the group praised the commitment of British Steel’s workforce who continue to reach record levels of steel production, despite the challenging time that workers currently face.

Following the meeting the Business Secretary, accompanied by Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive of Make UK and Gareth Stace, Director at UK Steel, visited Bridon-Bekaert in Doncaster, a major customer of British Steel to discuss the role British Steel plays as a key supplier. The wire rope producer demonstrated how it takes steel rods produced at British Steel’s Scunthorpe site, which the Business Secretary saw being produced on his recent visit to the site’s Rod Mill, and turns them into specialist wire ropes, used the world over.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

Having worked with British Steel, and visited and met with management and staff at Scunthorpe, Skinningrove and on Teesside, I wanted to convene the British Steel Support Group to harness the passion and experience of everyone in the group to help secure the future of steelmaking at these sites.

Our first priority is to continue to support the Official Receiver through the sale process as he aims to find a suitable buyer for the company, and to safeguard jobs. We have agreed to meet on a regular basis as part of that endeavour.

We also send our thanks and appreciation to British Steel’s highly skilled and talented workforce who, despite facing an understandably worrying time, have continued to lead the company to record levels of steel production – testament to their commitment and hard work.

The world will always need steel and British Steel is amongst the best in the world; this was clearly demonstrated in my visit to Bridon Bekaert, where British Steel is used to manufacture the highest quality product which is then exported across the world.

Our support group brings together representatives from the company and wider industry, trade unions and local leaders, and each and every one of us is steadfast in our commitment to seeing steel production continue well into the future.

Members of the British Steel Support Group are:

• Greg Clark MP – Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
• Lord Christopher Haskins – Chair, Humber Local Enterprise Partnership
• Anna Turley MP – Labour MP for Redcar
• Simon Clarke MP – Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
• Nic Dakin MP – Labour MP for Scunthorpe
• Andrew Percy MP – Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole
• Ben Houchen – Metro Mayor for the Tees Valley
• Gerald Reichmann – Chief Executive at British Steel
• Gareth Stace – Director-General at UK Steel
• Stephen Phipson – Chief Executive at Make UK
• Roy Rickhuss – General Secretary, Community Union
• Paul McBean – Community Union representative
• Martin Foster – Unite the Union representative
• Paul Booth OBE – Chairman, Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership
• Cllr Rob Waltham MBE – Leader, North Lincolnshire Council
• Simon Green – Deputy Chief Executive at North Lincolnshire Council

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock spoke at the East London Foundation Trust on the launch of the NHS People Plan.

1.3 million people in the NHS.

If we were a country, we’d be the same size as Estonia. If we were a company, we’d be almost the same size as McDonald’s – but a lot better for you than a Big Mac.

Since I became health secretary I’ve tried to meet as many staff, from as many different parts of the NHS, as possible. Admittedly, meeting 1.3 million people individually is difficult.

I’ve spoken to hundreds of nurses, doctors, paramedics, porters, juniors, seniors, consultants, chief executives. I’ve tried to listen and I’ve tried to listen hard.

And what’s clear is that people are the most valuable asset the NHS has. How we invest in, and look after, our people will determine the future of the NHS.

And that future is so important because the NHS is the most valuable public service we have.

A strong NHS, and strong public services, are the foundations of a strong society. So Britain must continue to be a place where we invest in people because we believe in the potential of people to make things better.

It’s why we appointed Prerana Issar as the first ever NHS Chief People Officer. And it’s why Dido and her team have created the first ever NHS People Plan.

I am extremely grateful to both of them because taking better care of our people is mission critical to the success of the NHS.

Now, I know your time is valuable. So I’m not going to waffle on. And if you saw Good Morning Britain, you’ll know I’ve already been caught out once for too much waffle.

So I’m going to be short today. And I’m going to be direct.

I want to talk to you about 3 people. Three people who illustrate where we’ve come from, where we are now, and where we need to get to.

Recruitment, retention, and an NHS that puts people first.

The first person is a nurse. She, or he, doesn’t live in this country – yet.

They’re in the Philippines, or India, or Poland, or any other number of countries around the world.

They look to the NHS as a beacon of excellence, and of opportunity. Somewhere they can come to, to be the best nurse they can possibly be.

Somewhere they can learn new skills, earn money, and return home as a world-class nurse, or stay and build a new home and a better life here in Britain.

To that nurse I say: we welcome you, we need you, we want you to come and help us build an NHS that’s fit for the future.

Because the National Health Service has always had an international workforce, from the Windrush Generation to the Warsaw Generation.

We must never forget the enormous contribution that people born beyond these shores have made to one of this nation’s greatest institutions.

The People Plan spells out how we need a new Windrush Generation for the NHS. A recruitment drive to attract the brightest and best doctors, nurses, and clinical staff from overseas.

And I want to send a very clear message to those people: if you have the talent, the skills, and the determination to pack up your hopes and dreams in a suitcase and travel to the other side of the world, then the NHS will be your new home.

