Vince Cable MP Visits Bentley Motors In Crewe

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A HIGH ranking Government minister made Bentley Motors the site of his first official visit.

Liberal Democrat Dr Vince Cable, the new Business Secretary of the coalition government, visited the Crewe headquarters on Thursday to discuss the importance of manufacturing to drive the economy.

He toured around Bentley Motors’ new £25million Body in White facility, constructed exclusively to make the Mulsanne, the company’s new flagship.

Speaking to reporters after his tour, Dr Cable said: “We’re falling over backwards to give certainty.

“This coalition is an amazing project when you think where we were two weeks ago.

“That I would be up here on a field visit little after a week after the election is an extraordinary achievement.

“It’s important that we give businesses support.

“The support the Government gives to British industry is about skills, training, research, development, science and education, it’s not about pumping money into companies and there isn’t the money to do that.”

The Mulsanne has been designed and engineered at Crewe and the plant, which employs around 4,000 people, is where the body shell will be manufactured.

Each Mulsanne takes around 500 hours to build.

Dr Cable said: “We need to develop a stronger, more balanced economy that is less dependent on the City by building on the strengths of our manufacturing and other knowledge industries.

“The UK is open for business and we welcome the investment that is being made here by manufacturing companies, like Bentley, creating highly skilled workforces that will ensure our future growth.”

Doug Dickson, Bentley’s member of the board for manufacturing, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to Crewe and are proud that he has chosen Bentley as one of the first companies to visit in his new role.

“We are greatly encouraged by his comments that the manufacturing sector and companies like Bentley have a key role to play in developing a stronger and more balanced economy.”

Edward Timpson, MP for Crewe and Nantwich, said: “To have the Business Secretary on his first visit out of Westminster here in Crewe is recognition that not only Crewe but Cheshire and the north west as a whole are going to play a hugely significant part if we’re going to get the country on its feet and see continued growth and prosperity.”

He added: “It’s given me the opportunity to raise some important local issues one-to-one with the Business Secretary, not only about the need for more job creation and enterprise but also about the future of the Royal Mail sorting office in Crewe.

“He’s recognised that that’s an important issue here locally and will take it back to his department and get them to look at it closely to see what can be done in the short and medium term to help people.”