A proposed vertical launch spaceport in Sutherland has been awarded £2.5 million in funding by the UK Space Agency to develop a ground breaking launch site. The UK Space Agency is a UK Government body.

UK Government Business Secretary Greg Clark will today [16 July 2018] launch the start of a Great British Space Age that will see vertically-launched space rockets and satellites take off from a new spaceport at Sutherland on the north coast of Scotland.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

As a nation of innovators and entrepreneurs, we want Britain to be the first place in mainland Europe to launch satellites as part of our modern Industrial Strategy. The UK’s thriving space industry, research community and aerospace supply chain put the UK in a leading position to develop both vertical and horizontal launch sites.

This will build on our global reputation for manufacturing small satellites and help the whole country capitalise on the huge potential of the commercial space age.

In addition, the UK Government is also making available a new £2 million fund to boost further horizontal launch spaceport sites across Britain – such as Glasgow Prestwick.

Welcoming the announcement Scottish Secretary David Mundell said:

The UK Government is driving the commercial space age and Scotland is leading the way. We are investing £2.5 million in a vertical launch site in Sutherland which will create hundreds of new jobs. And we will invest a further £2 million in horizontal launch sites – Prestwick is in the running for that and I wish them well.

Scotland is uniquely positioned to pilot the UK’s commercial space sector and the UK Government recognises this potential. The opportunities are considerable, launching a new age for British industry.

The commercial space sector is estimated to be worth a potential £3.8 billion to the UK economy over the next decade and will support Britain’s modern Industrial Strategy by creating high-skilled jobs and boosting local economies.

UK Space Agency selected the Sutherland site because Scotland is the best place in the UK to reach highly sought-after satellite orbits with vertically launched rockets.

Thank you very much Mr President. I’d like to join colleagues in welcoming our new colleague from Cote d’Ivoire. We look forward to working with you and thank Ambassador Alcide for his excellent cooperation in the interim.

Mr. President, we voted for the Resolution but listening to some of the Explanations of Vote round the chamber, an outside observer could be forgiven for thinking the Resolution was about the peace process. It is not a Resolution about the peace process. It’s a Resolution designed to protect the people of South Sudan. It imposes a long-needed arms embargo that will limit the flow of weapons that fuel the conflict in South Sudan and it imposes further targeted sanctions against two individuals whose acts have expanded and extended the conflict and caused immeasurable suffering to the people of South Sudan, both targets and military officials and there is decisive evidence of responsibility by them for human rights abuses.

It would be a very sad commentary on the prospects for peace if these two measures, designed to help the people of South Sudan, were allowed to get in the way and complicate the peace process. One cannot, one does not, advance peace by ignoring atrocities and in my experience if people are looking for a reason to resile from a peace process they will find one, regardless of whether or not the Council takes action to protect the people of that country.

So I would just like to set out very clearly that we expect the peace process to continue. We support the efforts of IGAD and the African Union and regional organisations to that end and we urge all the leaders in South Sudan to work with them to advance the peace process. Thank you.

The Home Secretary last night (Thursday 12 July) paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer, who was killed while defending Parliament during the 2017 Westminster attack, at the 23rd Police Bravery Awards in London.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid presented the national award to joint winners PC Palmer posthumously and PC Charlie Guenigault of the Metropolitan Police, who was stabbed multiple times after confronting 3 armed terrorists while off-duty during the London Bridge attack.

Speaking at the ceremony hosted by the Police Federation, the Home Secretary said “we would never, ever forget” PC Palmer, who paid the ultimate sacrifice and gave up his life defending Parliament.

PC Shaun Cartwright of the Metropolitan Police accepted the award on behalf of PC Palmer.

There were 80 nominees from across 40 forces at the awards, which were sponsored by Police Mutual. Eight regional awards were presented in addition to the overall national award for PC Palmer and PC Guenigault.

The Home Secretary congratulated all the nominees and winners at the awards. “We’ve seen this evening you truly are the best police service in the world,” he said.

Minister for Policing and the Fire Service Nick Hurd presented a regional award to Sgt Mark Allmond and PC Alex Quigley of Thames Valley Police.

The pair worked together to unarm and detain a man armed with a large carving knife, who had already stabbed and killed a member of the public on a high street in Oxfordshire.

Nominees and their partners were also invited to a special afternoon reception at 10 Downing Street earlier in the day, where the minister celebrated their dedication to duty and thanked the families of police officers for supporting their loved ones.

“You can take great pride in what you do as a service and as individuals, knowing it is absolutely appreciated by the government but also by the public whom you all serve,” said the minister.

The UK has invited independent technical experts from the international chemical weapons watchdog to travel to the UK early next week to independently confirm the identity of the nerve agent which has resulted in the death of one British national in Amesbury, and has left another in a serious condition in hospital.

Peter Wilson, UK Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has written to the Organisation’s Director General inviting them to assist in accordance with Article VIII 38 (e) of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

During their visit they will be able to collect samples to inform this work. These samples will be analysed at highly reputable international laboratories designated by the OPCW.

The use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and contravenes international law. The UK remains committed to upholding the integrity of the OPCW as the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention overseeing the global ban on their use.

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Established in 2004, Cambridge-based Cocoda works with small luxury brands to help market and sell their products internationally.

The business recently secured a new contract with a Japanese distributor after attending a Global Food Forum meet the buyer event in Newmarket last year.

The contract will see products from Holdsworth Chocolates and Duncan’s of Deeside delivered to Japan, to be sold in department stores, delicatessens and gourmet food stores nationally. Its success proves the growing global appetite for British chocolate, with over £680 million being snapped up by overseas consumers last year.

The company currently works with 6 premium brands across the UK including Prestat, Simply Delicious, Summerdown Mint and Pulsetta. They export to 25 countries including North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australasia.

David Hill, Managing Director at Cocoda, said:

As you can imagine, taste is the most important factor when selling luxury chocolate, biscuits and confectionery. Attending DIT-hosted events and trade missions enabled me to meet potential buyers face-to-face, and treat them to our delicious range of biscuits, confectionery and chocolate, which helped secure further sales.

The global appetite for British food and drink is growing all the time, so it’s an amazing opportunity for home-grown producers, but there are certain regulations around packaging and ingredients that vary from country to country.

Working with DIT helped Cocoda to navigate these with ease, and prepared the business and its brands for what to expect when exporting to a new market for the first time. For example, when selling to buyers in the Middle East products like our champagne truffles were removed from the tasting lists because they contain alcohol, which is only available for purchase at licensed venues.

Exporting has been fundamental to the business success, and helped to expand the global customer base for all the brands in Cocoda’s portfolio. If these brands can capitalise on the demand for luxury British products across the globe, so can other East of England businesses.

As part of its commitment to encouraging local businesses to export, Department for International Trade (DIT) hosts regular networking events where companies can meet distributors and partners from across the globe.

Alan Pain, Head of Exports for the East of England at DIT, said:

There are growing opportunities for premium confectionery brands like Holdsworth Chocolates and Duncan’s of Deeside across the globe, particularly in Asia, where consumers are quickly developing a new appetite for dairy products. It’s rewarding to see businesses like Cocoda tapping into this potential.

Food and drink exports generated more than £22 billion of income for the UK in 2017, and this looks set to increase as growing numbers of consumers look for British-branded produce.

We have a team of International Trade Advisers located across the East of England alongside our calendar of events including opportunities to meet face-to-face with prospective buyers and build relationships. We urge local businesses of all sizes and sectors to come along as it’s a great opportunity to learn more about exporting and can lead to new contracts, as shown by Cocoda.