Prime Minister Theresa May will today set out how the Brexit deal agreed with the EU protects jobs and trade while providing new opportunities for Scotland’s fishing industry and exporters.

During a visit near Glasgow, she will speak to factory workers and outline how the deal provides certainty for employers and their staff.

The deal reached in Brussels on Sunday creates a free trade area for goods with no tariffs, fees or charges – the first such agreement of its kind between an advanced economy and the EU.

Over the past week, Diageo, National Farming Union Scotland, the Scotch Whisky Association and BAE Systems have expressed their support for the deal and publicly warned about the potential consequences of ‘no deal’ for Scotland.

She will also say that, as well as giving clarity to business, the deal delivers for Scottish fishermen by taking back control of our waters.

This will enhance the fortunes of the fishing industry and allow it to take advantage of the opportunities championed by groups such as the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.

For the first time in four decades, the UK will also be free to strike its own trade deals with non-EU countries – providing further opportunity for iconic exports such as Scottish smoked salmon and Scotch whisky.

The Prime Minister will say:

It is a deal that is good for Scottish employers and which will protect jobs. It includes a new free trade area with no tariffs, fees, quantitative restrictions or rules of origin checks—an unprecedented economic relationship that no other major economy has.

At the same time, we will be free to strike our own trade deals around the world – providing even greater opportunity to Scottish exporters. I welcome the strong support which employers have given to the deal and the certainty which it provides.

Crucially, the deal also ensures that we will leave EU programmes that do not work in our interests. So we will be out of the common agricultural policy, which has failed our farmers, and out of the common fisheries policy, which has so tragically failed Scotland’s coastal communities.

At long last, we will be “an independent coastal state” again – taking back full sovereign control over our waters, and free to decide for ourselves who we allow to fish in our waters.

The EU maintained throughout the negotiation process that it wanted to link overall access to markets to access to fisheries. It failed in the withdrawal agreement and it failed again in the political declaration.

I have been robust in defending the interests of Scottish fisherman so far- and I will always be so.

Today the Home Secretary confirmed that a new UK-France Coordination and Information Centre has opened in Calais as part of the ongoing co-operation between the UK and France to tackle criminality at the border.

The centre will see Border Force working closely alongside Police Aux Frontieres as part of a 24/7 operation to:

• assist with preventing illegal attempts to cross the shared border
• exchange real-time intelligence between UK and French agencies to combat cross-border criminality
• work on the prevention of threats to public order on cross-border infrastructure
• provide analysis of cross-Channel traffic flows

Importantly, it will also help with the identification, prosecution and dismantling of the organised crime groups currently behind illegal migration attempts by small boats across the Channel.

The new centre is a key part of the Sandhurst Treaty, a bilateral agreement between the UK and France which reinforces the commitment of both sides to work together on border security issues. Under the Treaty, the UK has invested an additional £44.5 million to protect the shared border.

The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid said:

The opening of this coordination centre is a key milestone in our delivery of the commitments set out in the Sandhurst Treaty.

It will allow the UK and France to work even closer in the fight to tackle illegal activity at the border and the crime networks who are putting the lives of vulnerable people at risk.

Law enforcement partners including Immigration Enforcement, the National Crime Agency and Kent Police and their French counterparts will also form part of the coordination effort, working alongside Border Force and Police Aux Frontieres.

The Coordination and Information Centre became operational on Friday 23 November.

This follows two years of detailed negotiations led by FCO Minister for the Americas Sir Alan Duncan.

On 13 September 2016, the Minister agreed the UK-Argentina Joint Communique, kicking off negotiations for this closer cooperation between the two countries.

The new air link will support the Falkland Island’s economic development, increase engagement with South America, and provide economic benefits to the region.

Minister for the Americas, Sir Alan Duncan said:

The announcement of a new flight from South America to the Falkland Islands shows real progress, particularly ahead of the G20 in Argentina. This news highlights our closer relationship with Argentina and that, despite our differences on some areas; we can work together on issues that benefit all.

Notes to editor:

• Full UK statement can be found here

Further information

Published 27 November 2018

Baroness Fairhead today (Tuesday 27 November) attended the launch of Google’s Digital Garage initiative to upskill London’s SMEs and help them grow their businesses both at home and abroad.

Ahead of Small Business Saturday this weekend, the Minister announced a new partnership between the Exporting is GREAT campaign and Google, which will see the Digital Garage deliver an exporting education series for 2000 SMEs in 2019.

Focusing on helping businesses grow their digital export operation, the events will be hosted in Manchester, Edinburgh and on university campuses around the UK. The training will be split into three modules which focus on finding new global opportunities, setting up new export operations and marketing.

Speaking at an event in London, the Minister of State at the Department for International Trade, Baroness Fairhead, said:

This exciting initiative between Google and the GREAT campaign will give SMEs up and down the country the opportunity to gain valuable insights into how to start or expand their export operations.

The Department for International Trade has recently launched the government’s Export Strategy, which was developed with businesses. It offers export support for all UK companies and includes finance from our award-winning credit agency, UK Export Finance, advice from our network of Export Champions and a wealth of resources and opportunities on GREAT.gov.uk

Ronan Harris Google MD UK and Ireland said:

We’re thrilled to bring the Google Digital Garage and, for the first time, offer free digital skills training to Londoners and businesses right here in the capital. The Evening Standard’s Future London campaign offered an incredible opportunity to partner so we can provide training and support for those who wish to learn crucial skills for the digital age.

We firmly believe everyone should be able to benefit from the opportunities that technology brings and we want to give people the skills they need to grow their confidence, career or business.

Looking forward to 2019, there is tremendous potential to envisage what we can achieve from working with the Department for International Trade to roll out a brand new training offering to small and medium enterprises providing valuable insight to support their export operations.

A recent Google business survey found that 70% of SMEs said that they lacked the skills needed to find the best overseas markets to enter.

Both DIT and Google are working to break down barriers to trade, with the education series the latest joint effort between government and the private sector to help British businesses.

The new partnership builds on an existing relationship which saw DIT and Google working together to build a new online ‘Market Finder’ tool which allows companies to find overseas opportunities at the click of a mouse.

Baroness Fairhead recently launched the government’s Export Strategy which sets out how DIT will support businesses of all sizes to make the most of the opportunities presented by markets around the world.

A government-led collaboration with business, developed after extensive engagement with a range of UK firms – the Strategy sets a new ambition from government to increase exports as a proportion of UK GDP to 35%.

Further Information:

• In Google’s recently commissioned survey 70% of SMEs said they lacked the skills needed to find the best markets to enter. The Google Digital Garage is on hand to help tackle this problem by providing free digital skills training to people and businesses.
• Since launching the Digital Garage in 2015, Google have trained over 300,000 people, and visited over 250 locations across the UK.
• For the first time ever, the Google Digital Garage bus will tour boroughs across the capital, delivering free training.

Downing Street spokesperson said:

This morning the Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Shinzō Abe of Japan.

The leaders discussed the importance of free trade and close co-operation between the UK and Japan. Prime Minister Abe welcomed the progress the Prime Minister has made to secure an agreement with the European Union.

The leaders looked forward to seeing each other at the G20 in Argentina this weekend, and the Prime Minister welcomed Prime Minister Abe’s commitment to visit the UK early next year.

Published 27 November 2018