Thank you very much everybody for being here. I’m really pleased to welcome you to Downing Street today. I think this is a very significant day for our country in terms of what we’re publishing today.

I think when it comes to the health of our economy and the performance of our health service, or the results of our education system we’ve got plenty of data to show us where things are working well and where things are not working in the population as a whole. But what we’re publishing today, I think, is data that fills a glaring gap, by analysing how a person’s ethnicity affects their experience in public services and how that affects their lives. And that holds a mirror up to our society and I think establishes a new and permanent resource for our country.

I think this is important and launching this piece of work was one of the first acts that I did as Prime Minister and it is a personal priority to me because I absolutely, passionately believe that how far you go in life, should be about your talents and your hard work and nothing else.

We know that Britain today in the 21st Century is a diverse multi-ethnic democracy. Diversity is a source of strength and pride for us. But when one person works just as hard as another person – and has got the same ambitions and aspirations – but experiences a worse outcome solely the grounds of their ethnicity, then this is a problem that I believe we have to confront.

And that was the approach that I took when I was Home Secretary and I looked at the issue of stop and search and saw the significant disparity in stops and searches – far more young men from black and minority ethnic backgrounds being stopped and searched. But the number of incidents didn’t actually equate to that and justify that. We knew there was an injustice there and we had to act and that’s why we shook the system up and I am pleased to say the number of black people being stopped and searched has fallen by two thirds. I think that’s the difference that we can make when we identify the problem properly and then actually confront injustice and I hope that this audit will empower us to tackle many more of these issues.

I think the data we’re releasing today and the online platform that presents it, should quickly become to be regarded as the central resource in the battle to defeat ethnic injustice. It’s a world first, no country has ever produced a piece of work looking at the lived experience of people of different ethnicities which is as extensive and ambitious as this and I want to give a huge vote of thanks to everybody who’s worked so hard on putting this together and helped us in what we’re doing.

But it is not a one-off event this is a first but it’s not something that’s only going to happen today and the data sets and the online platform that we’re launching are now a permanent resource. I think that’s really important they will be updated and new data will be added and we’re fully committed to this for the long-term. And of course, as you know, as you look at the data much of it has existed for years but it’s been spread across the government system. It’s been difficult to access, perhaps it hasn’t been looked at through this particular prism before, and now it will be easily available and people can look at the data, they can look at the methodology for putting the data together, they can interrogate that data, they can measure our progress and they can focus our minds.

Overall the findings will be uncomfortable but it’s right that we’ve identified them, shone a light on them and we need to confront these issues that we have identified. So we are going to take action, for example in relation to the issue of unemployment for people from particular BAME communities we will be identifying hotspots where we will be putting particular extra work in to help people into the workplace.

The Ministry of Justice is going to take forward with recommendations from the Lammy Review that includes performance indicators in prisons to assess the quality of outcomes for prisoners of all ethnicities; committing to publish all criminal justice databases held on ethnicity by default; and working to ensure that the prison workforce itself is more representative of this country as a whole.

In schooling, the Department for Education is taking forward a review on external exclusions. Again, there is some significant differences shown from this data on exclusions. This will share best practice nationwide and will focus on the experiences of groups who are disproportionately likely to be excluded. And the team in the Cabinet Office, which has been working on this, will be continuing its work in the future.

I know that people around this table – I’ve worked with some of you over the years – have devoted many years working on these issues and we’re keen to hear from you about your thoughts on the audit, your own experiences and the experiences of the people that you’re representing.

I was with a group of young people yesterday at a school in south London and hearing from them, their direct experiences, absolutely tapped into the sort of information that we are seeing in this audit and the impact. It wasn’t just their immediate experience, it was the impact on their aspiration and where they thought their life could go and I think this is really important,

I think what this audit shows is that there isn’t anywhere to hide. And that’s not just for government, it is for society as a whole actually. The issues are now out in the open and we all have a responsibility to work together to tackle them.

So I think the message is very simple; if the disparities can’t be explained, they must be changed. Britain has come a long way, we must recognise that we’ve come a long way, in promoting equality and opportunity. But what the data published today shows is that we still have a way to go if we’re truly going to have a country that does work for everyone.

So thank you very much everybody for coming today and I am looking forward to hearing your views in due course.

