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The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will today (21 June) visit Warsaw to strengthen security, defence, and cyber ties with Poland.

Boris Johnson and Gavin Williamson will join Jacek Czaputowicz and Mariusz Błaszczak in Helenow, near Warsaw, as UK-Poland ties go from strength-to-strength.

The joint UK-Poland measures include:

• Strengthening collective defence against cyber-attacks and other threats from hostile actors, sending a clear message that they will not be tolerated.
• Establishing a strategic communications project to support independent media in countries in Eastern Europe, to ensure a wider range of voices in the media, in order to strengthen resilience against disinformation.
• Joint work on improving resilience to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear-related risks.
• Further work to prepare for the signature of the UK-Poland Defence Action Plan which will implement co-operation in a range of military areas.

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

“The UK and Poland are close friends and allies on a range of issues, including security, foreign policy, trade, and culture. This meeting will help to solidify even further a relationship that is growing from strength to strength.

“Both countries take seriously the threats posed to independent media, to cyberspace, and to our collective security. That’s why we will today agree to build on our co-operation in these areas, to counter together hostile threats to our two countries.”

The Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“Poland and the UK face the same intensifying threats to our security, prosperity and way of life. Our two countries are important European and NATO allies – both committed to playing a leading role to keep our nations and continental Europe safe. As we implement the UK-Poland defence treaty our historic partnership grows ever closer to meet the evolving and complex threats that we share.”

The ministers will also look ahead to the upcoming Western Balkans Summit in London on 9-10 July, hosted by the UK with the 2019 edition being hosted by Poland. The Foreign Secretary and Mr Czaputowicz will also agree to hold a joint visit to the Western Balkans in the coming months.

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Buildings currently account for around 40% of UK energy consumption. This new building, known as the Active Office, points the way to a new generation of low-carbon offices which produce their own supply of clean energy.

The office will be opened by Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns. It was designed by SPECIFIC, a UK Innovation and Knowledge Centre led by Swansea University.

The Active Office combines a range of innovative technologies that will enable it to generate, store and release solar energy in one integrated system, including:

• A curved roof with integrated solar cells – showing the flexible nature of the laminated photovoltaic panel;
• A Photovoltaic Thermal system on the south facing wall – which is capable of generating both heat and electricity from the sun in one system
• Lithium ion batteries to store the electricity generated and a 2,000 litre water tank to store solar heat

The ‘buildings as power stations’ concept has already been shown to work. Right next to the Active Office is the Active Classroom, the UK’s first energy-positive classroom. Also built by SPECIFIC, this was recently named Project of the Year by the RICS Wales. In its first year of operation, the Active Classroom generated more than one and half times the energy it consumed.

The Active Office and Classroom will be linked together and able to share energy with each other and electric vehicles, demonstrating how the concept could be applied in an energy-resilient solar-powered community. They will provide functional teaching and office spaces, as well as building-scale development facilities for SPECIFIC and its industry partners.

Energy positive buildings could benefit the UK significantly. A 2017 analysis showed that it would mean:

• Lower energy costs for the consumer
• Less need for peak central power generating capacity and associated reduction in stress on the National Grid, leading to improved energy security
• Reduced carbon emissions

The Active Office has been designed to be easy to reproduce. It is quick to build, taking only one week to assemble, with much of the construction taking place off site. It also uses only technologies that are commercially available now, which means there is no reason why they could not be used on any new building.

Kevin Bygate, chief operating officer of SPECIFIC, said:

Offices are enormous consumers of energy, so turning them energy-positive has the potential to slash fuel bills and dramatically reduce their carbon emissions.

Turning our buildings into power stations is a concept that works, as the Active Classroom shows. This new building will enable us to get data and evidence on how it can be applied to an office, helping us refine the design further.

The Active Office is a first, but it isn’t a one-off. It is quick to build using existing supply chains, and uses only materials that are already available. This is tomorrow’s office, but it can be built today.

Ian Campbell, Executive Chair of Innovate UK, said:

It’s difficult to overstate the potential of developing a building that powers itself. The concept could genuinely revolutionise not only the construction sector but completely change how we create and use energy, so the opening of the Active Office in Swansea is an exciting step forward.

Developing technologies like those demonstrated in the SPECIFIC Active Office can play a strong role in the Government’s modern industrial strategy to create ‘clean growth’ and fulfil our mission to halve the emissions of new buildings by 2030.

Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP, Secretary of State for Wales, said:

I am delighted to open the Active Office, a living example of how a building can make a difference to us and our environment using innovative technologies –and equally importantly creating jobs in Wales.

Research and innovation has a proven track record to stimulate our economy. The UK Government has been a proud supporter of the project, and last year awarded £800,000 of funding towards it via Innovate UK.

The UK Government is ambitious for Swansea, and the Swansea Bay City Region deal is expected to deliver more than 9,000 jobs and £1.3billion of investment across the region.

I have no doubt that I’ll be back to Swansea University in the near future because of the great strides they are taking in the science and research field which are being recognised around the world.

The Active Office was funded by Innovate UK, with support from Swansea University and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, and is sponsored by Tata Steel and Cisco.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister began by thanking the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Chairs for their valuable contribution to business and innovation in the UK developing skills, delivering infrastructure, and securing investment.

She noted the steady growth of the economy in recent years and the record levels of employment, crediting this progress to the joint efforts of LEPs, Government and private sector entrepreneurs in driving growth across the country.

Co-chair Mike Blackburn OBE, Chair of Greater Manchester LEP, praised the strong track record of delivery seen from LEPs so far. He welcomed the enthusiasm of the Chairs and the opportunity to build on the success of recent years by furthering the close collaboration between LEPs and government, particularly in delivering the modern industrial strategy across the country.

Guests discussed the particular strengths that LEP business leaders bring to the table, including their ability to broker new partnerships and connections, their importance in delivering the objectives of the industrial strategy within their communities, and their role in fostering strong collaboration between local institutions, individuals and government.

Attendees also reflected on recent successes such as the HS2 College in Doncaster – supported by Sheffield City Region – which is equipping local young people with the skills they need to build our future railways.

Attendees agreed that LEPs have a particularly important role to play in connecting the business and educational sectors. They emphasised the value of the partnerships LEPs bring in helping to enable people of all ages to develop the modern skills that our businesses require to thrive.

Welcoming the government’s ambitious technical skills agenda, they also praised the opportunities for local innovation that the industrial strategy has launched.

Looking ahead, the business leaders considered key growth areas for the UK economy, highlighting the example of the medical technologies sector as an area where LEPs can help drive this expansion.

There was also discussion around the LEP review, announced as part of the modern Industrial Strategy last year. It was noted that it would be an opportunity to identify where government can strengthen and support LEPs further in their work across the country.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of ensuring that LEP leadership truly represented the communities they served, pointing to the progress made in the number of women on FTSE100 boards as an example to follow.

She also noted that this council will serve as a regular occasion for Chairs of LEPs to come together and talk openly about how they can work more closely with government to achieve shared aims.

The Prime Minister concluded by reflecting on the opportunities ahead to maximise the convening power of LEPs in delivering the modern industrial strategy for all.