Our NHS could not provide its world-class service to patients without the hardworking doctors and nurses from other nations.

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The second person I want to talk about is a British student.

She, or he, is 18. They’re getting ready for their A-Level exams – hopefully not leaving it as late as I did.

They were born in this century. Technology has shaped every part of their lives from the way they shop, eat, travel, bank, socialise, and even find love.

They have more choice at their fingertips than previous generations would have had in a lifetime.

In fact, there’s so many possibilities that it can be overwhelming. And then a parent, or a perhaps a career adviser, says: “Have you ever thought about becoming a nurse?”

And this 18-year-old thinks: “I’m good at science, I’m interested in people, caring for others would be a rewarding career.”

And then they start to look into it. They start to search online for information.

And what do they see?

Story after story about shortages, about the stresses and the strains, and only the problems.

Never or rarely hearing about the nurses who love their jobs and wouldn’t choose to do anything else, despite the difficulties.

Now, I know there are genuine problems with the system.

That’s why Dido has taken a long-term approach to the first ever NHS People Plan so we can create a new system that puts people first, and is fit for the future.

There are shortages. We use too many agency workers when we should have permanent staff.

The job has become more challenging as the population ages and demand grows.

Your roles are more complex and you need continuous training and new technology to keep up with the pace of change.

But I fear that by only talking about the problems, we risk creating a perception that a career in the NHS isn’t for an ambitious, young, British person. Particularly when it comes to nursing.

Nursing is a first-choice career. An NHS nurse has a passport to anywhere.

In fact, it’s what makes my job so difficult because we can do a lot of things to convince people to stay in the NHS, but I’m afraid we can’t compete with the Australian sunshine.

So we’re putting a record £33.9 billion a year into the NHS – and let’s not forget three-quarters of the NHS budget goes on staff.

We’re opening 5 new medical schools. We’re increasing the number of clinical training places, and we’re increasing the number of routes into nursing through apprenticeships and nursing associates.

But fundamental to delivering the People Plan, and tackling the nursing shortage in the NHS, is changing the perception of nursing as a career.

That way we can get the right number of people and the right type of people in the NHS: talented, ambitious, hard-working, committed to caring.

Third and finally I want to talk about someone who really helped me understand the retention challenge – what it means to you, on the frontline.

He’s a senior consultant at a London hospital. And he said:

Matt, when you join the NHS, everybody knows the deal: you work hard, you do everything you can for your patients and your colleagues, you put everything into the job because at the end of it you know you’re going to get a good pension, but that’s under threat. I can’t plan ahead. I’m afraid to take on extra sessions in case I get an unexpected tax bill, and if I was a few years older I’d be thinking about taking early retirement.

And then he used a graphic but typically medical metaphor to describe the effect it’s having on the NHS. He said:

Right now it’s like a haemorrhage. If we can stop the bleeding in the first 5 or 10 minutes, we can save the patient, but if we don’t, and we leave it, then we’ll be resuscitating the body.

So I understand your frustration. Getting pensions right is how we stem the flow and convince our senior staff to stay in the NHS.

So I’ve listened to you, and I’ve learnt from you, and this is what we’re going to do:

A new pensions deal for senior nurses, doctors and GPs so you have greater flexibility and control over your pension so you don’t get hit with an unexpected tax bill.

A new pensions deal that lets you take extra shifts, go for a promotion, and ultimately rewards you for your hard work and dedication, and encourages you to stay.

We’re going to work with you to change the NHS Pension Scheme so it’s fair to you, fair to the taxpayer, and leads to better care for patients because that must be our goal.

These proposed reforms recognise the unique role and importance of NHS staff. We want to ensure the NHS Pension Scheme continues to be one of the best around so we can continue to attract the best people.

But these reforms must work for you, so we will launch a staff consultation across the NHS next month.

We will have these changes in place by the start of the next tax year. This will allow NHS staff and employers to start planning for the future with confidence and peace of mind.

And it will ensure the NHS is a place where everyone is looked after, and everyone is treated fairly.

Making the NHS a better place to work: that’s where we need to get to. This plan is the first step.

But this journey requires us all to work together: every part of our health service heading in the same direction.

I’ve made it my mission to get the right technology in the NHS so we can make your lives easier, and give you back the gift of time. So you can do what you came into the job to do: caring for people.

The NHS of the future will have more tech, more robots, more AI, but it will always have people at its core.

As the march of the machines removes the jobs that can be replaced by code, so more and more as a society, we’ll need more people doing the jobs no machine can ever do: the caring, the empathy, the connection.

So, we will make the NHS a more caring employer.

We will transform the culture.

The NHS of the future will always put people first.

Because a strong NHS, and strong public services, is how we build a Britain that always put people first.

That is a place we all want to get to.

That’s the country we all want to live in.

So let’s work together to ensure the NHS is a place where everyone feels valued, where everyone feels cared for, and where everyone can fulfil their potential.