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INDUSTRY BOSSES MEET WITH TONY BLAIR AND GORDON BROWNRepresentatives from INEOS Chlor and EVC joined
a host of business leaders at a lunchtime meeting with Prime Minister
Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday. The pair arrived
in the North West for their first day of campaigning in the run
up to the General Election, and stopped off to visit with businesses
from the Heath Technical Park and Runcorn Site. Speaking at the meeting, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of regenerating business and industrial areas and investing in science, technology and skills, commenting: "this is what the future of the UK economy is about". Mr Blair and Mr Brown said they chose Runcorn
for a visit because it provided an excellent example of how industry
is supporting the Economy and investing in the North West. Comments Lorain McCann, who works for INEOS Chlor and had the chance to talk to Mr Blair: "The Prime Minister was very interested in what we make at Runcorn. I explained that the chlorine and other chemicals we produce are used across a wide variety of industries such as automotive, information technology, dry-cleaning and personal care. Mr Blair was particularly interested to learn of key applications such as water purification, pharmaceuticals and the production of PVC, and was surprised by the range of raw materials we make." Adds Lorain: "Mr Blair clearly recognises the importance of the North West chemical industry to the Economy and in particular the way in which companies in Halton are supporting manufacturing across the UK and worldwide." Chris Tane, CEO of INEOS Chlor Enterprises, who also met the Prime Minister, comments: "I thanked Mr Blair for the support his government had given INEOS Chlor by way of the grant to modernise our plant at Runcorn. I told him that work is progressing very well and as a result we are on our way to being a real success story for manufacturing in the UK." Mr Blair also heard from INEOS Chlor and EVC how important a competitive cost base is to ensuring the long-term success of manufacturing at Runcorn, and the issue of rising gas prices was raised directly with the Prime Minster as an issue of key concern. Continues Chris: "We took the opportunity to mention our concern about high gas prices and how this is affecting our competitiveness. It is important that the Government works with the Regulator to ensure that UK manufacturers are allowed to compete on a level playing field with manufacturers in Continental Europe." Jeff Seed, EVC Operations Director, was asked by reporters for his thoughts on the visit and commented: "It was very important that the Prime Minister and Chancellor were here since the North West is key for chemical manufacturing. It was great to see them both in Halton supporting business." ENDS
For further information please contact the INEOS Chlor Press Office: Craig Welsh
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