£450 million of investment was heading to Speke. Now it could end up in France
£450 million of investment was heading to Speke. Now it could end up in France
Plus: Steve Rotheram says it might be time to walk away from X
Dear readers — as I type this, Abi is somewhere in a field in Dorset entertaining the attendees of We Out Here festival with her DJing talents, which means today’s briefing falls into my (Jack’s) hands for the first time in a little while. Why the festival organisers failed to give me the call is a mystery I spent much of the weekend grappling with, but alas, the DJing world’s loss is your loss also.
Before we push ahead, some exciting news….we’re delighted to announce the newest member of our gang. The amazing Shannon Keating will be joining as a senior editor for The Post (as well as our colleagues in Manchester at The Mill). She’s written for New York magazine, the Atlantic and Slate. Shannon will be announcing herself to the Post readers with an editor’s edition this week, so look out for that…
Last week paying members received two excellent editions. Here’s a quick recap in case you missed one (or — heaven forbid — both).
Abi’s Friday political scoop caused a stir in the local corridors of power — after several Labour sources told us a senior councillor was planning a dramatic coup to take control of Liverpool City Council. That’s here.
On Wednesday we caught up with an old friend, Kensingston’s cannabis king Gary Youds, who is attempting to keep on the straight and narrow by turning his weed cafe into a harm reduction centre.
Editor’s note: We’re now 20 members away from hitting our target for August — ahead of schedule. If you can help us hit it it’ll mean that if Abi is thinking of sacking us off for a career behind the decks, we’ll have enough money to chuck at her to convince her to stay. It also means you’ll get eight wonderful extra editions landing in your inbox monthly. A win-win.
The big story: £450 million of investment was heading to Speke. Now it could end up in France
Top line: A massive £450 million investment for the redevelopment of AstraZeneca’s vaccine-manufacturing facility in Speke is in danger of falling through after government plans to cut its funding emerged.
According to the Financial Times, this has raised “fears that the UK-listed pharma group could pull the plug — possibly relocating the project to France instead.” The paper quoted one person who was briefed on the discussions between the government and AstraZeneca, who said: “There is a sizeable gap that would certainly threaten the investment”
While AstraZeneca declined to comment on the FT’s reporting, the government said talks were ongoing, but didn’t deny it was seeking to cut the state aid bill
What is the facility? In March, the Tory government announced plans to expand the facility in Speke, which employs 400 people and focuses on childhood vaccinations. AstraZeneca recently moved further into the vaccination market, with 3 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccination they developed with the University of Oxford administered globally. The Speke facility was going to be operationally net zero with power supplied from renewable energy sources. Both in terms of job creation and the country’s pandemic readiness, the expansion was a big deal.
As the Financial Times reported last week:
“Jeremy Hunt, former Tory chancellor, is understood to have verbally offered the company at least £65 million to help develop the facility in Speke, according to two people briefed on the stand-off. But they said the Treasury was now offering around £40 million after Reeves ordered a review of all decisions taken by the previous administration.”
It’s concerning news, as the AstraZeneca project is a rare bright spot for the city region in terms of inward investment. But since taking over as chancellor Reeves has repeatedly stressed that the financial situation she inherited is even worse than she had expected (Reeves has said the massive black hole in the nation’s finances was “covered up” by the Tories — something the Tories have steadfastly denied).
However, if the government is skimping over £25 million for a genuinely nationally important vaccine facility (when somewhere in the vicinity of £400 million of private money is already lined up) it throws other local projects that need government backing into question.
Only this week it was reported that Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram is seeking government money to get the ever-delayed Littlewoods film studio project over the line. “We need a cast-iron business case to put to central government. I want to persuade her [the chancellor] that this is something of national importance that just so happens to be in Liverpool,” he said. The LCR has already committed £17 million itself.
The other obvious point here is one we’ve been making for some time. If there’s so little money in the government kitty for projects like a vaccine facility, then is a multi-billion pound tidal barrage (which will obviously require enormous government backing) really likely to come off?
Bottom line: The worrying AstraZeneca news is the result of national, not local factors. But it does call into question which projects we should be prioritising in terms of seeking government money. It was clear Reeves was inheriting a bleak financial picture. But now that she’s arguing things are even bleaker, hopes for projects like the Mersey tidal barrage seem even more fanciful.
