Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 published on 23 June 2025, what plans he has to develop clusters of excellence in the West Midlands.

The Industrial Strategy highlights the West Midlands' strengths in all eight Industrial Strategy growth-driving sectors.

The Strategy's UK-wide measures will make it quicker and easier to do business, including in the West Midlands. Specific Industrial Strategy interventions for the West Midlands include devolved funding from the £150m Creative Places Growth Fund, a co-created Professional and Business Services Hub and exploring a pilot initiative for an Electric Vehicles manufacturing cluster. The West Midlands will also receive £30m through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, a British Business Bank Cluster Champion to coordinate investment and a strategic partnership with the National Wealth Fund.