The £3 million project took around 2 years to complete and is designed to provide the optimum ‘safe place’ training environment for armed forces personnel in order to equip them with the skills required for operational duties at home and overseas.

The project has seen the existing Garelochhead ranges transformed in to 2 new developments: a grouping and zeroing (G&Z) range and an electronic target tange (ETR) and a single range building complex with classrooms, a targetry store and workshops, which serve the 2 ranges.

Brigadier Neil Dalton OBE, head of training for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) said:

The opening of these ranges represents a significant investment by defence, delivered by DIO, to provide the modern facilities required to develop and maintain individual shooting skills.

These ranges will serve a host of nearby units, as well as those using the neighbouring training area, and are a great further boost to the quality of infrastructure in the Clyde area.

The programme delivery was managed by Scotland’s DIO service delivery training team and industry partner Landmarc Support Services with local contractor, Mackenzie Construction Ltd responsible for the build phase of the project.

General Bob Bruce and Brigadier Neil Dalton at the official opening. Crown copyright. All rights reserved.

Lt Col Mike Onslow, Commander of DIO service delivery training team in Scotland and Northern Ireland said:

DIO is committed to improving the facilities and services that it provides to the armed forces and this project is a great example of how we are doing this. The benefits offered by these new facilities are legion. They are also the result of five years of hard work, detailed collaboration and numerous opportunities to practice our problem solving abilities. 

The people involved in delivering these ranges and the supporting infrastructure have been superb and suffered the capricious nature of the west coast weather; they have my admiration and thanks.  We have a complex that is efficient; environmentally future proofed and will provide the required training to all elements of defence based in the close proximity and elsewhere for years to come.

Kevin Kneeshaw, regional operations manager for Landmarc Support Services in Scotland added:

By working collaboratively with DIO and our contractor, Mackenzie, we have been able to overcome a number of unique challenges to deliver first class training facilities that are not only sustainable, but will deliver cost savings for our armed forces.

The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. The non-ministerial department has responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries, as well as enforcing competition and consumer law.

Members are appointed to the CMA panel for up to 8 years. In this role they will join independent groups to make decisions on markets and mergers issues on behalf of the CMA.

They are appointed through open competition for their experience, ability and diversity of skills in competition economics, law, finance, business and consumer issues.

Margot James, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility, said:

The Competition and Markets Authority is absolutely vital in ensuring that the British economy remains a level playing field for everyone.

I want to congratulate these new members on their appointment, and I look forward to working alongside them to create a fair and balanced business environment.

The new panel members appointed by the Secretary of State are:

Humphrey Battcock

Humphrey has been with Advent International, one of the world’s leading private equity firms, since 1994; he recently stepped down from its 5-man global Executive Committee and chair of the European Investment Advisory Committee. His appointment as a panel member commences in April 2018.

Gareth Davies

Since 2011 Gareth has been an independent consultant on telecoms and postal regulation. He was previously Director of Competition Policy at OFCOM between 2004 and 2011. His appointment as a panel member commences in April 2018.

Richard Feasey

Richard has been a lecturer and consultant since 2013. He previously was Director of Group Public Policy at Vodafone Group PLC between March 2001 and July 2013. His appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Anne Fletcher

Anne has held a number of senior legal and compliance roles including Group General Counsel for BT plc and Compliance Director for Royal Mail. She has extensive UK and international legal, governance, risk and compliance experience. Anne has been a Member of the Audit and Risk Committee for the Office of the Public Guardian since 2015. Her appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Roland Green

Roland has been the Senior Director of Policy and Deputy General Counsel at the CMA from 2014 to 2017 and was the Senior Legal Adviser to the Competition Commission from 2010. From 1986 to 2010 he worked as a public lawyer advising various government departments, having previously practised as a solicitor with Linklaters and Russell-Cooke. His appointment as a panel member commences in July 2018.

