IN VIDEO and PICTURES: JLR helping create 'heart of UK economy': George Osborne revs in for i54 visit
George Osborne said the West Midlands can become 'the heart of the UK economy' - and pledged the creation of new jobs would give hope to workers who have been laid-off at Caparo and Goodyear.
The Chancellor spoke during a visit to the Jaguar land Rover plant on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, where he announced the creation of 190 new 'highly skilled manufacturing jobs'.
He said: "We're putting investment into the infrastructure, the roads, the railways. We're putting the power here. We have got the new deal with the West Midlands Combined Authority to make sure the West Midlands is strongly represented on the map.
"Lots of good things are coming together. We want to see the area as the heart of the UK economy."
Mr Osborne said the number of new jobs that were being created in the region would give hope to workers that have been affected by the recent Caparo collapse and the imminent closure of Wolverhampton's Goodyear tyre manufacturing plant. A total of 323 jobs went at Caparo in October, although it was announced on Saturday that 300 jobs had been saved at plants in Bilston and Oldbury.
"There has been 150,000 jobs created here over the last five years, but of course you'll get individual companies that will struggle," Mr Osborne said.
"That will always be the case.
"Do we have an economy where jobs are being created elsewhere? Yes we do.
"Of course every time a company gets into trouble we do everything we can to help and support. A company like Caparo has been in trouble, although there has been some slightly better news over the last couple of days that some of those won't be lost.
"At the same time we see all the jobs being created at the JLR plant, which shows that our overall economic policy is right and that we can help people who are affected when a particular company gets into trouble.
"We are creating many tens of thousands of jobs in this area to help people who want to move on with their careers."
Mr Osborne, who chatted with staff and apprentices during his visit to JLR, also spoke about plans to bring forward the construction of HS2 by six years. He called the controversial rail line 'a necessity' in order to 'stop the nation from standing still'.
