David Rutley

Conservative MP for Macclesfield

THE Prime Minister’s recent visit to AstraZeneca’s Macclesfield campus highlighted the company’s investment of £380 million in the site.

It also demonstrated how important the investment is for the Government’s ambitions for the life-science sector and for economic development plans for the North West.

This financing of new advanced manufacturing and packing facilities at AstraZeneca also underlines how vital it is to the company’s future plans.

It’s a real boost to advanced manufacturing and to the highly skilled team at the site and is a huge vote of confidence in the local economy.

It was an honour to have been invited to attend the visit, having worked with AstraZeneca over many years to assist the company in achieving its ambitions for its Macclesfield site and developed a strong working relationship with the company’s local and national leadership teams.

It’s home to a team of almost 4,000 highly skilled staff who are not only involved in value-added advanced manufacturing of medical treatments, including the prostate cancer therapy Zoladex, but also packing, logistics and developing new medical treatments.

The site makes a major contribution to AstraZeneca’s and the UK’s export performance.

AstraZeneca is playing a vital role in tackling the coronavirus pandemic and the Prime Minister’s visit also put the spotlight on the important work the team does more widely in researching and treating other serious medical conditions, and improving the lives of millions.

Locally, we are all very proud of the people that work at the Macclesfield campus. The site is the jewel in the crown of our local economy. This visit helped to recognise the team’s important work and the significance of AstraZeneca’s major investment here in Macclesfield.