Economic Update

Marco Longhi Excerpts

Wednesday 8th July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Rishi Sunak]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his very kind words. I am glad it will make a difference to his constituents, as I hope it will to communities up and down the country across our United Kingdom. On hydrogen, what I can say is that I am absolutely not in a position to steal my boss’s thunder, so I will leave future announcements on hydrogen to him. The hon. Gentleman can rest assured that it is something that the Prime Minister and I—and, indeed, the Treasury—take very seriously.

[Marco Longhi (Dudley North) (Con)]

I will be brief. Last week, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister accepted my pleading to come and visit Dudley. He delivered a visionary speech and saw for himself the building of the institute of technology that will futureproof people for the jobs of the future. Will my right hon. Friend the Chancellor please also visit Dudley to support that scheme, as well as our ambition for a university campus, as I want Dudley people to be jobs-ready?

[Rishi Sunak]

I am very happy to accept my hon. Friend’s invitation. He is absolutely right. The best way for us to provide opportunity for people is to give them the skills and the education they need, whether through universities, institutes of technology, further education, schools or apprenticeships. Providing people with that knowledge is what will enable them to build a better future for their lives. That is something that he and I both feel very passionately about. We will, as a Government, deliver that.