Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Sunderland's future - and SAFC's promotion prospects!
Mr Reynolds, who was back home on Wearside for a North East Growth Summit organised by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, even found time for a pink slice.
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00:00Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is here at City Hall, what brings you to Sunderland
00:04today?
00:05Well I've got a number of events including the launch of our plan to make work pay which
00:10I've done in Bertley with the Cooperative Group. I've then been here at the North East
00:13Growth Summit talking about how the new government can be a partner to the brilliant local political
00:19and economic leadership we have in a city like this which is clearly doing so much but
00:23can I think do even more with that partner. And then I'll be going to Nissan, a hugely
00:28important business for the United Kingdom, talking about their plans for the future and
00:31again how the new government can support them.
00:33So with yourself and Bridget Phillips and we've got two Maccams round the cabinet table,
00:38what's that going to mean for Sunderland?
00:40Well I think it means first of all people who are over and or from places where we've
00:44got to see national policy work better, got to deliver for areas like this. I think a
00:48whole range of areas where it's what Bridget is doing in education or what I'm doing in
00:52business in the economy where you've got a set of policies like the industrial strategy,
00:55like the plan to make work pay, which are what places like this need. Attracting in
00:59more investment, driving up the quality of work, working in partnership with local areas
01:04and local leaders. I want this government to be successful but to be successful it's
01:09got to work for places like Sunderland.
01:10And I know you're off to Nissan now, it's fantastic for the city to have the plant here
01:14but I know there's been a lot of concern that we have all our economic eggs in one basket.
01:18What can we do to diversify things?
01:20Well I mean Nissan is itself, was a story of diversification from some of the employment
01:25bases of the past. It is a world class, renowned facility and of course when you've got something
01:30of that quality, not every city can have something like that. So of course Sunderland is well
01:34known for that. But of course there are so many other things here in services, financial
01:38services, in housing, there's a lot of small businesses in this area. I see all these things
01:43as being mutually supporting of one another and I think continuing that diversification,
01:48that success whilst having things that are known the world over is absolutely fantastic
01:52for the city.
01:53And how important do you think Crown Works is going to be as part of that?
01:56I'm really excited, really excited by what I have seen. I know the people involved in
02:00it, they've also got a passion for the local area as well. But I think if Crown Works is
02:05delivered on the scale that we're talking about, it's going to be like another Nissan,
02:09this time for the creative industries and to see success like that and for that to be
02:13recognised the world over, we've all got to be excited by that.
02:16And one final question, the big concern for everybody obviously in Sunderland, are we
02:20going up this season?
02:21Well, the season has gone better than I expected so far, I'll say that. And I'll tell you what,
02:25I love seeing a young team, young players from the academy and the players we've brought
02:29in, playing in this way. For a long time I couldn't have said I'm optimistic for Sunderland
02:34and the Labour Party and the country at the same time, but I certainly am on all three
02:37and I'm really excited by how things are going.
02:42How is it?
02:43Fantastic. Proper taste of home. I'm sure low calorie as well, just diet compliant at
02:48the same time.