Havant MP Alan Mak demands to know why Labour Government walked away from £450m AstraZeneca investment deal

The company has pulled out of a plan to expand its Merseyside flu vaccine factory after the Labour Government cut funding.

In his role as Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Mr Mak spoke in Parliament and told his Government counterpart Peter Kyle: "The Conservatives secured a £450m investment from AstraZeneca to expand its Merseyside vaccine factory.

"When the Chancellor wrecked the deal, AstraZeneca tried to save it by increasing that investment to over £500m.

"Why did Labour still walk away, handing jobs and investment to our competitors?"

He added: "When Labour negotiates, Britain loses. AstraZeneca is investing more than £4bn in Singapore, the US and Canada.

"It could have invested in our country too. What is Labour doing to bring back the deal that it destroyed?"

Mr Mak also got Mr Kyle to apologise to the House after the Science Secretary wrongly claimed that no Conservative Ministers had met AstraZeneca representatives about its planned investment.

In fact the then Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Science Minister Andrew Griffith both met the company during the previous Conservative Government and worked to put a deal together.