With 7 out of the 10 Formula 1 (F1) teams choosing to base themselves in the UK, British technology and expertise competed against each other last Sunday at Silverstone, as the sport celebrated its 70th anniversary on the very circuit the Championship started in 1950.

More Grand Prix cars are made in Britain than any other country and throughout the last 7 decades, the UK has won more titles than any other nation – a testament to the country’s automotive research and development (R&D) industry.

Motorsport Valley® in the UK is the undisputed leader in global motorsport; home to around 4,300 businesses, employing more than 40,000 people with an annual sales turnover of £10 billion. According to the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) 70% of UK motorsport businesses export their products and services abroad and the US is the UK’s largest export market.

In ongoing negotiations with the US, the Department for International Trade (DIT) aims to strike a comprehensive free trade deal that will make transatlantic trade much easier for UK exporters.

A Formula 1 spokesperson, said:

From aerodynamics to safety developments, F1 has always been at the forefront of technological innovation with advancements that have directly benefitted the global automotive industry.

This is only possible because of our people. Our sport employs thousands in the UK, with 25,000 skilled engineers linked to F1, as well as supply chains across continents.

Increasingly, the technology used by UK motorsport companies is filtering down into the wider automotive sector, as well as other industries such as health and infrastructure. At the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, British F1 teams played an intrinsic role in the UK’s fight against the virus, uniting to form ‘project pitlane’, a Covid-19 respiratory device response.

The Department for International Trade supports the UK motorsports sector through its work with MIA, a DIT Trade Access Programme (TAP) delivery partner, which runs annual trade missions to the US and Europe.

Minister for Exports Graham Stuart, said:  

  Since the first race at Silverstone 70 years ago, the UK has contributed so much to Formula 1 on and off the track. The UK is not just home to the reigning world champion, but also the majority of teams’ headquarters, which is testament to our world-leading motorsport industry.

Through innovation, manufacturing excellence and our highly skilled workforce, British F1 has transformed the global automotive industry and will continue to do so for decades to come.

Ultimotive is one of many UK companies supporting the British Motorsport industry. This family-run business develops, markets, and supplies car care products for the F1 teams and the wider global automotive industry.

Andy Smith, Managing Director at Ultimotive said:

F1 motorsport is extremely competitive and to be at the front of the grid each team has to be incredibly innovative.

With over a decade of experience Ultimotive understands this environment and thrives on the challenges it brings.

Ultimotive exports to 15 countries, with exports accounting for 30% of the company’s annual turnover.

• New government measures will mean political parties and campaigners must explicitly show who they are when promoting campaign content online
• Consultation launched today outlines proposals in further detail and seeks views
• This is the next step in the government’s work to strengthen trust in UK democracy

Online political campaigning is to be made more transparent with proposals launched by the government today.

New measures will require political parties, campaigners and others to clearly show who they are with a digital imprint, when promoting campaign content online.

Minister for the Constitution & Devolution, Chloe Smith, said:

People want to engage with politics online. That’s where campaigners connect with voters and is why, ahead of elections, almost half of political advertising budgets are now spent on digital content and activity.

But people want to know who is talking. Voters value transparency, so we must ensure that there are clear rules to help them see who is behind campaign content online.

The measures we have outlined today are a big step forward towards making UK politics even more transparent and would lead to one of the most comprehensive set of regulations operating in the world today.

The move will mean that voters will get the same transparency from online material as they do from leaflets posted through their letterbox. Digital imprints will also allow the regulator to better monitor who is promoting election material and enforce the spending rules.

The proposals call for digital imprints to apply to all types of campaign content regardless of the country it is being promoted from, and across a variety of digital platforms. The regime is also intended to apply all year round, as while election periods see increased promotional activity, campaigning can happen at any time.

The imprint would be required to be displayed as part of the digital content, and where this is not possible, it should be located in an accessible alternative location linked to the material.

