Britain will create freeports across England after the end of the Brexit transition period to help drive investment, create jobs and regenerate communities as it looks to boost trade when it exits the European Union.
Sea, air and rail ports in England will be invited to bid for freeport status before the end of the year, the government confirmed on Wednesday, with the first of the new sites set to be operational by the end of 2021.
The bidding process for English locations looking to become a freeport will start before the end of this year.
“Our new freeports will create national hubs for trade, innovation and commerce, regenerating communities across the UK and supporting jobs,” said Rishi Sunak, the UK finance minister.
“They will attract investment from around the world as we embrace new opportunities following our departure from the EU and will be a key driver for economic recovery as we build back better post coronavirus.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government started a consultation on the creation of freeports in February, with a search for locations.
Goods entering freeports are exempt from import taxes and tariffs and often benefit from simplified regulations.
Free zones are a popular concept in the UAE, where they form a significant part of economic activity in the country by attracting foreign investment with easier start-up processes, labour and immigration procedures.
"The government has drawn on evidence from successful freeports around the world to develop a UK freeport model. The proposed model includes tariff flexibility, customs facilitations and tax measures," the consultation report from the finance ministry said in February.
UK media reports indicate there will be 10 freeports spread across the country, which will allow companies to carry out business inside England’s land border but with different customs rules applied.
The government pledged a package of tax reliefs on investment by businesses within freeport tax sites, new measures to speed up planning processes to hasten development in and around the hub and new initiatives to encourage innovators to generate new ideas to create additional economic growth and jobs.
The government said it was “seizing on the opportunities presented by leaving the EU” to help drive Britain’s post-Brexit growth.
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
