Category: Gov Press Releases

On the first day of the fourth international Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in London (Thursday, 11 October 2018), £900,000 of new funding has been announced to develop a new British military counter-poaching taskforce.

The announcement builds on the significant success of, and lessons learned from, the UK’s previous work to train rangers in Gabon and Malawi.

Operatives will be deployed to train African park rangers in more effective and safer counter-poaching techniques. The project aims to reduce the number of poaching incidents by catching poachers and bringing them to justice.

The UK will work in partnership with targeted countries to provide support for intelligence mapping, interception tracking tactics and operations management.

Training carried out by the British Army in Gabon and Malawi during 2018 has been well received with 84 Ecoguards being trained in Gabon, which will double by the end of the year, and 120 Rangers partnered in Malawi.

UK Environment Secretary, Michael Gove said:

The illegal wildlife trade is one of the most serious issues of organised crime facing the world. In the last year alone more than 100 rangers were killed on the front line of the fight against poachers – as an international community we must do everything we can to support their vital work. The ranger programme we are funding provides professional training and builds capability to tackle this crime across Africa.

This demonstrates the UK’s global leadership and delivers our commitment in the 25-Year Environment Plan.

UK Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson said:

The training we already provide has made a significant difference to the protection of some of the planet’s most magnificent wildlife.

As the British Army now takes its world-renowned training further across Africa, those responsible for this abhorrent practice should be looking over their shoulders.

Maj James Cowen, who led the deployment in Malawi, said:

Having seen the beauty of these animals up close, and how at risk their survival is due to poaching, we are more determined than ever to stop these criminals in their tracks.

Planning is currently ongoing to identify countries and parks across the region with which the British Army will partner and assist over the next year.

Assistance can be tailored to the needs of the specific parks and consists of both base located training, such as command and control and paramedic, and a partnering model that sees UK soldiers living and operating with Rangers – helping Rangers to improve techniques and procedures whilst the UK soldiers have been able to improve their own skills in tracking and bush craft; a true partnership.

Environmental Crime, which includes the illegal wildlife trade and illegal logging, is the fifth most lucrative serious organised crime and is estimated to be worth up to £17billion a year.

The two-day conference in London (11 to 12 October 2018) is bringing more than 80 nations together including international political leaders, conservation organisations and individuals interested in closing down the vile trade in wildlife.

The Annual Report of the Certification Officer, Sarah Bedwell, was laid before Parliament today 11 October 2018. The report describes the work of the Certification Officer over the year 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 and provides detailed information on all trade unions and employers’ associations. The statistical information it contains is drawn from the annual returns received during the reporting period, which relate mainly to the year ending 31 December 2016.

Sarah Bedwell was appointed by the Secretary of State on 1 January 2018. The report was prepared together with Gerard Walker who held the position on an interim basis until 31 December 2017 and has since been appointed as Assistant Certification Officer.

TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCES

• Figures reported to the Certification Officer show total trade union membership of 6,875,231. This is an increase of 10,175 members or 0.15%. However, this included 147,330 retired members of UNISON that had not been included in previous totals. Without this figure the total figure would have been 6,727,901 or a decrease of 2% on the figures for the previous reporting period. This continues the decrease in union membership for the ninth successive year. The 13 largest unions account for over four fifths of the total trade union membership (5.82 million members or 84.7%) (Introduction, Chapter 4 and Appendix 4).
• The number of trade unions has also continued to decrease, notwithstanding the modest increase in 2014-15. There were 146 trade unions on the Certification Officer’s lists and schedules at the end of this reporting period, compared to 150 at the end of the previous period. Whilst three trade unions were added to the list, seven were removed. At the end of this reporting period there were 91 employers’ associations, the same number as at the end of the previous reporting period. (Introduction, Chapter 1).
• The total funds (net assets) of trade unions as reported in this period decreased 14% to £1,307 million. The 13 largest unions, that each have membership in excess of 100,000 members, had average net assets of £53 million (Chapter 4 and Appendix 4).
• The total sum contained in the political funds of the trade unions at the end of this period was £34 million. This is up £2.3 million, from £31.7 million the previous year. The largest political fund was that of Unite the Union, which was valued at around £14.5 million (Chapter 7 and Appendix 9).
• On 1 September 2017 the National Education Union was formed by amalgamation of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), two unions who at the end of the previous reporting period had a combined membership of around 565,583.

