Department for Exiting the European Union
The Minister is travelling across the country to meet with companies and understand their priorities for trade and business, as the Government prepares for negotiations for Britains exit from the European Union.
As well as seeing a wind-tunnel facility at the 70 million Airbus Aerospace Park, which is used to test new aircraft before they fly, the Minister was given a tour of the state-of-the-art defence aerospace operations at Rolls-Royce where helicopters and combat jets are produced.
He also chaired a roundtable at Rolls-Royce with senior leaders from the aerospace industry, to listen to their views and questions about the Governments approach to Brexit.
DExEU Minister David Jones said:
It was important for me to meet with Airbus and Rolls Royce during my first visit to the South West as a DExEU Minister. These companies are two of Britains biggest manufacturers and each employ thousands of people in Bristol and beyond.
They were productive discussions and while there were understandably questions, I reiterated that Brexit marks a positive and exciting new chapter in our countrys history.
As we act on the historic referendum result, we are the same outward-looking, globally-minded, flexible and dynamic country we have always been.
The aerospace roundtable discussion was attended by senior leaders from the following businesses:
- Rolls Royce
- Airbus
- National Composites Centre
- ADS Group
- AVPE
- Aerostructures Europe, GKN
Helen Kennett, Rolls-Royce Director of UK Government Relations, said:
We were delighted to welcome David Jones to Rolls-Royce in Bristol to meet some of our highly skilled workforce.
It was also a great opportunity for the Minister from the Department for Exiting the European Union to find out more about our defence aerospace operations and wider company interests.