Electric Vehicle Battery Production Debate

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Electric Vehicle Battery Production

Heather Wheeler Excerpts
Wednesday 18th January 2023

(1 year, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Graham Stuart Portrait Graham Stuart
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The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight the importance of this and of ensuring that we get policies that put us on track for that kind of transformative change; we are not currently on that track. I look forward to myself and colleagues coming back to the House to talk about that because we have to get it right. He is right to highlight that it is an important strategic interest for the UK.

Heather Wheeler Portrait Mrs Heather Wheeler (South Derbyshire) (Con)
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I congratulate my right hon. Friend on grasping this difficult nettle. I have the massive Toyota factory in South Derbyshire, and it is hugely important to us that we have these batteries built in the UK—and preferably near me. Would my right hon. Friend kindly agree to a meeting at which we can discuss future international inward investment in that sector?

Graham Stuart Portrait Graham Stuart
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I am grateful to my hon. Friend and I would be delighted to have that meeting. As I say, as part of the green finance strategy, about which I had a cross-Whitehall ministerial meeting just this morning, we are determined to make sure that this is the most investable place on earth for the net zero transition and the best place for companies to build businesses, including gigafactories.