It was a pleasure to welcome Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to Blyth last Thursday as he announced another £20m investment in the town. It's great news for Blyth and is the start of a 'deep dive' process in which multiple government departments all work together to deliver real improvements.
The next day Rail Minister Huw Merriman MP came to Newsham to see the progress being made on the Northumberland Line. I'm very proud to have secured this project and to see the work progressing at the new stations. As well as being a significant transport improvement project it also opens up an 'economic corridor' of opportunity.
This week got off to a great start as Recharge Industries finalised the deal with EY to acquire BritishVolt out of administration. I have met a couple of times with CEO David Collard and was impressed with his vision and ambition. I will continue to champion this project with Government and work closely with the Council to ensure the economic benefits of this project are shared with local people.
When Secretary of State Gove visited we convened a large group of local business, education and skills leaders to discuss the best way forward to accelerate the economic transformation of South East Northumberland. I look forward to welcoming Recharge Industries to the follow-up meeting.
It was a real privilege to be elected as vice-chair of the North East All Party Parliamentary Group which works to provide a strong and united voice for the North East in Westminster. I will use this position to create opportunities in our region, to fulfil the North East's growth potential, to keep Levelling-Up on the agenda and ensure we speak with one strong voice.
The Windsor Framework, agreed by the Prime Minister and the European Commission President this week is a significant achievement. It replaces the Northern Ireland Protocol, dealing with issues it has created and providing a new legal and UK constitutional framework for a prosperous, stable future for Northern Ireland. It protects Northern Ireland’s place within our Union, and restores the balance of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions. The UK can veto new EU goods laws if they are not supported by both communities in Northern Ireland, the new green lane removes any sense of a border in Irish Sea and Northern Ireland will benefit from same VAT, food and drink and medicines as the rest of the UK.
