Oral Answers to Questions

Philip Hollobone Excerpts

Thursday 7th March 2024 Commons Chamber

[Kemi Badenoch]

Just on the first point, if the hon. Member still wants to believe Canada before the UK, that is his business, but we on the Conservative Benches know who we are working for, and we are working for British businesses.

On the hon. Member’s second point, carbon leakage is a global problem facing all countries that are ambitious in tackling climate change, and we are working with international partners on how we tackle it together. We are following developments on the EU CBAM closely, and we are engaging with the European Commission to discuss technical considerations relevant to UK manufacturers. We share its concerns on carbon leakage, but we need to make sure that the UK response, whatever it is, is tailored to what the UK needs, not just a copying and pasting of what others are doing.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

T4. Kettering is the beating heart of the east midlands economy, so will the Secretary of State be kind enough to facilitate a visit from her ministerial team to Ball Corporation in Burton Latimer? It has the newest, largest and most modern aluminium can manufacturing plant in Europe and a fantastic example of the very best of successful foreign direct investment into the UK economy.

[Kemi Badenoch]

I commend the Ball Corporation in Burton Latimer for all it is doing. I also thank my hon. Friend for what he is doing to promote inward investment, which supported more than 2,800 jobs across the east midlands in 2023. He has spoken to me before about the importance of the Ball Corporation to Kettering, and I am happy to confirm that either myself or one of my Ministers would be delighted to visit when diaries allow.