Your Post briefing
Steve Rotheram believes it might be time for a mass X-odus (X-it?) in the wake of the Southport (and nationwide) rioting, in which the Elon Musk-run social media network was widely blamed for its role in spreading misinformation. The initial rumour that the suspect of the Southport stabbings was a recently-arrived channel migrant was first spread on X, and gained enormous traction before Merseyside Police were able to deny it. And in one case, a 35-year-old carer called Wayne O'Rourke — who was jailed for three years for tweets “instigating” rioting — was found to be receiving £1400 a month from the platform. “The time is approaching where we’ve got to all examine whether we should, en masse, withdraw from it and for there to be a different platform,” Rotheram said.
Meanwhile, the riots charges and prosecutions continue apace, with 39-year-old Andrew McIntyre, from Lancashire, denying intentionally encouraging murder and violent disorder through electronic communication. The prosecution argued that McIntyre was the administrator of an online group and alleged that he encouraged members of the group to commit murder. Also at Liverpool Crown Court, 21-year-old Harvey Gabbott from Southport was handed a two-year sentence (of which at least half will be served in the community) after having previously admitted to throwing a pint of beer and a wheelie bin at police.
And finally, six-year-old Luther, from Liverpool, has been tipped for basketball greatness after impressing at a training camp in Greece. Michael Bradley, technical director at the NBA Basketball School, noted Luther’s high basketball IQ, and believes he could have a bright future in the game. “He was three when he picked up a ball and he’s never been able to put it down,” said Andy, his Dad.
Post Picks
📕 This Thursday, The West Kirby Bookshop is hosting an evening with music journalist and writer Aniefiok Ekpoudom. The event will celebrate the publication of Ekpoudom’s new book ‘Where We Come From’ — an exploration of rap, hope, and home in modern Britain. Tickets cost £7, or £24 including a signed copy of the book.
✏️ If you’ve always wanted to draw but don’t know where to begin, Art from the Start might be the perfect way in. Hosted on Friday by Liverpool Independent Art School, the class is a beginner-level course covering line, colour, and all the basic building blocks of visual language. Tickets cost £13.70.
🥃 Also on Friday is Afrosentrik, which is returning to Metrocola for the bank holiday weekend. The event promises to be a winner for any fans of 3 step, Ndombolo, Afrobeats, and Afro House. Go along and dance the bank holiday in from 10pm – 3am, for just £6.13.
🌊 And on Saturday we’re heading back to West Kirby for the perfect hangover cure — that’s right, it’s 3 hours of looking for seals. The event, hosted by Wirral Forest: Wellbeing, is the ultimate Hilbre explorer seal-watching experience – promising a guided tour of the wildlife and wonders of Hilbre Island for only £18.59.
Home of the week
This Grade-II listed farmhouse has four bedrooms spaced over two floors and was shortlisted for a prestigious architectural prize in 2005. It’s fifteen minutes away from Liverpool city centre and is described as “a series of interlinked spaces that sit in unbroken conversation with the tree-filled gardens, extending to just shy of an acre”. If you’d like your house to sit in unbroken conversation with your gardens, it’s going to cost you £1.8 million.
Recommended reads
There are many reasons to like Saoirse-Monica Jackson. One would be her star turn as Erin Quinn in the much-loved sitcom Derry Girls. Another would be the fact that after considering a move to London a few years ago she eventually moved to a better city instead: Liverpool. “It’s nice for me to be out of the showbiz bubble sometimes and just have a chiller, easier pace of life,” she told Vulture in this profile. And look who wrote it!
“Since the first spark was lit in Southport, condemnation of the rioters has largely centred on their identity as ‘far-Right thugs’” writes Simon Cottee in this piece for Unherd. The truth, however, is a little more complicated, he explains, theorising that there are actually three distinct types of rioter. It’s paywalled.
Get a grip. Astra Zeneca is a multi, multi, billion pound company the threat of relocation is tantamount to blackmail. If 40 million isn't enough let them go.
Sad 25 million is a drop in the ocean for funding such a prestige project in an area were Labour owe a lot for constent support but i never trusted for one minute Starmer he was promising everything just to grab power .
Both labour and tories new of the financial restraint's that would face them so all the excuse's now emerging just dont wash .