COMPLAINTS

Over the past reporting year 55 complaints were determined. This compares to 39 complaints in the previous reporting year. Of these, 52 complaints alleged that a union had breached its own rules. The other 3 related to alleged breaches of statute. A summary of these decisions can be found in Chapters 3, 4, 8 and 9 of this report. The issue that attracted the most interest was the decision made by Her Honour Judge Mary Stacey in her role as Assistant Certification Officer to hear the complaints of Mr Burgess and others against UNISON. The complaints related to the General Secretary election in 2015. There were multiple applicants and 16 complaints that required a preliminary hearing and three full days of evidence and submissions. Following this, the ACO made a single declaration that the union had breached its own rules relating to the election; she considered it inappropriate to make an enforcement order on the basis that it would be disproportionately punitive, in response to the breach found, to order the General Secretary election to be run again.

During the reporting year, a number of complaints arising out of the General Secretary election in 2017 were raised against Unite the Union by two applicants, Gerard Coyne and Richard Brooks. The Certification Officer appointed Jeffrey Burke QC to hear these complaints as Assistant Certification Officer. Following hearings between March and June 2018, the Assistant Certification Officer dismissed all 10 complaints. The decisions can be accessed on the breach of union rules section of our website.

THE TRADE UNION ACT 2016

The Trade Union Act 2016 received royal assent on 4 May 2016. To date three sections of the Act, that relate to the work of the Certification Officer, have been implemented:
Section 7 Information to Certification Officer about industrial action etc;
Section 11: Opting in by union members to contribute to political funds; and
Section 12: Union’s annual return to include details of political expenditure

All these provisions were commenced on 1 March 2017. Further details can be found in the Annual Report.

SECTION 7 – TRADE UNION ACT 2016 – INFORMATION TO CERTIFICATION OFFICER ABOUT INDUSTRIAL ACTION ETC

New duties to report on political expenditure and to provide information about industrial action apply to the reporting periods which begin after 1 March 2017. For the majority of trade unions this will mean that they will provide this information, for the first time, in their annual returns to me for the period ending 31 December 2018 which should be provided to me before 1 June 2019. In preparation for this my team have amended the template which trade unions use to report to this office so that unions can provide the additional information required

SECTION 11 – TRADE UNION ACT 2016 – OPTING IN BY UNION MEMBERS TO CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICAL FUNDS

The law relating to the way members of trade unions contribute to the political funds of their unions has been amended to favour a system of opting in rather that requiring members to opt out of making an otherwise automatic contribution. New members joining a union with a political fund on or after 1 March 2018 or all members of a union which establishes a new political fund will have to opt in if they wish to contribute to a political fund. To comply with the changes trade unions with political funds had to amend their rules relating to these funds and the amended rules must have been approved by me before 1 March 2018. All rule changes were approved for all trade unions wishing to retain a political fund during this period.

MEMBERSHIP AUDIT CERTIFICATE

The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 introduced new provisions relating to the membership register of trade unions. The new provisions, incorporated into section 24 of the 1992 Act, impose a requirement on trade unions to submit to the Certification Officer annually a Membership Audit Certificate at the same as the union’s annual return. The new provisions also provide further powers to the Certification Officer to investigate concerns that the provisions of section 24 are not being or have not been compline with by a trade union. These powers came into force on 1 June 2016.

In this reporting year 153 membership audit certificates were due and all of these were received. No circumstances arose leading the Certification Officer to use his investigatory powers under section 24 of the 1992 Act.

Notes to editors:

1. The annual report of the Certification Officer for Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations was published and laid before Parliament on 11 October 2018. It is available on the Certification Office website: www.gov.uk/certificationofficer.
2. The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, as amended, sets out the Certification Officer’s statutory responsibilities. Section 258 requires the Certification Officer to make an annual report on his activities to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and to the Chair of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). The report must be laid before Parliament and published.
3. The Certification Officer is appointed by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and resourced through Acas, but is independent of any direction from Ministers or Acas. Sarah Bedwell was appointed to the post on 1 January 2018.
4. The Certification Officer’s website contains every decision made by the Certification Officer since 1975. It contains all the annual returns from trade unions and employers associations since 2012, with links to The National Archives website for returns from between 2003 and 2012. It also contains guidance on various aspects of the Certification Officer’s functions, copies or links to Annual Reports going back to 2001-2002 and a list of trade unions and employers’ associations.
5. The Certification Officer invites you to subscribe to his email service to receive notice of any new items posted to the website. Visit the website: www.gov.uk/certificationofficer, to subscribe.
6. The Certification Officer has reported the following figures for trade union membership over the past 10 reporting years.

