Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, attended the opening of the Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre and International Security Printers, by the Queen, at the i54 business park.
The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the business park in Bilbrook, on her first visit to the region in twenty years. As well as the £500 million JLR factory, the Queen opened the International Security Printers, which printed stamps to commemorate the Royal Wedding in 2011 and moved from its base in Walsall to the i54 site.
The JLR factory’s Engine Manufacturing Centre has recently manufactured the new Ingenium engine, which was been unveiled in Jaguar’s latest models the XE Prestige and XE Portfolio.
Gavin was introduced to the Queen upon her arrival, after she was welcomed by pupils from Brewood Middle School, and thanked her for coming to the city and opening the factory.
Gavin said: “It was a huge honour and privilege to have Her Majesty come and open the site. It is wonderful that she understands and recognises the incredible value of having this factory here and the difference it will make not only to the local economy, but nationally as well.
“It was fantastic to see how interested she was in each and every aspect of her visit. It was also great to see how many local residents came to see the visit. Each resident should be proud of the work that the factory contributes to South Staffordshire and it was fantastic for the Queen to witness this.”