On Friday I visited Astra Zeneca’s Speke site to meet again with their management team and discuss their plans for the future. The Speke site is the UK’s only complete fill and finish facility and is in the middle of their flu vaccine production season.

We had a frank discussion on the disappointing loss of the £450 million investment in a new R&D facility, which would have included £90 million of government investment. I am working to encourage that money to still be invested in South Liverpool pharmaceutical cluster but was assured that Astra Zeneca still have plans for the site and that it is not currently in any danger. Speke’s management team have not given up on developing the proposed R&D space for other purposes in the future.

They also told me about their new biomethane plant that will supply energy to a number of their sites as they look to deliver their 2030 carbon neutral targets. Their Macclesfield plant is the first in the UK to be completely carbon neutral and Speke will also benefit from this.

It is good to maintain a strong relationship with Astra Zeneca because, despite the disappointment earlier in the year, they are still a key local employer and deliver £4.1 billion of value into the UK economy. 1.3 million people annually are treated with medications they manufacture. I am continuing to support them as they look to make sure Speke is a key player in any future North West biotech cluster.