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He confirmed that the UK will send 800 personnel to Estonia as one of four framework battalions to NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, to which France and Denmark will contribute further troops.

NIC study on Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford corridor – The government welcomes the NIC’s interim report into the Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford growth corridor, accepts the recommendation for an Oxford-Cambridge expressway,14 and will provide £27 million in development funding. The government will also bring forward £100 million to accelerate construction of the East-West Rail line western section and allocate £10 million in development funding for the central rail section. The government welcomes the NIC’s work looking at a range of delivery models for housing and transport in the corridor, including development corporations, and will carefully consider its final recommendations. Following a successful public call for ideas, the government has also asked the NIC to undertake a new study on how emerging technologies can improve infrastructure productivity.

The UK Government’s decision to focus on infrastructure spending means that the Scottish Government’s budget will increase by more than £800 million through to 2020-21, giving it even greater spending power to boost productivity and promote growth in Scotland, all while supported by the broad shoulders of the UK.

But sadly, we’re in need of more examples of best practice. The statistics speak for themselves. Unless we take action, in less than 10 years time, up to two and a half billion people – that’s a third of today’s global population - could be vulnerable to water insecurity. Unless we take action, by 2030 – the year that we’re supposed to have achieved the Global Goals, including SDG 6 on water and sanitation – then global demand for freshwater will outstrip supply by 40%.

That reflects the challenge we face of resolving how best to protect the recovery, build on the economy’s strengths, yet at the same time respond appropriately to the warnings of a more difficult period ahead.