Rachel Reeves, BEIS Committee Chair, writes to Melrose Chief Executive about plans to close Kings Norton factory

Following news that Melrose plans to shut the GKN Kings Norton aerospace factory, Rachel Reeves, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee has written [see attached pdf] to Simon Peckham, Chief Executive, Melrose Industries on the decision to close the plant.

The correspondence refers to the commitments and undertakings made by Melrose as part of its takeover of GKN. The letter also asks for reasons behind the closure, the likely impact on suppliers, and how many jobs are likely to be moved to other parts of the business.

The correspondence also asks for an update on the fulfilment of Melrose’s post-offer undertakings, in particular in relation to the level of investment in R&D at GKN since the takeover.

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The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee held an evidence session on the Tuesday 6 March 2018 at the then proposed takeover of GKN by Melrose with witnesses including Anne Stevens, Chief Executive, GKN, Christopher Miller, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Melrose Industries, and Tony Burke, Assistant General Secretary for Manufacturing, and Steve Turner, Assistant General Secretary for Aerospace, Unite the union. More information on the GKN inquiry can be found here

BEIS Committee

Committee Membership: Rachel Reeves MP (Chair) (Lab, Leeds West) Vernon Coaker MP (Lab, Gedling) Drew Hendry MP (SNP, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey) Stephen Kerr MP (Con, Stirling) Peter Kyle MP (Lab, Hove) Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger MP (Con, Bridgwater and West Somerset) Sir Patrick McLoughlin MP (Con, Derbyshire Dales), Albert Owen MP (Lab, Ynys Môn), Mark Pawsey MP (Con, Rugby) Antoinette Sandbach MP (Con, Eddisbury) Anna Turley MP (Lab, Redcar).