Year	TU Membership	Changes from previous year	%
17-18	6,875,231	+10,175	+0.15
16-17	6,865,056	-83,669	-1.2
15-16	6,948,725	-61,802	-0.88
14-15	7,010,527	-75,589	-1.1
13-14	7,086,116	-111,299	-1.5
12-13	7,197,415	-63,795	-0.9
11-12	7,261,210	-67,695	-0.9
10-11	7,328,905	-58,993	-0.8
09-10	7,387,898	-268,258	-3.5
08-09	7,656,156	+28,463	+0.4
07-08	7,627,693	+ 24,851	+ 0.3

For press enquiries please contact Gerard Walker, telephone: 0330 109 3605,
e-mail: gerard.walker@certoffice.org

The Sector Risk Profile 2018, published today (11 October 2018) by the Regulator of Social Housing, highlights health and safety issues, failures to meet stakeholder expectations and reliance on sales as significant potential risks for social housing providers to manage.

The report, now in its sixth edition, sets out the range of strategic and financial challenges facing the social housing sector. It is designed to help registered providers, board members and others to understand the operating environment and to think strategically about how their organisation can manage its risks.

Whilst the sector continues to have to manage a range of issues to ensure that it remains viable and well governed, the regulator has highlighted 3 key areas for boards to consider. Boards should:

• be clear about their health and safety responsibilities, both for stock that they own and stock that they manage, to ensure that tenants are safe in their homes and staff are safe at work
• consider their stakeholders expectations in their decision making, including tenants and residents; lenders and investors; and central and local government
• ensure that sales activity is underpinned by an understanding of local housing demand and the mitigations available if sales and staircasing do not match expectations

This year’s publication also emphasises risks to specialist providers, including the particular risks inherent in lease-based providers of supported housing, on which the regulator will be issuing a further report in due course.

Fiona MacGregor, Chief Executive of RSH said:

The risks facing each organisation will depend upon the scale and nature of that business. It is important that boards understand the specific issues that they face, carry out adequate stress testing and plan meaningful mitigations. We will look for assurance from providers that they have robust stress tests, internal control systems and appropriate risk management. We will also continue to monitor the exposure that sales risks have on the sector as part of our quarterly review of providers’ overall financial strength.

The aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire has seen unprecedented scrutiny of the social housing sector, landlords’ relationship with their tenants, and public interest in the sector’s wider social role. In this context providers must show how they are delivering on their social purpose and objectives, and meeting their promises and commitments. Where things go wrong providers should be open and transparent and look to put the issue right as quickly as possible. Failure to do so could not only undermine stakeholder confidence in individual providers but also affect the reputation of the sector as a whole.

The regulator’s Sector Risk Profile 2018 is available on the RSH website.

Further information

1. The regulator’s annual Sector Risk Profiles are available on the RSH website.
2. The Regulator of Social Housing promotes a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver homes that meet a range of needs. It does this by undertaking robust economic regulation focusing on governance, financial viability and value for money that maintains lender confidence and protects the taxpayer. It also sets consumer standards and may take action if these standards are breached and there is a significant risk of serious detriment to tenants or potential tenants. For more information visit the RSH website.
3. See our Media enquiries page for press office contact details. For general queries, please email enquiries@rsh.gov.uk or call 0300 124 5225.

Following a meeting in Delhi earlier this month, MHRA will send intelligence to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), enabling them to target regions suspected of sending unlicensed medicines into the UK.

This is another example of co-ordinated efforts to tackle international medicines crime. The DRI recently seized 350,000 tablets of potent medicines such as Diazepam, Tramadol and Zopiclone destined for UK, European and US markets. Rapid mutual intelligence-sharing will help to combat the illegal cross-border trade in medicines.

The UK and India have a longstanding relationship when it comes to collaborating around the issue of medicines. In 2015 both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), further increasing collaboration in the area of medicines and medical devices and improving public safety.

