Prime Minister Theresa May launched the Government’s new industrial strategy for a post-Brexit Britain as she held her first Cabinet meeting in the regions.
Mrs May and 30 ministers met at a science park and business incubator in Daresbury, Cheshire to discuss a new approach for the UK as the country prepares to exit the European single market.
The plans include a £556 million boost for the so-called “Northern Powerhouse”, an overhaul of technical education and £170 million cash for a new emphasis on science, technology, engineering and innovation.
The Prime Minister opened the cabinet meeting with an address to her ministers on the new strategy for industry.
She outlined the importance of this plan for Britain, saying that “this is all about driving our economy for the future.”
“You’ll see through the industrial strategy, the pillars that are in here, the importance of issues like infrastructure, skills, ensuring young people have the skills they need for the future, working, looking at the way in which clusters can help to drive economic growth.”
Mrs May outlined that after leaving the EU, this program would ensure the stable growth of British industry, with an economy “in the country that works for everyone.”
Later Mrs May will go on a tour of Sci-Tech Daresbury, which was set up in 2006 by developers Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and Halton Borough Council.
Currently around 1,200 people work on site, including about 500 scientists working in a variety of fields,including advanced engineering, digital/ICT, biomedical and energy and environmental technologies.
Labour former Cabinet minister Lord Hutton, chairman of the Nuclear Industry Association, said the move marked a major shift in Government outlook.
He told BBC Radio 4’s World At One: “I think, if you look at the last 30 or 40 years, it is, actually, quite a big shift in the thinking of a Conservative Government, and is something I really strongly welcome. I think it’s a very significant shift.”