Susan Hankey

Susan was a partner in the competition team of law firm CMS Cameron McKenna from 1998 to 2015, and worked in the Brussels office of Cameron Markby Hewitt from 1992 to 1995. Her appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Ulrike Hotopp

Ulrike is director at LIVE Economics ltd, an independent economic consultancy. She has been Honorary Professor at the University of Kent since 2014. Ulrike is also Advisory Board Member at the Queen Mary, University of London, School of Business and Management (SBM) since 2014. Her appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Sheila McClelland

Sheila has been the Chair of Consumer Council for Northern Ireland (NI) from April 2015 to present and an Interim Director for the Council for Curriculum Examination and Assessment (CCEA) from May 2015 to present. She has also been a NI Committee Member for the Heritage Lottery Fund from April 2015 to present. Her appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Stuart McIntosh

Stuart is currently a Member of the Competition Decisions Committee at the Financial Conduct Authority (since 2015) and a Member of the Competition and Enforcement Decisions Committee at the Payment Systems Regulator (also since 2015). He is also a Member of the Regulatory Decisions Committee at the FCA (since 2016) and a Member of the Enforcement Decisions Panel at OFGEM (since 2016). He is a Member of the Advisory Board of ManSat (since 2015). His appointment as a panel member will commence in October 2017.

Paul Muysert

Paul is currently at the Competition Economists Group, London, where he is a Senior Adviser. He was previously with OFCOM between 2014 and 2015 and Charles River Associates between 2011 and 2014. His appointment as a panel member will commence in April 2018.

Jeremy Newman

Jeremy has a number of ongoing appointments including: Chair of The Workforce Development Trust (previously known as Skills for Health and Justice), non-executive board member of the Crown Prosecution Service, lead non-executive and Deputy Chair of the Government Legal Department. His appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Keith Richards

Keith has been qualified as a barrister for over 30 years and is an arbitrator and accredited mediator. He has been Chair of the Disabled Person Transport Advisory Committee since 2014, Chair of the CAA consumer panel since 2012, and Chair of the Renewable Energy Consumer Codes Non-Compliance panel since 2016. He has also been a Member of the Air Travel Insolvency Protection Advisory Committee since 2014, and a Non-Executive Director at ECPAT UK since 2010. His appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

John Thanassoulis

John is the Professor of Financial Economics at Warwick Business School (WBS), University Of Warwick, and prior to his joining the CMA panel was the Associate Dean for Executive Education at WBS. John is also a CEPR Research Fellow. Between 2012 and 2013 John was Non-Executive Director of Oxford Investment Partners (OXIP). Between 2004 and 2013 John was a Tenured University Lecturer (equivalent to Associate Professor) at the Department of Economics, University of Oxford and he was the Heyman-Moritz Official Student (Fellow) of Economics at Christ Church. His appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Mark Thatcher

Mark is currently the Professor of Comparative and International Politics, in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and he has held this position since 2008. He has researched and published on competition and regulation in the UK, the EU and European countries. His appointment as a panel member commences in April 2018.

David Thomas

David has an MA in Economics and is a chartered accountant. In September 2016 he retired as a UK partner in KPMG where he founded and led its global economics and regulation practice. Prior to joining KPMG in 2006, he was Director of Competition and Regulatory Finance at Ofcom and from 1984 to 2003 was with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has 33 years of experience in the communications sector, the last 10 of which have focused on providing regulatory advice in numerous countries and acting as an independent expert in regulatory and commercial disputes on both quantum and liability. Since retiring from KPMG he continues to consult to a range of clients outside the UK. His appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Claire Whyley

Claire is a professional researcher and policy analyst, focusing on consumer behaviour and decision-making, consumer protection and consumer-focused regulation. Claire holds a number of non-executive roles including the Civil Aviation Authority Consumer Panel, the Advertising Advisory Committee, the Finance and Leasing Association Lending Code Board, the H7 Consumer Challenge Panel, the Office of Rail and Road Consumer Expert Panel and the Board of the Money Advice Trust. She was previously Senior Research Fellow at the Personal Finance Research Centre, Head of Research and Policy at the Welsh Consumer Council and Deputy Director of Policy at the National Consumer Council. Her appointment as a panel member commences in October 2017.

Product defect recall alert for Meloxaid 5mg/ml Solution for Injection for Dogs and Cats (Vm 02000/4397) by Norbrook Laboratories Ltd.

Good morning.

It is an honour to be here today to address the Jewish Care business breakfast, and to join the distinguished list of speakers who have addressed this gathering.

Over the course of my career I have had the pleasure to speak at many charitable gatherings, for a wide variety of good and noble causes.

I’m not sure I have ever, though, addressed a charity which is as comprehensive in its philanthropy as Jewish Care.

And your organisation not only provides important care for the elderly members of the Jewish community, but also for those with dementia, disabilities, or mental health issues.