MHRA’s Head of Enforcement, Alastair Jeffrey:

Our active collaboration with Indian Government agencies sends a strong message to criminals; when we work with our global partners we are able to disrupt criminal activity through the identification, arrest and prosecution of offenders wherever they are.

We are working tirelessly to identify all those involved in bringing unlicensed medicines into the UK.

Our collaborative efforts with key partners like India will help protect the health of UK citizens.

Additional Director General, Vivek Chaturvedi, said:

Indian Customs is committed to detecting and preventing illegal cross border trade in medicines and psychotropic substances. DRI being the apex intelligence and investigative agency has successfully booked a number of cases, carried out seizures and arrested offenders in recent past.

DRI works closely with international law enforcement agencies and regulators and MHRA is an important partner in tackling the menace of trade in illegal medicines.

Such collaboration is mutually beneficial to both countries in protecting the health of their citizens and in prosecuting the criminals involved in such offences.

Ends

Background

1. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.
2. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.
3. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is the apex intelligence and investigative agency for matters relating to smuggling and violation of the Customs Act, NDPS Act, and other allied Acts involving cross border offences. The Directorate is part of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs under the Department of Revenue, Government of India.
4. The medicines seized were Zopiclone, Zolpidem, Lorazepam, Diazepam, Tramadol and Alprazolam.
5. MHRA will send intelligence to DRI under the existing bilateral provisions.

UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced a coalition of political leaders, conservationists and celebrities dedicated to defeating the illegal trade in ivory.

At the start of the fourth international Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in London today (Thursday), the first members of the newly formed Ivory Alliance 2024 have been confirmed.

Members include political leaders from around the world and the alliance is also supported by famous faces from a number of countries where the trade is particularly active.

The Ivory Alliance 2024 will tackle ivory demand and lobby for domestic market closure, and stronger enforcement of bans or other ivory legislation in key demand and transit markets. This will complement the Africa-based work of the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) founded by Gabon, Chad, Tanzania, Botswana and Ethiopia in 2014 and now comprising 19 African countries.

UK Environment Secretary, Michael Gove said:

I am delighted to be chairing a new initiative, the Ivory Alliance 2024, to bring together political and cultural leaders from across the world to tackle ivory demand and close domestic ivory markets.

I am extremely grateful to the panel members who will join me in making a significant contribution to elephant conservation. We must all do more to ensure the survival of these majestic animals for future generations.

This week’s conference, bringing together a record number of delegates from more than 80 countries, can play a huge part in helping us end the insidious illegal wildlife trade once and for all.

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand said:

I am delighted to see the UK’s domestic ivory ban progressing through Parliament and to be part of the Secretary of State’s Ivory Alliance 2024, which will tackle the demand side of the severe poaching crisis we have seen in the past decade. This crucial agenda has my strong support, and I look forward to playing my part by engaging government leaders on strong legislation and enforcement.

This show of leadership from the UK comes at a crucial time for wildlife conservation internationally— and will go a long way towards influencing countries, including New Zealand and Australia, on movement towards their own bans.

Ivory Alliance political members:

• Chair: Michael Gove, UK Environment Secretary
• Rt Hon Helen Clark, former UN Development Programme Administrator and New Zealand Prime Minister
• Hon Josephine Ramirez-Sato, member of the House of Representatives, Philippines
• Hon Elizabeth Quat, Member of the Legislative Council, Hong Kong
• Professor Ephraim Kamuntu, Honourable Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Uganda
• Toni Atkins, California Senate President pro Tempore Leader, US Govt

Ivory Alliance supporters:

• Alexandra Bounxouei – musician and performer from Laos
• Bella Lack – a youth blogger for Born Free Foundation
• Adrian Pang – actor from Singapore

The Ivory Alliance 2024 will work with partners globally to secure at least 30 new commitments to domestic ivory bans by the end of 2020 and for tougher enforcement against those caught breaking the law. The UK has already set itself as a global leader on this issue, with a domestic ivory ban announced in April 2018.

Environmental Crime, which includes the illegal wildlife trade and illegal logging, is the fifth most lucrative serious organised crime and is estimated to be worth up to £17billion a year.

The two-day conference in London (11/12 October) will bring together international political leaders, conservation organisations and individuals interested in closing down the vile trade in wildlife.

A series of measures to tackle ethnic disparities in the workplace will be announced by Prime Minister Theresa May today – exactly one year after the government published the findings of a world-first Race Disparity Audit on how people of different ethnic backgrounds are treated across society.

