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Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

The United States’ decision to withdraw from the Human Rights Council is regrettable.

We’ve made no secret of the fact that the UK wants to see reform of the Human Rights Council, but we are committed to working to strengthen the Council from within.

Britain’s support for the Human Rights Council remains steadfast. It is the best tool the international community has to address impunity in an imperfect world and to advance many of our international goals.

That’s why we will continue to support and champion it.

Further information

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Two members of an organised crime group have today had their sentences increased after the Attorney General, Jeremy Wright QC MP, referred them for being too low.

David Reece, 55, and Everton Bailey, 57, were arrested as part of an investigation into a large-scale conspiracy to import massive quantities of Class A drugs into the UK via Hull. The plan was to distribute the drugs to dealers across the Midlands and North West.

In May 2017 a shipment of 142.5kg of high purity cocaine and heroin with a street value of £66.5 million was stopped in Belgium. The investigation identified 38 similar trips, at least some of which would have involved similar amounts of drugs.

Reece and Bailey were both originally sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment at Preston Crown Court in March. Today, after the Attorney General’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased their sentences to 19 years each.

Commenting on the sentence increase, the Attorney General said:

This was a sophisticated commercial conspiracy to import massive quantities of drugs into the UK, which will have had a serious impact on communities across the Midlands and the North West. It is important that this is reflected in the sentencing of every person involved, and the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase Reece and Bailey’s sentences today helps to achieve that.

The UK Government will show its support for Scotland’s agriculture, food and farming sectors this week (from Thursday 21 June) when it takes part in the Royal Highland Show.

The UK Government’s presence at the four day Edinburgh event will give the rural industries and members of the public the chance to speak to UK Government ministers and staff about what is important to them and find out more about how the UK Government delivers for people in Scotland.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said:

The Royal Highland Show is Scotland’s biggest agriculture event and the UK Government will be taking this excellent opportunity to engage with the industry, underline the importance of the rural economy to Scotland and wider UK and show how determined we are to get a good deal for the sector in our EU exit negotiations.

Scottish agriculture is worth £1.4 billion a year to the UK economy and my message is clear: We need to be bold and ambitious and maximise the opportunities Brexit brings. To achieve this it is vital that the UK and Scottish Governments work together – as well as with businesses – to ensure our rural economy can continue to grow.

Attracting almost 200,000 visitors last year, the show also provides an important platform for show-goers to find out how the UK Government is delivering for people in Scotland – including on funding for childcare, pensions, defence and business start-up support. I look forward to meeting businesses and members of the public over the course of the show, to hear about their priorities over the coming months and years.

The Scottish Secretary will meet industry leaders and tour the show to meet businesses and show-goers. UK Government Environment Secretary Michael Gove, UK Government Minister of State for Exiting the European Union, Lord Callanan and UK Government Minister for Scotland Lord Duncan will also visit the show.

UK Government Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

I am very much looking forward to attending the Royal Highland Show and celebrating the very best of Scottish farming, food and rural life.

As we leave the EU we want an ambitious agricultural framework that works for all of the UK. This means more freedom for Scotland to support their farming sectors and enhance their beautiful and environmentally rich landscapes.

We are continuing to work together ahead of the Agriculture Bill taking a common approach where it benefits all farmers and consumers to do so.

According to official figures, in 2016 agriculture contributed approximately £1.4 billion to Scotland’s economy, employing around 67,000 people.

The Scottish Secretary will also host a Scottish beer reception, showcasing the best of Scotland’s brewers.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department for International Trade (DIT), will be promoting the GREAT Campaign: Food is GREAT. Overseas Scottish food and drink exports were worth approximately £6 billion in 2017 and food and drink businesses now employ around 115,000 people.

For further information contact the Scotland Office press office on 0131 244 9028.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox MP, will set out his vision for increased trade between the UK and the US in the fast-growing life sciences sector tonight (Tuesday 19 June) in front of an audience of large scale investors.

Speaking to members of the American Pharmaceutical Group (APG) and representatives from the US Embassy at the Churchill War Rooms, Dr Fox will set out the UK’s world leading research and development capability which enables British businesses and universities to export their goods and services around the globe.

The Secretary of State will highlight:

• opportunity for UK SMEs: there is great potential for UK SMEs specialising in the likes of biotech R&D to secure substantial deals with US pharma companies to export their cutting-edge products and expand their UK operations
• jobs: the APG is made up of 10 of the largest US life science investors in the UK, who together support more than 14,000 UK jobs
• exports: the UK’s exported £6 billion worth of pharmaceutical products to the US last year – demonstrating the clear demand for British innovation

The Secretary of State will call for collaboration between the UK and the US to push the boundaries of science in key areas such as cancer treatment, early diagnosis of disease and realising the potential of AI in a healthcare setting. He will also set out how the UK is committed to the continued growth of the sector by highlighting measures such as the £20 million in funding the government has pledged to the joint UK-US CARB-X project to address the global rise of antimicrobial resistance.

As well as calling for joint working in the life sciences sector, Dr Fox will stress that the UK’s departure from the European Union offers an unprecedented opportunity to build on our already strong trading relationship with the US, including through a potential future Free Trading Agreement.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox MP, said:

The UK and US already has strong ties in the life sciences sector with our world leading innovation helping American companies improve the lives of billions of people around the globe.

As an international economic department, I want us to go further and see even more British businesses making the most of the opportunities presented by this relationship, not just in this sector, as we look to deepen our trading ties with the US after we leave the European Union.

The event comes as the latest statistics from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show that health and life sciences are worth over £70 billion to the economy and provide jobs for almost 241,000 people across the country.

Further Information

The recent launch of the government’s Industrial Strategy Life Sciences Sector Deal, demonstrates how the government will support the sector to develop and launch the next generation of medicines, technologies and diagnostics and provide better care and treatments for millions of patients.

The Minister for Trade and Export Promotion, Baroness Fairhead, travelled in June to Bio Conference 2018 in Boston with a strong delegation of UK businesses. Whilst at the conference, the Minister emphasised the strength of the sector in Britain as the UK pavilion was designed around a theme of being ‘the home of healthcare’.

Total trade in goods and services (i.e. exports plus imports) between the UK and US stood at more than £180 billion in 2017, an 8% increase over 2016.