Metro Mayor fights region’s life sciences and auto industries case with PM
Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram, met with the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last Friday (April 11) to discuss the effect of recent global events on the Liverpool City Region and UK economy.
Addressing Friday’s Combined Authority meeting in St Helens, the Mayor said he had raised the implications for the city region’s life sciences, port and automotive industries.
And he revealed he had joined forces with West Midlands Metro Mayor, Richard Parker, in writing to the Prime Minister on behalf of Jaguar Land Rover in the immediate aftermath of last Thursday’s announcement in the US regarding tariffs on the automotive industry – prompting swift action from the Government.
The Mayor said Friday’s call was “an opportunity for us to explain directly to the Prime Minister about some of the implications on the economy of the Liverpool City Region”.
He added: “The Prime Minister talked about life sciences. Life sciences is not just an important cluster for us, we are actually the largest bio-manufacturing life sciences cluster in Europe. It’s a significant sector for the UK, but it’s a particularly large sector for us in the city region.
“The Port of Liverpool handles 45% of all UK trade with the US and the US is our single biggest source of overseas investment. The USA is our largest export market, and that £1.8bn each year could be jeopardised.”
He added: “Places like Jaguar Land Rover would be enormously impacted. Last Thursday myself and Richard Parker, Metro Mayor of the West Midlands, immediately wrote to the Prime Minister on behalf of JLR.
“Within days the Prime Minister did act and addressed some of those things and JLR thanked the Prime Minister for that swift action.
“But it’s not all doom and gloom – economic growth is above where we believed it would be – and where it was forecast to be. We want to be at the forefront of economic growth across the whole of the country and we can help national government deliver on its missions.”
The Prime Minister convened the meeting with England’s mayors to update them on the Government’s pragmatic approach to the evolving international context.
He stressed the importance of bringing leaders together across the whole of the country to continue working in the national interest.
The Prime Minister then pointed to the Government’s support for the British car industry and life sciences sectors.
The Prime Minister reiterated the Government was maintaining an approach of calm and sensible investment decisions, while keeping all options on the table.