Developed jointly by the government and Business in the Community (BITC), the new Race at Work Charter announced by the Prime Minister today will commit businesses to a bold set of principles and actions designed to drive forward a step-change in the recruitment and progression of ethnic minority employees.

The government, which has named WPP UK Country Manager and Chairwoman of MediaCom UK & Ireland Karen Blackett OBE as its Race at Work Champion, has already secured a number of high-profile inaugural signatories to the Charter, including NHS England, Standard Life Aberdeen, Norton Rose Fulbright, Saatchi & Saatchi, KPMG, RBS, the Civil Service and the world leader in communications services, WPP.

In addition, financial services company Lloyds Banking Group, also among the Charter’s signatories, is the first FTSE 100 company to set a goal to increase the representation of ethnic minority employees at senior levels.

Alongside the Race at Work Charter, the Prime Minister will also today launch a consultation on ethnicity pay reporting in response to the Race Disparity Audit’s Ethnicity Facts and Figures website data, which reveals significant disparities in the pay and progression of ethnic minority employees compared to their white counterparts.

In the first consultation of its kind, the government will invite employers to share their views on a mandatory approach to ethnicity pay reporting, since the number of organisations publishing information on the pay gap for people from different ethnic backgrounds voluntarily remains low.

The consultation, open until January 2019, will set out in detail what information employers should publish to allow for decisive action to be taken while also asking employers how ethnicity data can be collected without placing undue burdens on businesses.

The government is also taking action to ensure the leaders of UK’s key public services are representative of the communities they serve. Today, the NHS, Armed Forces, schools and police forces will set out plans to increase the proportion of public sector leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds. These include proposals from school leaders to address disparities in the teaching workforce, and publication of the National Police Chief Council’s first national Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Strategy, which pledges to support the priority government has given to tackling race disparity.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Every employee deserves the opportunity to progress and fulfil their potential in their chosen field, regardless of which background they are from, but too often ethnic minority employees feel they’re hitting a brick wall when it comes to career progression.

That’s why I’m delighted to launch the Race at Work Charter, which gives businesses a clear set of actions to work towards in helping to create greater opportunities for ethnic minority employees at work.

One year on from publishing the Race Disparity Audit, the government is delivering on its promise to explain or change ethnic disparities in all areas of society, taking action to support young people into work with funding of £90 million from dormant bank accounts , and acting on the recommendations of the Lammy review including by increasing diversity within prison officer recruitment.

Our focus is now on making sure the UK’s organisations, boardrooms and senior management teams are truly reflective of the workplaces they manage, and the measures we are taking today will help employers identify the actions needed to create a fairer and more diverse workforce.

Sandra Kerr, Business in the Community race equality director said:

All organisations should recruit from the widest pool of talent and support progression. The race at work survey of over 24,000 employees showed that all too often ethnic minority staff are still encountering significant disparities at work. The race at work charter will support leaders and line managers to take practical steps to tackle the barriers, with five clear actions. By signing up, we can ensure the workplace is representative of British society today.

Karen Blackett OBE, WPP UK Country Manager and Chairwoman of MediaCom UK & Ireland said:

Embracing diversity and inclusion is not a choice, it’s a business necessity. Clients choose WPP precisely because of the capability and creativity of our people; it’s why we’re focused on attracting, developing and promoting the best talent from across a range of backgrounds. Creativity powers business growth and this only happens by having diversity of talent in the room and reflecting society in the content we create.

As the Government’s Race at Work Champion, I’m committed to helping businesses address inequality at all levels by taking practical steps such as introducing apprenticeships, offering mentorships and capturing ethnicity data to create a more inclusive and representative workforce.

Baker McKenzie Diversity & Inclusion Partner, Sarah Gregory, said:

Huge progress has been made to improve the experience of ethnic minority colleagues in the workplace, but more still needs to be done. This is why, we are very excited today to be signing the Race at Work Charter and together with the Government and other businesses look at improving ethnic minority representation at all levels of seniority. The Charter builds on our ongoing commitment as a Firm to recognise and celebrate the talent of our diverse workforce and to ensure that everyone can be their authentic selves.

The North West has seen construction boom over the last year, according to new figures out today (10 October 2018).

