{"id":95612,"date":"2018-09-13T16:28:49","date_gmt":"2018-09-13T16:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=fb9a38d10d1735bf41345e0aac68b9ea"},"modified":"2018-09-13T16:28:49","modified_gmt":"2018-09-13T16:28:49","slug":"speech-address-by-the-international-trade-secretary-to-the-british-ports-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=95612","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Address by the International Trade Secretary to the British Ports Association"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Thank you Lord Berkely. I am delighted to join you today – and to see so many people from across the ports and related industries here.<\/p>\n

It demonstrates the diversity of this sector which is so important to our international trade performance and Britain\u2019s future as a great maritime nation.<\/p>\n

Ports are a vital part of this country\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

Not only are they important economic entities in their own right – acting as hubs for jobs, industry and innovation across industries far broader than just the maritime sector – but they also play a vital role in facilitating imports and exports – moving 95% of our trade in goods – and in maintaining our international competitiveness as a global trading hub.<\/p>\n

They handle almost 500 million tonnes of freight each year – an \u00a38 billion contribution in Gross Value Added to the UK economy.<\/p>\n

They employ more than 100,000 people, supporting families across the country.<\/p>\n

Ports are, quite simply, Britain\u2019s gateway to the world.<\/p>\n

And they have a brilliant future at the forefront of our global economic ambitions as Britain leaves the European Union.<\/p>\n

We know how important it will be to preserve vital existing trading links with our current partners in the EU.<\/p>\n

And for the first time in four decades, we will determine our own independent trade policy, able to seize the opportunity to establish new economic relationships across the globe.<\/p>\n

Our experts in the Department for International Trade are working hard preparing for negotiations on new trade agreements with key partners including the United States, Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n

We are also considering the potential of new regional partnerships such as accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would allow the UK to further establish its presence in the world\u2019s fastest growing regions.<\/p>\n

Boosting our international trade will bring jobs and prosperity to not only the places where goods are loaded and unloaded, but to the wider economy too.<\/p>\n

And to make sure this happens it is vital that our ports can match the best facilities in the world and adapt to new trends and technologies.<\/p>\n

I know that you have invested significantly to improve capacity and capabilities and will continue to do so.<\/p>\n

But this is only one piece of the puzzle – the cost of exports and imports is also influenced by the effectiveness of inland transport networks.<\/p>\n

That is why I was pleased to see the Department for Transport publish a study of port connectivity earlier this year.<\/p>\n

This study firmly made the case for investment in effective freight transport links as an enabler of economic growth and trade and that this should be a default factor in infrastructure investment decisions.<\/p>\n

It was also a timely reminder of the importance of the ports and maritime sector in our fortunes.<\/p>\n

And I look forward to taking discussions with the sector forward as the Government develops its five-year maritime strategy.<\/p>\n

But for now, I\u2019d like to thank Richard Ballantyne for supporting the Ports for International Trade Campaign. The BPA is a founding member and has been integral to its development.<\/p>\n

This campaign will promote the essential point I referred to earlier – that ports play a vital role in our international trade as the gateway to the UK, facilitating and promoting our vibrant export sectors.<\/p>\n

And it will make the case for the huge opportunities that are out there – not just to port towns and cities, but to all regions of the UK to grow high quality jobs and improve living standards.<\/p>\n

This is a very important mission. We think it is essential to work with industry to make this case clearly to the public.<\/p>\n

Because Government can\u2019t do this alone. It will be your efforts in the ports industry that will be vital to its success. I know that some of you have already given your support to the campaign, and we\u2019re hoping others amongst you will join in the days ahead.<\/p>\n

And I am looking forward to speaking at its official launch event in October.<\/p>\n

I understand invitations are on their way – so if you can bear listening to me again I hope you will attend!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP speaks to the British Ports Association at a Parliamentary Reception on 12th September 2018<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95612"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95612\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}