Rebecca Stimson, Head of UK Public Policy at Facebook said:

We have long called for updated rules for the era of digital political campaigning and so we welcome the government’s consultation.

Facebook has led the way on online transparency by requiring all political ads on our platforms to have a ‘paid for by’ disclaimer and placing them into an Ad Library for everyone to see. We look forward to further engaging with the government on this important consultation.

The proposals suggest that digital content meeting both of the following two tests should require an imprint:

• Where the material is intended to achieve the electoral success of registered political parties and candidates, or the material relates to a referendum;
• Where digital content is promoted by either:
  • Registered political parties, registered third party campaigners, candidates, holders of elected office and registered referendum campaigners – both paid and organic digital content;
  • Other campaigners – paid digital content only.

The government has worked closely with social media platforms, the Electoral Commission, and devolved administrations to develop the technical proposals, to make sure the regime will not interfere with peoples’ ability to engage in democratic debate online.

The regime has been designed to allow campaigners, voters, and our independent free press to continue making judgments based on the strength of arguments. Imprint rules will also not apply to unregistered campaigners that are not paying to promote content, so that members of the public remain able to exercise their right to free speech.

These measures will also help tackle intimidation in public life, by ensuring that campaigners are more accountable for the content they post online. Digital imprints were a specific recommendation by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in its review into intimidation.

Throughout the consultation period, we welcome feedback on the proposals and will continue to consider where the policy can be further improved – for example whether digital imprints should be expanded beyond what is considered election material, to wider political advertising.

The government is committed to ensuring our electoral framework reflects modern campaigning practices, in line with how society operates today. These proposals sit alongside wider government work to strengthen the integrity of our elections and protect our democracy.

A new ‘triple lock’ process will give young people added security as they receive their grades this year, the Education Secretary has announced.

Students could accept their calculated grade, appeal to receive a valid mock results, or sit autumn exams to ensure the achievements of young people are recognised.

Ofqual has been asked to determine how and when valid mock results can be used to calculate grades.

All outcomes will hold the same value for universities, colleges and employers, building on the significant number of students who will still progress as a result of their calculated grades. Similar arrangements will apply to vocational and technical qualifications.

The move comes as the Government also announces an extensive support package for all schools, colleges and further education providers to run a full exam series in the autumn.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

Every young person waiting for their results wants to know they have been treated fairly. By ensuring students have the safety net of their mock results, as well as the chance of sitting autumn exams, we are creating a triple lock process to ensure confidence and fairness in the system.

No one wanted to cancel exams – they are the best form of assessment, but the disruption caused by Covid-19 meant they were not possible.

This triple lock system will help provide reassurance to students and ensure they are able to progress with the next stage of their lives.

This will provide an additional safety net to the system of calculated grades, which is the fairest possible approach in the absence of exams. The grades students receive on Thursday will be based on the judgement of their school or college, and have been moderated by exam boards to make sure the same standard is applied for all students, whichever school, college or part of the country they come from.

Students who would like to use a valid mock result will be able to do so through the appeals process, with individuals notifying their school or college who will provide evidence of their mock results to their exam board.

As set out by Ofqual last week, schools and colleges will also be able to appeal if they believe their historic data does not reflect the ability of their current students – that may be because they have experienced a recent change in leadership or because they have one or a number of exceptional students.

For those wishing to try and improve their grades by taking exams in the autumn, the support package will help schools with the costs associated with running these exams including booking venues, sourcing invigilators, and meeting the cost of autumn exam fees if they exceed summer fee rebates.

Where it is not possible to run exams on their own premises without disrupting study, schools and colleges will either be able to book sites through the Department for Education at no cost, or arrange sites themselves and claim back those costs.

Schools and colleges will be able to use the Government’s specialist staffing and events agencies to book invigilators and sites from September as well as being able to claim back costs later in the autumn term.

While £30 million is being earmarked to deliver this support, funding will be demand-led and driven by the number of students who choose to sit exams.