Prime Minister Keir Starmer branded 'silly sausage' in row over multi-billion Northumberland development
The council accused the PM of 're-announcing' the scheme
by James Robinson · ChronicleLiveThe Prime Minister has been criticised after appearing to take credit for a multi-billion pound project in Northumberland that was initially announced prior to the election.
Sir Keir Starmer announced the £10 billion investment to build an AI datacentre by US investment firm Blackstone in New York on Thursday. However, news of the plans first appeared in April, when Northumberland County Council's Conservative-led cabinet approved plans that would pave the way for the company to acquire the site of the planned Britishvolt gigafactory at Cambois.
The Government has claimed that this week marked Blackstone's first public commitment to the site. However, the sale of the land to Blackstone was confirmed at the start of May, while a "scoping opinion" planning application was submitted in August on behalf of Blackstone's data subsidiary QTS.
The Tory deputy leader of Northumberland County Council, Coun Richard Wearmouth, criticised the Prime Minister over the statement. A Government release made no mention of the county council.
Coun Wearmouth said: "Our Conservative run council in Northumberland has worked incredibly hard since January this year to secure this £10 billion investment by Blackstone QTS into Blyth.
“We can’t help but think the PM must feel like a bit of a silly sausage ‘re-announcing‘ this investment given that was already confirmed before the General Election, but appreciate that he must need something positive to say right now.
“Of course we welcome the Prime Minister's interest in the project and in our county - and he is very much welcome to visit to see the project site and the opportunity that we are creating here in our wonderful county.“
Responding to Coun Wearmouth's comments, a Government spokesperson said: “We have worked closely with Blackstone and the council to ensure we can begin delivering the benefits of this investment to the local community.
“Today Blackstone are publicly committing to investing £10 billion in the project and setting out the details of their ambition to turn it into the largest AI enabling data centre campus in Europe.”
The datacentre would provide the computer power needed to power emerging AI technology. Officials have said the project would deliver 1,600 direct jobs, including 1,200 "long-term construction jobs" and over 2,700 "indirect jobs" over the course of the development.
It is expected that the development will be built out in phases across a period of nine years. Construction is slated to start in 2025, once outline planning permission has been granted.
As part of the deal that saw Blackstone purchase the site, £110 million will be pumped into the council's coffers to fund business investments across the county, with payments made as various milestones on the project are met. The £110 million was agreed as part of a deal that saw the council drop the previous buy-back agreement that was on the land.
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