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A Downing Street spokesperson said:

“The Prime Minister spoke with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the phone this afternoon.

“They both agreed about the paramount importance of no hard border or physical infrastructure at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister said how she recognised the significance of this issue to the people of Northern Ireland and Ireland and how this remained a joint priority for both Governments, and the EU, to resolve.

“The Prime Minister said we are working hard to find a specific solution to the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland that respects the integrity of the UK, the European Union and the Belfast Agreement.

“She added that we are committed to moving together to achieve a positive result on this as well as restoring devolved Government to Northern Ireland. Both leaders looked forward to continuing relations as close neighbours and allies as the negotiations progress.”

The grand total was raised for the mental health charity throughout 2017 as part of a year of fundraising by DVLA staff. Staff chose Mind as the agency’s annual charity of choice and have been raising money through a number of activities including half marathons, Three Peaks Challenge, skydiving and a ‘Music for Mind’ charity concert. Over the year staff also ran raffles, sweepstakes and cake sales, with every opportunity raising funds for the good cause.

Along with representatives from the charity, Swansea City Football Club Ambassador Lee Trundle showed his support by attending the presentation of the cheque to Mind at the DVLA in Morriston today, during the agency’s annual Christmas fayre.

Oliver Morley, DVLA Chief Executive, said:

The efforts of our staff in our charity of choice campaign this year have once again been truly outstanding, and I am really proud of everyone who has raised or donated money to support Mind. We’ve seen a massive range of fundraising activities taking place across the agency throughout the year and I’m grateful to everyone for getting involved and supporting this incredibly good cause.

Lorna Killin, Senior Corporate Account Manager for Mind, said:

We are absolutely thrilled that DVLA chose us as their charity of choice and for all their fantastic fundraising support. The money raised will be split between Swansea Mind, which provides support locally, and the Mind Infoline which provides support and advice for anyone experiencing mental health problems. The money raised by DVLA will help Mind ensure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.

A woman who conspired to pervert the course of justice has had her sentence increased today by the Court of Appeal after the Solicitor General referred it as too low.

Catherine Coslett was originally sentenced at Newport Crown Court to eighteen months’ imprisonment suspended for two years. She was found guilty of disposing of evidence and putting pressure on witnesses to retract their statements in the case of a man murdered by her son, Richard Wallis.

Catherine Coslett conspired with her son and his daughter to wash and dispose of the clothing that he was wearing when he killed Jan Jedrzejewski. They also put pressure on three witnesses to retract the accounts they gave to the police that incriminated Coslett’s son in the crime.

Following the Court of Appeal hearing, Coslett’s sentence was increased to two years’ immediate imprisonment. Commenting on the increased sentence, the Solicitor General said:

“I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase Catherine Coslett’s sentence. The murder of Jan Jedrzejewski was a despicable crime and Catherine Coslett’s actions to cover it up were disturbing. My thoughts are with the family of Mr Jedrzejewski. I hope they can take some comfort from the increased sentence today.”

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox today hailed the ‘immediate and tangible’ benefits that will arise as the UK works to establish itself as a global champion of free trade.

Addressing academics, policy makers and business representatives at the launch of the Department for International Trade sponsored e-book ‘Cloth for Wine? The relevance of Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage in the 21st Century’ he asserted his confidence that the best days of global trade lie ahead.

The publication produced by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and sponsored by DIT is a collection of essays marking the 200th anniversary of David Ricardo’s principle of comparative advantage.

Using the simple example of trading English cloth for Portuguese wine, Ricardo explained how all actors, at all times, can mutually benefit from commercial cooperation and voluntary trade. Whilst a radical idea at the time, this insight generated the basis for international trade today.

Outlining his ambition to make the UK the world’s foremost champion of free trade, Dr Fox explained how 200 years on, Ricardo’s transformative insight still holds true for the modern global economy and will remain crucial to securing future UK prosperity and growth.

In his speech, Dr Fox said:

As an international economic department, our ambition is to make the UK the world’s foremost champion of free trade, upholding those principles developed by David Ricardo, Adam Smith and others, to generate wealth and spread prosperity across the globe.

By realising this ambition, the benefits to this country will be immediate and tangible. The best days of global trade lie ahead of us.

Opening a series of panels with participants from the OECD, TUC and leading universities on comparative advantage and trade in the 21st century, Dr Fox highlighted the vital role collaboration will play in developing a successful future trade policy, and the importance of drawing upon expertise and experience from across government, industry and academia.

The DIT and CEPR e-book fields contributions from prominent trade academics across the globe such as former President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo, and Penn State distinguished professor of economics Jonathan Eaton, and examines Ricardo’s theory through a contemporary lens, including its relevance for digital trade, the growth of trade in services, and the impact of automation on the labour force.

CEPR Fellow, Chad Bown said:

The current policy climate demands a more reasoned discourse around the topic of globalisation. This volume brings together a tight-knit and yet sophisticated analysis that shows off the fundamental principles of comparative advantage as well as the nuance of its implications for policy today.

