The UK did not withhold ESA funding from Orbex. The UK subscribed c.£162m to ESA launch programmes in November 2025 and allocated the maximum possible amount of funding to Orbex as per European Space Agency rules and selection criteria. To access further funding the company needed to secure a matched level of private investment, which it was unable to do. Had the company been able to raise the required funding, they would have been able to access the overwhelming majority of this £162m.

The Government made every reasonable effort to support Orbex. This included two cash injections of £20m and £6m last year to support the company to raise further private capital. Space launch is a highly competitive sector, and Orbex was unfortunately not able to maintain pace with European competitors, both in terms of its fundraising and technology.

While Orbex’s situation is disappointing, the Government remains committed to supporting our dynamic space sector, including companies operating out of Scotland such as SaxaVord Spaceport and Rocket Factory Augsburg. Orbex employees were highly skilled, and we understand that many, if not all, Orbex employees have gone on to find alternative employment.

The UK did not withhold ESA funding from Orbex. The UK subscribed c.£162m to ESA launch programmes in November 2025 and allocated the maximum possible amount of funding to Orbex as per European Space Agency rules and selection criteria. To access further funding the company needed to secure a matched level of private investment, which it was unable to do. Had the company been able to raise the required funding, they would have been able to access the overwhelming majority of this £162m.

The Government made every reasonable effort to support Orbex. This included two cash injections of £20m and £6m last year to support the company to raise further private capital. Space launch is a highly competitive sector, and Orbex was unfortunately not able to maintain pace with European competitors, both in terms of its fundraising and technology.

While Orbex’s situation is disappointing, the Government remains committed to supporting our dynamic space sector, including companies operating out of Scotland such as SaxaVord Spaceport and Rocket Factory Augsburg. Orbex employees were highly skilled, and we understand that many, if not all, Orbex employees have gone on to find alternative employment.

The UK did not withhold ESA funding from Orbex. The UK subscribed c.£162m to ESA launch programmes in November 2025 and allocated the maximum possible amount of funding to Orbex as per European Space Agency rules and selection criteria. To access further funding the company needed to secure a matched level of private investment, which it was unable to do. Had the company been able to raise the required funding, they would have been able to access the overwhelming majority of this £162m.

The Government made every reasonable effort to support Orbex. This included two cash injections of £20m and £6m last year to support the company to raise further private capital. Space launch is a highly competitive sector, and Orbex was unfortunately not able to maintain pace with European competitors, both in terms of its fundraising and technology.

While Orbex’s situation is disappointing, the Government remains committed to supporting our dynamic space sector, including companies operating out of Scotland such as SaxaVord Spaceport and Rocket Factory Augsburg. Orbex employees were highly skilled, and we understand that many, if not all, Orbex employees have gone on to find alternative employment.

The Government’s priority is to secure assured access to space for the United Kingdom.

The Government is supporting the development of an operational UK spaceport and a competitive launch market. SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland is Europe’s first licensed vertical launch site and is expecting multiple launches in 2026.

We will work with launch companies that can meet our assured access objectives to develop reliable, secure, and commercially competitive access to space. We will also develop and strengthen existing partnerships with our NATO and European allies.

As with all Government investments, appropriate financial, technical and legal due diligence was undertaken before funding decisions were made. The Government does not routinely publish internal assurance or due diligence material, which is commercially sensitive.

The Government provided financial support to Orbex through a combination of direct investment and grant funding to support the development of its Prime launch vehicle.

From April 1^st 2026, the key responsibilities of the UK Space Agency will continue to include growing the UK’s space sector, working closely with industry and driving successes and opportunities.

This will be a key element of the overarching remit of the UK Space Agency to: Set the national direction on space including cohering policy, strategy and delivery across the whole of government, leading delivery of innovation and world class science programmes in partnership with the sector and international partners.

The government has supported British companies to develop capabilities to clean up debris through both grants and contracts, including Astroscale UK, ClearSpace UK and respective subcontractors. The procurement process for a single supplier to deliver a research and development contract to remove two defunct UK satellites from orbit is ongoing. Protecting the outer space environment is a priority for the government, so further funding opportunities for British companies to compete for grants will become available in due course.

Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.

The UK Government is now considering options for Ukraine’s future access on poultry meat and eggs.

Under the UK-Ukraine Enhanced (100 Year) Partnership Agreement, which was signed in January 2025, the UK has committed to broadening mutual market access and increasing agricultural cooperation between the UK and Ukraine; and providing support to Ukraine’s agricultural transformation, including on food production. The UK is engaging with Ukraine on these commitments and to support the successful development of Ukraine’s agriculture sector.

Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.

The UK Government is now considering options for Ukraine’s future access on poultry meat and eggs.

Under the UK-Ukraine Enhanced (100 Year) Partnership Agreement, which was signed in January 2025, the UK has committed to broadening mutual market access and increasing agricultural cooperation between the UK and Ukraine; and providing support to Ukraine’s agricultural transformation, including on food production. The UK is engaging with Ukraine on these commitments and to support the successful development of Ukraine’s agriculture sector.

Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine triggered a sharp reduction in global grain supply and a huge shock to global markets. The most recent UN flagship report on global hunger - the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World2025 - has confirmed once again that the war in Ukraine is a major driver of food price volatility and inflation, contributing to rising food insecurity worldwide.

