The Ambassador toured Siemens Mobility’s Goole factory
Ambassador Mitchell at Siemens Mobility’s Goole Rail Village (Image: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK’s Ambassador to Germany, Andrew Mitchell, has visited Hull and East Yorkshire in an effort to build connections with businesses and boost investment and trade with Germany. The Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, sent the Ambassador on the visit during which he visited Siemens Mobility’s rail factory in Goole.
The visit was part of a ‘domestic roadshow’ launched by the Government earlier this year, in which Ambassadors and High Commissioners are being dispatched by the Foreign Secretary around the country to meet with businesses in order to support them to expand into key growth-driving markets. Ambassador Mitchell’s visit sought to build on the trading relationship with the UK’s second biggest trading partner Germany, which is worth almost £150 billion and supports thousands of jobs across Hull and East Yorkshire.
Over a dozen roadshow visits with top Ambassadors and High Commissioners have taken place to date. These have included visits across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, helping to build international connections for local businesses.
The Ambassador met with a number of local leaders (Image: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty, said: “Kickstarting economic growth is our number one priority and our Ambassadors are playing an important role in this mission. They know their markets better than anyone else and are able to spot opportunities to help UK businesses to grow overseas and attract foreign investment into local communities. It’s all about creating good jobs and delivering real opportunities for communities across the country, including in Hull and East Yorkshire.”
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On November 21, Ambassador Mitchell visited Siemens Mobility’s state-of-the-art Goole site where the firm is building the new generation of Piccadilly Line London underground trains, and its £240-million investment in the Goole site is creating 1,000 high-skilled jobs. On the day prior, on the November 20, he was in Swindon, attending the opening of a new factory by STARK, a German defence company, which will create over 100 highly skilled jobs in the UK.
Ambassador Mitchell with Siemens’ Mark Speed & Aglaja Scheider, Project Director for London Piccadilly Line(Image: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ambassador Mitchell said: “It’s exciting to be in Hull and East Yorkshire and develop the relationships that will supercharge growth in every corner of the UK. The UK Government’s Plan for Change and our new Industrial Strategy is making Britain the best country to do business with, and I am looking forward to using these roadshow discussions to showcase Hull & East Yorkshire on the international stage.”
Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility UK&I commented: “We were delighted to host the Ambassador at our state-of-the-art Goole Rail Village, demonstrating our commitment to the local communities where we operate and the wider UK rail industry. Investing in cutting-edge facilities and skilled jobs to help boost economic growth all forms part of our mission to transform rail travel in the UK.”