Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has hailed plans for a new Universal theme park in Bedfordshire, set to create 28,000 jobs and attract 8.5 million tourists to the UK annually.The major development represents "one of the biggest investments into the UK for decades," Nandy declared.FULL STORY HERE.
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00:00Yeah, we're really excited. What we're announcing today is one of the biggest investments into the UK for decades.
00:08It's a huge project that Comcast and Universal are opening a theme park in Bedfordshire.
00:15It'll be their first in Europe, one of the largest visitor destinations across our continent.
00:22It's got a huge amount of private investment pouring into it.
00:26It'll create 28,000 jobs, 80% of which will come from the local area.
00:31And we're working with the company to skill up young people to be able to get those jobs.
00:35It's a huge vote of confidence in the United Kingdom.
00:38And we're really delighted to be able to announce that we've secured that deal this morning.
00:41The speeds are going into the ground and this will all be ready in six years' time, you reckon?
00:48Well, that's the plan and we're determined to stick to it.
00:52One of the reasons that we've been able to secure the deal is because we've been talking to partners, business partners like Comcast and others about the work that we're doing, speeding up the planning system, speeding up government decision making, getting rid of the barriers that stop great companies investing in the United Kingdom.
01:11And this isn't just about numbers on the spreadsheet, as you know, Eamon.
01:14It's about jobs.
01:16It's about young people having opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise.
01:20It's about money in people's pockets and better living standards.
01:23And it's about celebrating the fact that the company is excited to be investing in Britain, not just because we're a good place to do business and a stable place, but because we're great at this stuff.
01:34Whether it's James Bond, Harry Potter, you name it, we're really, really good at the creative industries and they're excited to be partnering with us.
01:42We're talking about the Bedford area here.
01:44I mean, how good is that going to be for Bedford?
01:46We think it's going to be game changing, but don't trust us.
01:53Trust the local council, trust the local MPs, all of whom are firmly behind this project.
01:58It's got huge support in the local area.
02:01We've obviously listened to the public about concerns around things like transport.
02:05And part of how we were able to secure this deal with the company is that we have committed to improving the transport infrastructure in the area.
02:13That's good for local people, but it's also great for the UK economy as a whole.
02:17Because you're going to be taking people from Europe as well.
02:20We're not just talking about New Year 2 La Crosse from Cambridge or whatever to get to this theme park.
02:25I mean, you're coming from Scotland, from Wales, from Ireland and from Central Europe.
02:32Well, I can tell you that at least there'll be at least one visitor from Wigan because I'm a huge fan of theme parks and I genuinely can't wait for it to open.
02:40But I also, what's more important is that in the first year alone, we estimate that we'll be able to attract eight and a half million people to come to visit the United Kingdom in order to come to this theme park.
02:54And, you know, when you look at things like the British Museum, which is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world,
03:00in previous eras, governments have partnered with businesses and philanthropists to be able to create these big projects that really are game changing for the British economy
03:11and make Britain a destination place for people from across the world.
03:16And that's exactly what we're doing as a government.
03:18It's a huge vote of confidence in us.
03:20You've seen all the turmoil going on across the globe.
03:23But this is the moment where we are keeping our cool heads.
03:26We're working with business all over the world and we're making sure that British people are feeling the benefit.
03:31Do you have a name for the park yet?
03:36So we haven't got a name for the theme park, but I did say to the CEO of Comcast yesterday that I was quite keen that they named one of the roller coasters the Nandwagon.
03:45I can't, unfortunately, announce that that is definitely going to happen today, but I'm working on it.
03:51Good idea.