The UK has provided significant support to ensure vital Ukrainian exports continue to reach countries that need them, including coordination with the UN and alignment with EU Solidarity Lanes to maintain export capacity and resilience. Since 2022, the UK has provided £11 million of support for the Grain from Ukraine initiative, and we welcome Ukraine's ambitions in expanding the programme to 'Food from Ukraine'.

At the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced expansion of British International Investment's (BII) remit to support private sector investment in Ukraine. BII has worked with the European Bank of Reconstruction to establish the Ukraine Investment Platform to facilitate co-investment in Ukraine from G7 and European countries including in infrastructure, financial services and agriculture. BII's investment in Ukraine to date includes providing trade finance to local banks to support trade flows of critical goods and supporting a leading Ukrainian agribusiness producer to help it maintain and expand exports to over 70 countries, benefitting more than 2,000 small retail stores and 2,500 farmers. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has made £3.5 billion of financial capacity available to support Ukraine throughout the war, supporting national priority projects for the Government of Ukraine. UKEF's financing has directly enabled Ukraine to access world-class UK defence, infrastructure, and energy capabilities.

The UK-Ukraine Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement is the central pillar of the UK’s trading relationship with Ukraine. Under this Agreement, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029 (with the exception of poultry and eggs which are liberalised until 31 March 2026), with businesses in both countries benefiting from this arrangement. The UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement supports businesses to trade more efficiently and cheaply, including through secure electronic transactions, e-signatures, and e-contracts. The UK-Ukraine Trade Committee oversee these agreements and discusses how to enhance further our bilateral trade and investment.

The UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement modernises our digital trade relationship, benefitting businesses and consumers in both countries. Our joint commitments, such as securing trusted cross‑border data flows and fostering open digital markets and digital trading systems, and continuing cooperation on digital issues support Ukraine’s adoption of data‑driven tools such as precision‑farming and remote‑sensing technologies. The UK-Ukraine TechBridge initiative, which assists the utilisation of the Digital Trade Agreement, facilitates connections between UK and Ukrainian tech sectors, building mutually beneficial commercial partnerships and helping Ukraine to secure investment into its dynamic technology sector. The initiative covers six priority sectors, including agri-tech.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office undertakes a pre-designation assessment of the impact of a sanctions designation on the UK economy as part of the decision-making process.  The government also publishes impact assessments alongside sanctions-related legislation.

While these assessments seek to be as comprehensive as possible, it is difficult to analyse the direct impact of sanctions on foreign direct investment (FDI), given the complex mix of factors that affect FDI, including geopolitical tensions, regulatory changes, and trade agreements.

We are taking decisive steps to remove barriers to investment, strengthening the UK’s competitiveness. To address high energy costs, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce industrial electricity prices by up to 25%, supporting thousands of manufacturers. The new Strategic Sites Accelerator, backed by over £600 million, will unlock an initial wave of sites for investment from the growth-driving sectors of the Industrial Strategy from next financial year, with the aim of scaling up the programme over time. These measures form part of a wider strategy to create a pro-investment environment that drives growth and innovation.

The Government has established the service described. It is the Office for Investment (OfI), a joint unit of HM Treasury, the Department for Business and Trade, and Number 10 Downing Street. The OfI was launched in its current form in June 2025, with a remit to source and secure transformational investment that drives economic growth, job creation, and increased productivity across the UK. The OfI operates as a central government function, working across departments and with external partners to attract and land high-value, strategic investments into the UK.

The Government is taking decisive steps to foster long-term, high-value entrepreneurship through foreign direct investment. Reforms to procurement, generous R&D tax reliefs, and targeted programmes such as BridgeAI, Growth Catalyst (£130 million) and Enterprise Fellowships will unlock capital, markets and talent. Major investment in AI and semiconductors, alongside a three-year stamp duty holiday for UK-listed firms, gives global investors confidence to back UK innovators and drive sustained growth.

The OfI: Financial Services is a bespoke concierge service partnership involving HM Treasury, the OfI, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, and the City of London Corporation. It was created to address the particular investment-related needs of the FS sector but was deliberately branded as the OfI to reflect its commonality with the OfI’s remit of sourcing and securing transformational investment. Whilst the Government will always consider the optimum approach to attracting investment, the OfI remains the single front door investment delivery body for the UK. The OfI works closely with DSIT to maximise investment in the Tech sector.

The UK’s new ten-year Industrial Strategy, launched in June 2025, is explicitly designed to attract and support investment by providing a stable, long-term framework. Targeted initiatives and incentives exist or are planned in areas such as nuclear power expansion, AI Growth Zones, Industrial Strategy Zones and lower energy costs. The Office for Investment (OfI) has expanded its remit, offering tailored support to major and strategically aligned investors. This includes a new Strategic Investment Opportunities team working with local leaders and agencies to identify and deliver high-impact projects, especially in government-priority sectors.

OfI uses a range of metrics to assess the effectiveness of its operations. These are currently for internal use. OfI’s output is reported in the Official Statistics, and cover market origin, sector and distribution of investment across the UK. This will be supported by the OfI Board, which will coordinate investment activity across HMG and is chaired by the Minister for Investment.