Questions to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - 3rd March 2020
Suzanne Webb:
Both I and Andy Street are campaigning for a Gigafactory to be located in the urban West Midlands, close to the heart of car manufacturing. The factory would make the region a world leader in green vehicle technology. Will the Minister support that vision, and what steps can we take to ensure there is further investment in green technology in the West Midlands?
Alok Sharma (Secretary of State):
We are committed to securing investment for a UK Gigafactory to support electrical vehicle manufacturing. Indeed, last week, I met Andy Street and Ralf Speth, who is the chief executive officer of Jaguar Land Rover, to discuss their thoughts on this matter. We recognise the strength of the West Midlands, where £138 million has already been invested in the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre scheduled to open near Coventry this summer.
