Ipswich MP Tom Hunt presses Chancellor Rishi Sunak on plans for Freeport East
He raised the issue in Parliament today
Last updated 1st Feb 2022
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt took to Parliament in order to press the chancellor for details about a concrete plan to deliver Freeport East.
The flagship scheme will integrate the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich along with new facilities in Suffolk's Gateway 14 to create infrastructure that 'brings together a team of major companies and international investors and world-leading research-intensive universities working closely with local authorities, to create a new investment and innovation opportunity for the UK.'
Mr Hunt says he wants to see progress with the scheme so as to bring benefits to communities in the region: "The new freeport will bring 10,000 jobs locally including many high-end manufacturing jobs. I'm keen for that to happen as soon as possible because that would be a huge economic boost to the area and to the wages of many people in Ipswich.
"But Freeport East is one of the 8 freeports, and I want to get a practical road map from the chancellor as to when we can expect some of his benefits to be realised.
"The other free ports are moving a bit more quickly towards the end destination, and I'm keen that we don't get left behind."
He adds that while the scheme is ambitious, there needs to be a roadmap that shows how its benefits will be delivered. " It sounds great in principle. We're hearing a lot of big numbers being thrown around 10,000 new jobs, etc. But I want to start seeing practical results of that and my constituents want to see the evidence that this is something that they should get excited about.
"I would like to get a sense from the Treasury that they see our Freeport as being as much of a priority as the other seven and that they will work instructively with me and other colleagues, particularly Therese Coffey (MP for Suffolk Coastal), Bernard Jenkin (MP for Felixstowe) and Freeport East leaders to ensure that this is delivered as soon as possible.
"So I want to get a sense from him (Rishi Sunak) that there's an urgency within his department to make it happen."
In response to his question in Parliament, the Chief Secretary of the Treasury said, "The Prime Minister was just at Tilbury (Essex) just yesterday to identify the benefits of Freeports. I can reassure him (Tom Hunt) that we are putting rocket-boosters under this policy for the benefit of places like Ipswich".