Oxbridge growth minister keen to 'get things done'

Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance has said he is in a hurry "to get things done" after he was chosen as the person to lead the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday.

The government claimed the development of business, tech, transport and housing between these two university cities would boost the UK economy by up to £78bn.

Lord Vallance, who was intrinsic in developing the country's response to Covid-19 during the pandemic, said the project was key to preventing the country from stagnating.

"I'd like to see unlocking of investment fast," he said. "That would give me confidence that the private sector understands that this is a real opportunity and they're going to back it all the way."

The Oxford-Cambridge development - dubbed Europe's Silicon Valley - has been postured for at least a generation, with development sometimes hindered by protest and objections, some environmental.

The government wants thousands of homes and better transport links to be developed in the area between the cities as well as expanding its science and tech communities.

Lord Vallance, 63, said he felt "pressure" to "make stuff happen".

He added one of his first tasks would be to ensure all the partners involved were working from the same plan.

"One of the things investors want is to know is this is real. It's going to happen and it's going to happen in a consistent way over time."

He said progress in both cities was already happening, but he wanted to make sure "we've got a very clear plan for the overall delivery".

"I feel a responsibility because this is a big opportunity for all of us, and I want to do my bit to try and make this happen."

Lord Vallance believes the project is possible without "riding roughshod over people", despite the chancellor saying she was not going to let projects be halted by concern for "every bat and every newt".

"We're not going to overturn the things that we do need to do for biodiversity," he said.

"I care about these things very much, but we need to make sure that we don't make them disproportionate.

"We need to be able to move ahead, otherwise we are going to stagnate. We're not going to get the benefits, we're not going to have the resources we need, to fund the things we do want to do including the protection of nature.

"So this is a crucial development now, and of course, a lot of the things that are going to come along this corridor are going to be related to green technologies, to environmental benefit, reduced power consumption in the things we do."

The Conservatives have criticised Labour's plans for growth as "hastily cobbled together".

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