Prime Minister praises green revolution in Blyth

A year on from the General Election, Boris Johnson was in one of the constituencies to turn blue, as he visited the ORE Catapult turbine testing centre, where he learned about the facility’s contribution to the offshore wind industry and met apprentices.

“It’s been amazing to come here and see the Catapult,” Mr Johnson said. “This is the future not just for the UK, but for jobs and growth here in the North East.”

Suggesting many people in the country don’t appreciate the potential for the industry, he added: “The opportunities are huge, for high-tech, high-skilled, high-wage jobs here in the North East for a long, long time to come; many, many thousands and jobs that bring the real satisfaction of knowing you’re doing something to make the world better.”

His visit coincided with the announcement that the former Blyth power station site has been chosen by Britishvolt for its proposed gigaplant to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), a planned £2.6billion investment which would bring 3,000 direct jobs with the potential for a further 5,000 in the supply chain.

“It’s part of our green industrial revolution,” Mr Johnson said. “In our 10-point plan, becoming the ‘Saudi Arabia of wind’ is one objective, but giga-factories for EVs is another point in the plan.

"It’s great that it looks very much as though Britishvolt is going to go ahead with this site, it’s fantastic news.”

In the here and now, the Prime Minister thanked people in the North East ‘for the incredible efforts they’ve made to get the virus under control and keep the infection rate down’.

Noting that the North East’s rates were coming down, unlike other areas in the country, and describing it as ‘fantastic’, he said: “In the days up to December 16, we will be looking very carefully at the epidemiology, trying to work out in as fine detail as we can, what our chances are of taking areas down a tier if that’s sensible. We’ll only do it if we think it’s justified by the science.

“I know that will be frustrating, particular for areas where they’ve got it coming down but they’re near areas where it’s not coming down so fast, and who feel they are being unfairly dragged into a higher tier. I do really appreciate that sense of frustration and unfairness.

“We’ll do our best to sort it out, but what we can’t have is another big spike in the coming weeks.

"Everyone instinctively understands where we’ve got to in the fight, we all know the salvation, the cavalry is over the hill and the vaccines are already being rolled out, but it will take time.

“We’ll do our best on the 16th, we’ll be as fair as we possibly can, but we can’t afford to let the virus get out of control.”

The Prime Minister was also challenged on Brexit, with a no-deal scenario looking increasingly likely.

“The North East is already the biggest net exporting region in the whole UK and has got an amazing future whatever trading arrangements we have with the EU,” he said.

“I think there’s a big opportunity for companies to think not just in European terms – where markets will remain open and our markets will remain open to our European friends – but also more globally.

“In the North East, I see a region which, yes, has had a knock-back from Covid, as we all have, but I think can bounce back very strongly. What we’re going to do is continue with our agenda of uniting and levelling up.”

He added: “One thing I would stress is whatever your business, it’s vital that whether it’s Canada or Australia (style trading agreements), we have to get ready, because there will be change coming.”

Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy said: “It was absolutely fantastic to have Boris Johnson visit the constituency and the reaction he received was brilliant.

"The Prime Minister could not have been more impressed with the work taking place at the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and as the MP it was a proud moment to demonstrate how important the constituency is to green energy production in the UK.

“The time spent at the beach allowed Boris to chat with local people who were delighted that the Prime Minister was in town.

"The visit from the Prime Minister and Amanda showed that the profile of Blyth Valley has been raised massively in the last 12 months.

"It was a coincidence that it took place a day before the first anniversary of being elected but it certainly marked it in a way that could not have been better.”