You even provide leadership opportunities for young people, helping them to develop vital life skills.

Before I entered parliament, I worked as a GP. I have experienced first had how much of a difference charitable organisations like Jewish Care can make, caring for the most vulnerable people in our society.

It is work that is, sadly, too often overlooked by those without direct experience of it. Yet charities can provide targeted care within communities, often reaching parts where the state cannot.

For those of you in a generous mood, there are few organisations more worthy of your munificence.

I know that you have not invited the Secretary of State for International Trade here to wax lyrical about the virtues of Jewish Care, or of charity in general.

But I do see a clear connection between trade and philanthropy.

Without the prosperity that trade engenders, charitable organisations could not flourish, yet there is also a more immediate connection.

The great rabbinical philosopher, Moses Maimonides wrote that:

The highest level of Tzedakah or Charity, is that which enables the recipient to become self-reliant.

For millions of the world’s poorest people, trade has meant exactly that.

As economies across the world have liberalised, opportunities for employment, or commerce, have lifted billions from poverty.

According to the World Bank, the 3 decades between 1981 and 2011 witnessed the single greatest decrease in material deprivation in human history – a truly remarkable achievement.

It is hard to imagine an international aid programme – even one as generous as our own – that would or could have been so effective.

It was no coincidence that this period coincided with the great liberalised economies of India and China opening up to the world.

At a fundamental level, free and open trade allows people to improve their own lives, allowing the individual to access global opportunities. It delivers employment, goods and services, often where they are needed most.

Across the world, trade has created prosperity, where once there was only deprivation.

Of course, the United Kingdom has benefitted vastly from centuries of trade, and its promotion comes with a degree of economic self-interest.

We must recognise, though, that there is also an equally strong social and moral case for the defence of trading freedoms.

And I say ‘social’ because whilst trade has delivered vast benefits to those in developing countries, it has also has a transformative effect on the lives of our own people.

Although it might not always be noticed, the wider benefits of a liberal trade policy have spread to British consumers and households by providing a wider choice of goods at a lower price.

Free trade is not only vital in ensuring that supplies of raw materials and everyday essentials like food and clothing are available in the UK; but it also increases the quality of those products, and helps to drive down prices.

In the decade to 2006, the real import price of clothing fell by 38%. In the same period, the price of consumer electronics, as we all know, fell by 50%, despite all the rapid technological achievements of that period, what went from a $4,000 brick called the mobile phone at that time turns into a super computer in the palm of your hand at a fraction of the price. That is what liberal and open trade can provide.

As a consequence, living standards in this country are now at their highest level in history.

Yet ‘Free Trade’ as a concept is often regarded with suspicion or simple indifference by consumers, who often fail to see how it can make a difference to their lives.

I believe that open, liberal free trade is undeniably a good thing.

It is unfortunate, though, that trading freedoms can no longer be taken for granted.

Last year, the Word Trade Organization estimated that the growth in global trade could be as little as 1.8%, falling below the growth in global GDP. This is the inverse of the normal relationship and it’s unhealthy, history tells us in the long term.

Moreover, research by the OECD that shows that protectionist instincts have grown since the financial crisis of 2008.

In 2010 G7 and G20 countries were operating some 300 non-tariff barriers to trade – by 2015 this had mushroomed to over 1,200.

So clearly, free trade is in need of a champion. The case for commercial freedom must be made at every level.

To consumers we must show that, when a foreign company invests in your area and creates jobs – that is free trade.

When you use a smartphone or a flat-screen TV at a lower price – that is global free trade.

Or when you go to a supermarket and you buy your fruit and meat and vegetables you want all year round, rather than relying on our own seasonal produce – that is global free trade in action.

These benefits often go unrecognised, even at an official level.

Last Spring, I was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, at a meeting of trade minister from the world’s major economies.

It was a full 54 minutes – just shy of an hour – before a single one of the world’s trade ministers said the ‘C-word’. Consumers were never mentioned at that meeting. We have got to also champion the consumer interest and such a state of affairs illustrates perfectly that a wider recognition is needed of the benefits that free trade can bring to ordinary people.

Those who shape international trade policy must no longer see commercial freedoms solely as a means of reaching a narrow macroeconomic advantage, but as a force for social and geopolitical good.

