UK Modern Industrial Strategy

Ruth Jones Excerpts

Monday 23rd June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jonathan Reynolds]

Well, I think there is no comment I can make on that.

I would say, first, that I imagine that that business has been doing very well in the last few days—anyone selling ice creams has probably seen a pretty solid demand for their products. The hon. Member makes a really good point, though; there is a lot of support for exporting, and businesses do not always know where to find it. The business growth service, which will be part of the small business plan, is an attempt by Government to bring together a single portal of information—to digitise, with a single digital login ideally, all the interactions that businesses have with the UK state. I want to bring together our considerable export offer, along with the export academy and the expertise that we have in markets, to make things very clear, so that a Member of Parliament like her visiting a business can simply say, “This is where you need to go. This is all the resource available, and I can raise any other issues with the Secretary of State.”

[Ruth Jones (Newport West and Islwyn) (Lab)]

As chair of the all-party parliamentary group for semiconductors, I welcome the formal recognition of this valuable sector in the new industrial strategy. I also welcome the plans for the future development of the sector, but as always the devil will be in the detail. I look forward to working with the Secretary of State to ensure that the UK semiconductor sector develops to its maximum potential in the next few years, as the essential foundation of so many of our vital industries, like automotive, aviation and cyber-security. Will he commit to regular, ongoing discussions with the leaders of the semiconductor sector?

[Jonathan Reynolds]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and for her championing of that sector, which is significant for her constituency. Part of the approach in the industrial strategy is to recognise eight sectors that are very important—those that have an analytical base—and focusing some attention on them, but it covers those foundational sectors as well. As she has said, other sectors would include steel, chemicals, critical minerals, composite materials, electricity networks, ports and construction. We need the foundations in place if we are to have the kind of success that we are looking at, and I look forward to continuing to work with her on that.