Summary
[British media: British government has shelved plans to establish “British Silicon Valley”]According to the British “Financial Times”, Boris Johnson’s government has shelved its strategic plan to establish a “British Silicon Valley” around Oxford and Cambridge universities. Ministers no longer see the project as a priority, the people said. While a new rail line between Oxford and Cambridge is still under construction, plans for a new high-speed mainline and a million new dwellings are on hold. (Interface News)
According to the Financial Times, Boris Johnson’s government has shelved its strategic plan to create a “British Silicon Valley” around Oxford and Cambridge universities. Ministers no longer see the project as a priority, the people said. While a new rail line between Oxford and Cambridge is still under construction, plans for a new high-speed mainline and a million new dwellings are on hold.
Known as “Britain’s Silicon Valley” Oxford-Cambridge TechnologyThe ARC project, which aims to link the two universities and the manufacturing and logistics hub of Milton Keynes City, has been a key priority for successive Conservative governments until last year. Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove has privately said the project has been shelved, drawing the ire of local leaders and several big companies in the region.
Johnson was elected in 2019 with his “flattening” agenda, pledging to focus on economic growth outside London and the south-east. The Conservative Party’s 2021 defeat in the traditional stronghold of the North West by-election prompted Johnson to abandon plans for a major housing development in the UK.
Three Whitehall insiders said a 40-person Whitehall team was tasked with implementing Oxford-Cambridge TechnologyThe Arc’s division disbanded within weeks.
(Article source: Interface News)