Those countries, like the United Kingdom, who have benefitted the most from free trade, cannot, in good conscience, pull up the drawbridge. There is a moral obligation to pass on the benefits of free trade to our less developed partners, allowing them access to our markets, or our skills and our expertise.

Such a policy would benefit all of humankind.

My Department for International Trade was founded last year to make Britain a global champion of free trade once again.

We are in a unique position to use our economic and diplomatic influence to extend and protect commercial freedoms across the world.

Of course, as a department of state of the UK, our primary purpose is to ensure that global trade bestows its benefits on Britain.

Our vision is of a UK that trades its way to prosperity, stability and security, and our mission is to help businesses export, drive investment, open up markets and champion free trade.

Liberalisation of the global economy is firmly within this country’s interests, and we are ready to take advantage of the historic opportunities that have been presented to this country.

Our departure from the European Union after some 44 years of membership will bring challenges. Yet it will also offer almost limitless possibilities.

For the first time in more than four decades this country will have a fully independent trade policy, to be shaped to best serve the interests of British consumers, British businesses, and the British economy.

The potential of this should not be underestimated. The trading bloc of the European Union has served parts of our economy well, but it is a model that is fundamentally outdated in the age of globalisation.

New technology has reduced the barriers of distance and time, and being tied to other nations simply through geographical proximity is no longer necessary especially in an economy like the UK, which is now 80 % services. The British people have opted not for insularity, but internationalism.

We will soon be in a position to revitalise our existing trade relationships, and to build new connections with those growing economies that will drive prosperity in the 21st century.

Don’t believe me, go and look at the EU’s website. The EU trade page says in the next 10 to 15 years 90% of global growth will be beyond the borders of Europe. That is where we need to be.

To ignore such possibilities would be a great disservice to the British people.

This vision of the future is central to the government’s ambition to build a truly global Britain.

This is about building a country that is a bold, outward-looking champion of free trade.

The UK will lead the defence of the rules-based international system as a newly independent member of the WTO, while forging agreements with partners across the world.

The state of Israel will, of course, be a key partner in that future.

As a longstanding friend of the Israeli people, I was delighted to attend the Tel Aviv in London festival last month.

I was struck by the many similarities between the 2 cities, not only in their formidable international reputations for technology, innovation and financial services, but in the vibrancy of the culture that we share.

These parallels are indicative of the complimentary nature of the Israeli and UK economies. It is a strong foundation from which to enhance our future relationship.

The UK is already the number 1 destination in Europe for Israeli investment, with over 300 companies already operating here.

Yet there is more to be done and more to be achieved. One of the things that I am proud of in my department has been the creation of a UK-Israel Trade Working Group, designed to identify and remove barriers to trade between our 2 countries. This will not only strengthen our bilateral relationship, but provide a strong foundation for further progress upon our exit from the EU, as well as providing greater prosperity, stability and security in Israel itself.

And this is one of the themes that we have across our government because trade is not only done for itself; it provides a prosperity which underpins social cohesion.

That social cohesion helps in turn to underpin political stability and that political stability is a contribution to our wider security.

All of them are parts of a continuum which cannot be disrupted, which is something that both the UK and Israel understand well.

In the extensive travels undertaken by myself and the other departmental ministers in the past 15 months, I have been struck by the sheer level of enthusiasm that exists across the world for Britain’s new role.

Nations are not only lining up to enhance their trading relationship with our country, but also to access our wealth of talent, knowledge and expertise.

Our global brand remains incredibly strong. People want to ‘buy British’ and they want to partner British as well. Globally the commercial prospects for this country have never been brighter and we must embrace them with confidence and optimism.

We are opening a new chapter in our nation’s history, but the story has not yet been written.

I believe that politics is a binary choice. You can either shape the world around you, or you’ll be shaped by the world around you.

The United Kingdom has the ability to shape the world – all we require is the confidence to do it.

My department stands ready to help shape the future of global trade, placing Britain back at its heart.

Free trade may be a centuries-old concept, but it is also the key to projecting this country’s prosperity far into the future.

Sir Winston Churchill once called free trade “a condition of progress”. Once again, the great man’s words have stood the test of time.

It is incumbent upon all of us to defend that progress.

There will be challenges ahead, but we have the ability, the vision and the determination to shape the future as we see fit.

We are not passengers to our own destiny. We can make change happen if we choose to do so and change we will.

Thank you.