Notes to editors

The e-book ‘Cloth for Wine? The relevance of Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage in the 21st Century’ was commissioned by DIT to the CEPR.

Further information

The UK-China Joint Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation was officially launched today (6 December 2017) by Science Minister Jo Johnson and Vice-Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang. Witnessed by His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York and China’s Vice-Premier, Liu Yandong, the strategy outlines a commitment for both nations to take science and innovation collaboration to a new level.

The new strategy represents a step-change in UK-China science and innovation collaboration, building on almost 40 years of cooperation, and is the first bilateral science and innovation strategy China has developed jointly with another country.

Science Minister Jo Johnson said:

The UK has a history of successful collaboration with China and we are increasingly looking to strengthen this partnership. This new joint strategy is a central part of the UK-China bilateral relationship, underpinning our mutual commitment to drive growth and tackle global challenges through science and innovation.

The recent launch of our Industrial Strategy underlines our commitment to ensuring science and innovation remains at the core of the UK’s future ambitions. It is international partnerships like this that are a testament to our ongoing commitment to propel Britain towards global leadership of future industries.

The UK and China have a strong foundation of existing collaboration, including the ongoing UK China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund (channelled through the Newton Fund in the UK), which has supported over 460 joint projects since its launch in 2014.

China’s Vice-Minister of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang said:

The Chinese government attaches great importance to China-UK cooperation on science, technology and innovation. Over the past 4 decades, the continuously expanded sci-tech relations have yielded fruitful outcomes. With this new strategy, the level and scope of the cooperation will be further extended to take the golden era forward.

As China enters into a new era, our government identifies innovation as the primary engine of development underpinning the building of a modernised economy. We will follow the principle of win-win cooperation and mutual benefit, increase open innovation and promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation on science and innovation to achieve common prosperity with the rest of the world and build a community of shared future for mankind.

The UK and China have both prioritised research and development to boost economic growth. To continue the UK’s global leadership in research and innovation, the government has committed an additional £2.3 billion as part of the Industrial Strategy. The impact of China’s research is also increasing, with citation impact rising by more than 20% in recent years, and UK-China co-authored papers are more than twice as impactful as the world average.

The strategy also sets the framework for future cooperation to jointly tackle global challenges and drive economic growth over the next 10 years covering co-operation across the spectrum, from research through to the commercialisation of new technologies. It outlines priority areas for collaboration in a variety of areas, including life sciences, food security, renewable energy and environmental technologies. It also outlines new cooperation mechanisms, including an annual Flagship Challenge Programme which will focus on agricultural technologies in 2018.

The agreement details shared principles for intellectual property in UK-China research and innovation collaborations, supporting projects in adhering to international best practice. The UK and China are committed to promoting effective protection of IP rights, which in turn support innovation and trade in both countries.

The launch of the strategy took place at the UK-China Science and Innovation Forum at the Royal Society, alongside the UK-China People to People Dialogue.

Notes to editors

UK China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund (Newton Fund)

The UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership Fund, part of the UK’s Newton Fund, brings together the best of UK and Chinese expertise to tackle and build capacity to respond to global challenges. Highlights include projects on understanding climate risk and supporting climate smart decision making, tackling antimicrobial resistance, innovative technology to support agriculture, and programmes to develop researcher skills and knowledge.

The Newton Fund is part of the UK’s official development assistance (ODA) commitment, administered in the UK by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue (P2P)

The P2P is one of the UK’s 3 major Ministerial dialogues with China, along with the Economic and Financial Dialogue, and Strategic Dialogue. It covers 10 policy strands:

• education
• science
• health
• tourism
• sport
• culture and creative industries
• youth
• regional cooperation
• social equity
• women’s equality

The P2P is chaired by Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt on the UK side and Vice-Premier Madame Liu Yandong on the Chinese side.

Industrial Strategy

Business Secretary Greg Clark last week (27 November 2017) launched the government’s ambitious Industrial Strategy white paper, setting out a long-term vision for how Britain can build on its economic strengths, address its productivity performance, embrace technological change and boast the earning power of people across the UK.

Documents

• 
  UK-China Joint Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
  (PDF, 3.23MB, 16 pages)
  

• 
  IP Annex to UK-China Memorandum of Understanding for Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
  (PDF, 364KB, 4 pages)
  

The 38th Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was hosted by Kuwait on 5th December 2017.

Commenting on the Summit, Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said:

The UK and GCC are close partners on a range of issues, and we welcome the attendance by all GCC member states at the Summit hosted by Kuwait this week.

Unity amongst GCC members is important for the Gulf’s stability and security. We urge our GCC partners to build on the Summit and take further steps towards resuming full cooperation.

I pay tribute to the Amir of Kuwait for hosting the Summit. The UK fully supports his continued mediation efforts towards a resolution of differences between GCC member states.

Further information

• Follow the Minister Burt on Twitter @AlistairBurtUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn