A lot of time is spent thinking how we can stop this happening We want to buttress this strength."The £10m will initially be focused on replicating efforts in the treatment of cancer which have doubled the number of cancer patients in clinical trials. The aim is to expand the initiative into diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and mental health disorders.. The mobile phone operator mmO2 turned in its first pre-tax profit yesterday since it was demerged from BT two years ago and said its British customer base had grown 10 per cent in the half year. Tony Blair has thrown his weight behind plans to put NHS patients forward for cutting-edge drug trials, in a move that it is hoped will speed access to potentially life-saving new medicines and provide a new support to Britain's biotech industry. The report, from the Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team (BIGT), a group of financiers, industrialists and researchers, says the NHS should be used as a "gateway" to give biotech companies easy access to large numbers of patients.Mr Blair told the CBI: "Within the European Biotechnology sector the UK enjoys a strong position. That's not on."If you have a president that says 'my best friend Tony Blair', then we want him to walk the walk," he said. Mr Jones said he informed the Prime Minister of the allegations during his visit to the conference yesterday and he will raise it with John Snow, the US Treasury Secretary, when he arrives in Birmingham today.Mr Jones said he had been personally told by the two defence chief executives of pressure from US Congress representatives during a recent visit to Washington. "This will increase unemployment in Britain and will be caused by our best friend. "What I can't do is shield you from the world economy," he told delegates.. US Politicians and government departments have been putting pressure on US companies to pull out of the UK and cancel lucrative orders with British companies, it was suggested yesterday. A lot of time is spent thinking how we can stop this happening."Patricia Hewitt, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, will announce new measures this week to aid small businesses by easing the burden of regulation on them and extending tax breaks. The Government is to exempt a further 69,000 companies from the requirement to have an audit - saving an estimated £94m - and raise the turnover threshold for what constitutes small and medium-sized companies so that more can qualify for capital allowances.The Prime Minister was also resolute that in negotiations over the new European constitution, the UK would not permit its "red lines" to be crossed. He said the claim that a 20 per cent increase in NHS spending had been accompanied by a productivity gain of just 2 per cent was "bizarre" because this statistic was based on only elective hospital admissions and ignored improvements in waiting times, and preventative measures to combat lung cancer, breast cancer and deaths from heart disease - three areas in which the UK had made big advances.He was also uncompromising in response to a plea for more support for manufacturing industry from delegates. "Specifically, on matters of tax, social security and the EU budget, we will oppose any moves away from unanimity," he said.Mr Blair was unapologetic, however, over the level of public spending and rejected claims by the CBI that productivity was failing to match investment in public services such as health and education.
Tony Blair called for a "new and deeper" relationship between the Government and business yesterday in a move that is likely to alarm the trade union movement. While 29 per cent had already moved some business offshore, 59 per cent said they were likely to expand overseas in the next couple of years.There was a marked trend towards higher-paid jobs overseas, with 7 per cent of firms moving their accounts functions, a quarter outsourcing IT systems and 14 per cent R&D.. Air Chief Marshal Burridge said that the UK and US defence forces had already shown their ability to operate joint refuelling missions during the recent Gulf conflict.. The US Air Force has already selected brand new Boeing 767s to provide the backbone of its tanker refuelling fleet and the US manufacturer is arguing strongly that there would be a big advantage in British and American forces having the same kit. "The consortia are well aware of that."This reinforces how crucial jobs and industrial considerations will be in the Government's final decision, which is expected to be made by a Cabinet committee chaired by Tony Blair.Tanker Team says its proposals would safeguard more than 5,000 UK jobs but Air Tanker says it will safeguard or create 7,500 because an order for Airbus would bring work to north Wales where the wings of the A330 are made.President Bush is expected to lobby on behalf of the Boeing consortium when his state visit to Britain begins today. We are neutral from an operational standpoint," he said at a breakfast seminar at the CBI conference.He added that whichever consortium won the contract, the biggest ever awarded under the Private Finance Initiative, it had to be value for money. |
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