Speeches by Edwards.

“It was close to the election, but I was trying to understand how much due diligence they might have done so that the civil servants working on it would then have known about this August deadline that was so critical to the project. I am interested. At what point did they say, “Yes, we will give you that”, versus lookin…”

“When did you get that first confirmation of the initial idea that it would be £90 million that they would put in?”

“6. What discussions he has had with energy suppliers on support for consumers.”

“Picking up on that point around procurement and where we want that to go, what direction that might take, the Committee visited Scotland yesterday to look at our defence industry partners. We had a fantastic visit to BAE and some of the supply chain. Can you comment on how you think the procurement by the MOD might nee…”

“Did you receive the first notification of an offer for the £90 million through a text message or through an official email?”

“I want to come back to part of the timeline that we were trying to construct with you a few moments ago. When you first had the offer under the previous Government, how did you hear about that? We have had reports that the Chancellor of the Exchequer notified the company through WhatsApp. Is that true?”

“One of the areas that we have also heard about, if we cannot go into some of that detail, was the challenges around securing a grid connection for the furnaces. One of the things that Jon Bolton mentioned earlier was that you need two to make it commercially viable. Mr Bell, could you comment on that situation alongsid…”

“As a member of the Business and Trade Committee, I am pleased to share the Committee’s priorities for this Parliament, and the way in which the evidence that we have gathered has shaped our work plan. I recently hosted a roundtable in Tamworth with local businesses and, given our close relationship with West Midlands c…”

“I have one last question, to Sir John. You have talked about pensions as potentially unlocking some money, and you have given us your thoughts on that. What other steps might the Government be able to take to mobilise capital and crowd in investment?”

“I have one last point, just to pick up on that. The Government have laid out their industrial strategy and their trade strategy, but we also need to think about how domestic elements such as procurement could be used. That could have a lot of benefits for the entire country, looking at where growth can be maximised acr…”

“Picking up on that point, how successful has the UK been in attracting investment into the professional and business services sector, compared to its international competitors? Where would you put us in that global ranking?”

“Is the UK an exciting market for professional and business services? If not, why not?”

“I held a business roundtable in my constituency of Tamworth in December, and I asked people what opportunities they thought the Government could provide. One of the things they said was public procurement. That is something that is an opportunity but, at the moment, it is also a barrier, because a lot of SMEs have basi…”

“That leads me into one of my other questions. I wonder, Audrey, whether I could come to you. We have just heard the ballpark figure of £500 million. The Government have allocated £520 million—you can have an extra £20 million—to support manufacturing in the life sciences sector over the course of the Parliament. Is tha…”

“The Committee has heard how challenging it can be to access finance. I wonder whether I could start with you, Mr Bates, and ask what challenges start-ups face in accessing finance and the ability to scale up. We talked earlier about there being a medtech ecosystem in the west midlands. Companies want to know how they c…”

“That point is incredibly important. I serve the Tamworth constituency, which has a historic market town and 1,000 years of history; it is known for its castle. It is really important that heritage is used for regeneration. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government’s £4.85 million heritage revival fund will help tow…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing such an important debate, celebrating the immense value of football and our local clubs. I commend the mention of women and girls; I used to play football myself for a team. I want to talk about Tamworth FC. My local chairman contacted me about the 3UP campaign, which is pushin…”

“I will ask this with a slight slant for each and then we can combine them. I am interested in what your thoughts are on a free trade agreement with the US, given how difficult that has been for the UK to negotiate. Particularly, where should that time be focused? Lord Hannan, you have mentioned low-hanging fruit and th…”

“If I come back to the panel here, Tom and Rosa, do you want to comment on that? Then I have a further follow-up question as well.”

“Frank, from an industry perspective around that circular economy and the carbon emissions factor, what do you think could improve from the same perspective around those products that are being created?”