House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement
Industrial Strategy
13 April 2026 · Department for Business and Trade
Proposed by Blair McDougall Lab East Renfrewshire
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- The Government is providing over 700 million to support the UK's advanced manufacturing sector.
- The DRIVE35 grant of 380 million will fund the development of battery gigafactories.
- Funding for R&D is being provided through the Battery Innovation Programme.
Issue summary
The statement outlines measures and investments supporting the UK's advanced manufacturing sector as part of the Industrial Strategy.
Action requested
The Government is providing over £700 million to support electrification, job creation, and supply chain strengthening in the Advanced Manufacturing sector. Specific actions include a £380 million DRIVE35 grant for battery gigafactory development, funding for R&D through the Battery Innovation Programme, expansion of the Made Smarter Adoption Programme, and additional investments in skills training.
Key facts
- Over £700 million investment to support Advanced Manufacturing sector.
- £380 million DRIVE35 grant for battery gigafactory in Somerset.
- Up to 4,200 jobs supported by the project.
- Battery Innovation Programme: up to £22 million awarded.
- Made Smarter Adoption Programme expansion with £99 million over three years.
- Industrial Strategy engineering skills package of £182 million.
- British Business Bank deploying additional £4bn for Industrial Strategy Growth Capital.
- UK Export Finance backed over £6.6 billion in advanced manufacturing investment.