According to the Office of National Statistics, total construction output across the region is up 15% to more than £4.6 billion in the 3 months to August 2018 compared to the same period last year.

Overall construction output in Great Britain for this period is up 1.5% compared to the same period last year meaning the North West’s increase is 10 times the national average

The value of construction work on new housing in the North West has increased by £386 million this quarter compared to the same quarter in 2017 and output of new infrastructure projects has also risen during this period.

Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry MP, said:

It’s wonderful to see how the Northern Powerhouse is driving investment in the North West and helping grow the construction industry to the tune of over £600 million.

Anyone visiting the North West can see the huge number of construction projects underway and these figures show just how valuable they are.

This construction boom is helping build new homes, new infrastructure and a stronger economy in the region.

The Output in the Construction Industry figures for England, Scotland and Wales are released by the Office of National Statistics

Named in honour of the first Hydrographer of the Navy, the Alexander Dalrymple Award has been presented by the UKHO each year since 2006 in recognition of an individual’s outstanding contribution to hydrography: the science of surveying and charting our oceans. Mr Bryant is the thirteenth recipient of the award (and the third recipient from the UK) nominated for the global impact he has made within the international hydrographic community.

Over his career spanning 45 years, Mr Bryant has coordinated the training of hundreds of students. This has included securing a long-term partnership with the NIPPON Foundation, under which the UKHO has trained 64 international students in marine cartography.

Presenting the award at this year’s World Hydrography Day reception, Rear Admiral Tim Lowe congratulated Mr Bryant on his achievements and his commitment to enhancing the cartographic skills of individuals and nations across the globe. These skills are essential to supporting maritime trade and the safety of ships navigating our oceans.

During his speech at the event, RAdm Tim Lowe also commented on the need to support the use of bathymetry – the study of underwater depths – and wider marine geospatial data in developing sustainable marine economies:

As experts in seabed bathymetry and marine geospatial data leaders, it is incumbent on us to support the data revolution. Whether that is through providing access to vast stores of information, or by promoting the development of skills and expertise to unlock that information’s potential, we have the opportunity, as never before, to guide our marine economies into the future.

The Minister of State for Defence, The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe also spoke at the event, addressing the value of this data for sustainability and resilience:

As climate change puts increasing pressure on resources, a full understanding of the marine environment is directly relevant to the sustainable exploitation of the sea – for example, the analysis of marine resources, from the health of coral reefs to fish stocks and mineral reserves. Seabed mapping is a key enabler of sustainable and resilient seas, oceans and coastal communities – and that is as true of the North Atlantic as it is of the Blue Economy of the South-West Pacific.

This year’s World Hydrography Day reception was held in October to coincide with the International Hydrographic Organization’s annual council meeting, attended by over 30 senior Member State representatives from across the international hydrographic community.

UK exports to the world rose by £33bn – an increase of 5.5% compared to the same time last year. Other main points from today’s release include:

• The country’s renowned service sector continues to grow with exports up 5.3% to a record high of £289bn, increasing the service surplus to £118bn
• Goods exports also increased by 5.6% to £348bn
• On a rolling annual basis, annual exports continue to grow faster than imports for the 13th consecutive month, with the overall trade deficit narrowing by £14bn in the year to August 2018

The news comes after the launch of the government’s Export Strategy, which sets out a new ambition to increase exports as a proportion of UK GDP to 35%, making the UK one of the G7’s most successful exporters.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said:

Today’s trade figures show demand for UK goods and services continues to grow, as overall exports rose to £637bn – up 5.5% on this time last year – and the trade deficit continued to narrow by £14bn over the last 12 months.

As we prepare to leave the European Union, we’re seeing the UK shift towards selling more than we buy, with exports increasing faster than imports. My international economic department will continue to work with companies across the country to ensure they are able to thrive and make the most of global opportunities.

Overall, exports of goods and services to non-EU countries has increased since 2000. The UK also operates a trade surplus of more than £40bn with non-EU countries, with this having been a deficit as recently as 2010.

In 2017, eight of the ten fastest growing markets for UK exports since 2010 were outside of the EU, while exports of services to the key non-EU markets of USA, China and Japan have all increased by more than 85% since 2010.

Notes to editors:

Latest ONS statistics can be found here.

Fastest growing markets only includes countries with more than £1bn in value in 2017 and excludes Crown Dependencies and Gibraltar.