Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the implications for his Department's policies are of the findings of the recent report from the North West Business Leadership Team on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on manufacturing in the region; and if he will make a statement.

We will continue to engage with the North West Business Leadership Team and manufacturing industry more widely as we negotiate to leave the EU. Facing up to challenges together, but also exploiting the opportunities that will become open to us, will be vital for the future of UK economic growth.

We remain committed to making the UK the best place in Europe to own and grow a manufacturing business by cutting business taxes, slashing red tape and investing in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale. Through our Industrial Strategy, we will make sure that we are using all the tools we have to stimulate growth in places such as the North West. That means using our record investments in infrastructure to unlock growth in every part of the country; using the major new investment in research to support innovative manufacturing businesses across the country; and encouraging inward investment into the parts of the country where we need to get growth going faster.

Over the past few years, we have invested over £1.5 billion through the Local Growth Fund, in the North West for projects to boost local economies. The Regional Growth Fund that supports eligible projects and programmes raising private sector investment to create economic growth and lasting employment, has, since its launch in 2010, resulted in over 46,000 jobs being contracted, of which 21,426 are in manufacturing. According to the EEF, the North West was the number one region in the UK in terms of manufacturing output in 2016.

In the Liverpool region, LCR 4.0 will deliver fully subsidised support to 300 SMEs, enable collaborations between 200 businesses and partners, support 70 new product development cases across a number of firms and create 60 new jobs in supported businesses. The Government has also provided £5 million matched funding to create “Sensor City”, a flagship University Enterprise Zone which enables industry and academic partners in a range of sectors to translate their innovative sensor concepts into commercially viable solutions.