£400 million defence investment will be a big boost to Telford's 'skills cluster', says MP
An MP has welcomed news that Telford has been chosen as the home for a new gun-barrel works.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
It was announced yesterday (Monday) that defence giant Rheinmetall had chosen the former GKN works at Hadley Castle as the site for its new works as part of a £400 million investment.
Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin praised the decision, which came four months after he recommended the site during a debate in the House of Commons.
Mr Pritchard said he had been lobbying the Government on the matter for some time, arguing that the town had developed an important 'skills cluster' in the defence industry.
He said: “I have made continuing representations to defence ministers making the case for giving this work to Telford, and for government to recognise the excellent workforce at Hadley.
"This multi-million pound investment is great news for safeguarding local jobs, creating new jobs, the wider supply chain, and investing in new innovation and local skills and training. I will continue to make the case for Telford being the leading defence hub in the Midlands.”
In January the MP invited defence minister Maria Eagle to visit the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land works in Hadley, as he made the case for a gun-barrel works in his constituency.
Rheinmetall BAE, which manufactures the Challenger 3 tank and Boxer armoured car, announced it would be opening its first UK gun-barrel factory in more than a decade following a recent co-operation agreement between the British and German governments.
During a Commons debate on defence industry strategy, Mr Pritchard argued that the 'skills cluster' around the Rheinmetall BAE should be a major consideration when deciding on the location of the works.
He asked: "As part of the defence industrial strategy, does the Minister of State recognise the link between successful defence vehicle manufacturing, such as Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land manufacturing the Challenger 3 tank in my constituency, and the onshoring of barrel technology and defence engineering?
"Does she recognise the link between that skills cluster and the importance of companies such as RBSL having a future in manufacturing not just vehicles but barrels? I look forward to her visit to my constituency in the coming days."
Miss Eagle agreed that the creating clusters of excellence for specialist skills were very important in driving efficiency.
"I do not disagree at all," she said. "He is completely correct that clusters of excellence and skill are the way forward. I look forward to visiting his constituency shortly."
