Speeches by Madders.

“I want to follow up on the review. It is absolutely crystal clear from what you have said that this is potentially existential for the industry. What possible reason could there be for the Government wanting to wait until next year for the outcome of the review?”

“Very briefly, I am assuming your engagement with DBT is very good.”

“In terms of other Departments, do you find that you are getting the right officials and the right level of seniority, and that they are responding positively? Is the whole of Government getting the message that your voice really matters?”

“I state for the record that I am chair of the All-Party Motor Group, which SMMT is one of the secretariat for. Thank you for that. The industrial strategy hopes to significantly increase UK vehicle production by 2035. If we look at last year’s total figures of just over 750,000—the lowest since the 1950s—there were pro…”

“You are having the same conversations as you had when Russia invaded Ukraine, essentially. Are you getting the same responses?”

“Very quickly, DWP has some very ambitious plans in terms of NEET engagement. Has the council been able to engage with that?”

“Can I come back to what both Murray and Matthew said? It was very interesting that you both gave similar answers—that to get to this target, we are going to need a new entrant into the market. Who in Government is leading the way in terms of attracting that new entrant? Is anyone doing anything to attract new entrants …”

“Some of the sectors that have had shutdowns and mothballing closures in recent times are chemicals, packaging, food, glass, automotive, ceramics, bricks, steel and many others. Is this a problem across everything in manufacturing? They have all cited, to some extent, energy costs as a reason for a downturn in activity.…”

“When you present these issues and the Government explain, as you say, where the line is drawn, do you feel like you are having any influence as to how those decisions are being taken?”

“I start by thanking the Minister for her hard work and dedication in trying to get this Bill right. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of the campaigners have been heard and are reflected in the final provisions, and I know that she will continue to do so when the Bill returns in the next parliamentary…”

“When the Central England Co-operative announced that it was purchasing the Marquis pub in Great Sutton and the Saffron restaurant in Ellesmere Port, we were delighted that those old buildings were going to be brought back into use as convenience stores. However, five years on since those announcements, I am afraid that…”

“10. What steps he is taking to reform public procurement.”

“Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Royal Mail depot in Ellesmere Port, where I went in one of its newly purchased vans from the Stellantis factory just down the road—a perfect example of how we should be supporting British industry. I urge the Minister to look further at this issue, because what he has annou…”

“Can I push a little bit more on this suggestion that we do not need to worry about the source of it because there is enough to go around? You have mentioned already that it can be subject to monopolies and political influence. Is it not also the case that it is about how much physically you can get out at any one time,…”

“You have touched on this already in terms of the reasons why certain supply chains might be more vulnerable than others, particularly because of the concentration of resources. I wonder whether you could say a little more about what the range of factors might be and how you evaluate that at each stage of the supply cha…”

“It is in my constituency.”

“It certainly does, yes.”

“We have talked a lot about risks, so I will be brief. We have seen, with what has happened in the middle east recently, that a military conflict can very quickly be leveraged to create economic challenges. If there was a decision taken at some point in the future for some military dispute to use China’s economic levera…”

“Shaun and Julian, do you have any other perspectives on the level of guidance and support that you get from the UK Government?”

“Could you give us a sense as to what some of those low-risk, high-value opportunities might be?”