Oral Answers to Questions

Callum Anderson Excerpts

Thursday 15th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jonathan Reynolds]

In my first year doing this job, after the election, there was some mixed advice from Liberal Democrats on trade at various times, particularly on our engagement with the US and the EU. I believe that our package of measures that forms the basis of the UK-EU reset is ambitious. As for what the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement would mean for small businesses in the hon. Lady’s constituency, and for us all, it would make a fundamental difference. Of course we are right to recognise that the situation has been very hard for business, and there is more red tape for people exporting to our major export market, but at times I get frustrated when people do not acknowledge that the things that already form part of those negotiations would make a difference to British businesses. We will have more ambitions, and our own views on how things should go, but there is an ambitious package that we should all get behind.

[Callum Anderson (Buckingham and Bletchley) (Lab)]

T7. This summer, the Bletchley investment taskforce, which I established last year, finalised its investment prospectus, setting out all the opportunities that our town offers. Will the Minister meet me and the taskforce to discuss how we can work together to attract the new businesses and jobs that will ensure that we deliver growth in our postcode?

[The Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment (Chris McDonald)]

I commend my hon. Friend on the work of the Bletchley investment taskforce and I thank him for the many letters that he has sent me updating me on its work. I have learned about Bletchley’s strengths in innovation, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies, which are all aligned with our industrial strategy, so of course I would be keen to come and meet the investment taskforce. Perhaps we can talk about how the work of the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor can link in and bring more investment to Bletchley too.