Nadhim Zahawi
Main Page: Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative - Stratford-on-Avon)(11 years, 8 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
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Mr Speaker
Order. I appeal for brief questions and brief answers, in order to maximise the number of contributors.
Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon) (Con)
I applaud the Secretary of State for the work he has done with the automotive sector; we have seen the benefits in Stratford-on-Avon. He is rightly not going to be picking winners, but does he agree that what we should be doing is picking sectors where we can be world beaters, and improving and supporting those sectors?
Vince Cable
My hon. Friend is right; we need to make that distinction. There are many examples. He chose the automotive sector, where Britain is now performing extraordinarily well. For the first time in a generation we have a trade surplus in the automotive sector, with £6 billion in new commitments of investment, but there are many other sectors whose experience also serves to illustrate the wisdom of Government and the private sector sitting down together, and one of them is the space sector, as my colleague who represents higher education, the Minister for Universities and Science, knows very well. Britain now has one of the most outstanding space sectors in the world, and a lot of that is a product of sensible collaboration.