FEATURE
Scaling the heights
Prime minister Rishi Sunak talks exclusively to Tees Business about the importance of the Tees Valley to the government ’ s ‘ levelling up ’ agenda – and the place the region has in his family ’ s affections
A mid the pile of momentous international issues in his in-tray , we find Rishi Sunak in reflective mood as we put him under the spotlight and ask him to focus his thoughts for a while on the Tees Valley . And it ’ s not his role as prime minister but as a father that provides the unexpected starting point for the interview .
“ Tees Valley is an area I know very well , given that it ’ s basically my backyard ,” says the MP for Richmond , before adding : “ Many a weekend has been spent with my girls at the Stockton Clip ‘ n Climb over the years .”
For those unfamiliar with Clip ‘ n Climb , it ’ s a popular attraction on the Portrack Interchange Business Park , offering visitors an array of climbing walls to test their daredevil skills , and it ’ s , apparently , a favourite with Mr Sunak ’ s daughters , Krishna and Anoushka .
Since he ’ s mentioned it early on in the discussion , it ’ s also hard to resist as an analogy for someone who swiftly climbed to the political peak , while inevitably facing calls from the opposition to get a grip after the short and tumultuous reign of his predecessor .
Whatever your political persuasion , it ’ s hard to disagree that Mr Sunak has had to tackle some pretty big challenges since he succeeded Liz Truss as prime minister last October .
The war in Ukraine , the cost-of-living crisis , a deal with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements with Northern Ireland and a controversial new strategy aimed at stopping migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats are among the issues that have tested him most during his first few months in the highest office .
But it ’ s his thoughts on what ’ s happening on the ground , here in the Tees Valley , that we ’ ve asked him to focus on for now .
What does he see as the government ’ s main successes in our part of the world ? What are his priorities ? What does the future hold ?
“ Look , we are investing hundreds of millions of pounds into the Tees Valley ,” he declares . “ It ’ s a fantastic area , which is a great illustration of our commitment to levelling up all corners of the UK .”
Teesside Freeport is immediately cited as “ a prime example and landmark move ” that was confirmed back in March 2021 , when Mr Sunak was chancellor under Boris Johnson .
“ It ’ s estimated to bring a £ 3.2bn boost to the economy and create thousands of jobs for the local area ,” he says .
“ It was the first freeport to get up and running in England , and one of the first to get final government approval .
“ The freeport is putting the region at the forefront of green energy and complements the region ’ s ambitions to develop an innovative , low-carbon cluster , building on its strengths in the process , manufacturing and offshore industries .”
Huge economic developments are always likely to be headline-grabbers , but the prime minister insists they are only the beginning of his government ’ s ambitions for the area .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 25