• Login
  • Register
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result

AstraZeneca Abandons £450 Million Vaccine Factory in Blow to Reeves

by Will Jones
1 February 2025 3:00 PM

AstraZeneca has abandoned a £450 million investment in a major UK vaccine plant powered by renewables in a blow to Rachel Reeves who vowed this week to “kick-start economic growth”. The Telegraph has more.

The drugmaker, which is Britain’s most valuable listed company, said it was no longer going ahead with the investment at the site near Speke, Liverpool, after failing to secure the necessary financial support from the Government.

AstraZeneca has been locked in a stand-off with the Government for months over state aid for the project, which would have involved a new factory powered by renewables built at the site. It had reportedly been offered around £90 million by Rishi Sunak’s Government, but Labour had sought to cut that state aid to £40 million.

The announcement drew immediate criticism from the Tories, who said there was “no vaccine for incompetence” and branded the decision an “absolute tragedy”.

It will be regarded as an embarrassment for the Chancellor, who named AstraZeneca as a key investor in Britain two days ago in a major speech promising to “kick start growth” in the economy.

An AstraZeneca spokesman said: “Following protracted discussions with the Government, we are no longer pursuing our planned investment at Speke.

“Several factors have influenced this decision including the timing and reduction of the final offer compared to the previous Government’s proposal. The site will continue to produce and supply our flu vaccine, for patients in the UK and around the world.”

The decision is a blow to the Chancellor, whose speech on Wednesday was aimed at revitalising the economy and attracting investment to the UK. …

Andrew Griffith, the Shadow Business Secretary, said: “There’s no vaccine for incompetence. In the same week they talked about growth, Labour seem to have fumbled a deal with AstraZeneca, one of the UK’s largest companies and central to the critical life sciences sector.

“This is yet another sign that their tax rises and changes to employment law have made the UK an unattractive place to invest.”

Worth reading in full.

Tags: AstraZenecaBudgetLabourRachel ReevesVaccine

Donate

We depend on your donations to keep this site going. Please give what you can.

Donate Today

Comment on this Article

You’ll need to set up an account to comment if you don’t already have one. We ask for a minimum donation of £5 if you'd like to make a comment or post in our Forums.

Sign Up
Previous Post

Norway’s Threat to Cut Off the UK Leaves Labour’s Net Zero Plans in Tatters

Next Post

Ed West: Grooming Gangs – Britain’s Chernobyl?

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
Please log in to comment

To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.

Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.

23 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
soundofreason
soundofreason
3 months ago

Not completely off-topic:

Take-off or bail out? The airport even Ryanair thinks is a tough sell says the BBC

Speaking on Wednesday, Reeves said she would support the work to “recreate South Yorkshire Airport City as a thriving regional airport”.

but…

Within a 70-mile (110km) radius passengers can already choose from four other sites, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, East Midlands and Humberside.

An economic moron.

9
0
NeilParkin
NeilParkin
3 months ago
Reply to  soundofreason

It could have a future as a cargo hub. As it formerly was an RAF station it has the longest runway of the airports mentioned, and Doncaster has become a major Amazon hub too. It has something going for it, but its not 737’s to Alicante. Thats the sort of thinking that wasted £100m investment in the first place. Also Rachael, you need economic development to drive demand. While everyone is working their balls off to pay for stupid programmes like Nett Zero, there wont be spare cash to invest in anything much. A moron indeed.

13
0
Keencook
Keencook
3 months ago
Reply to  NeilParkin

Yes

3
0
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
3 months ago
Reply to  soundofreason

More bloody bullshit.

2
0
Keencook
Keencook
3 months ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

Yes

4
0
Keencook
Keencook
3 months ago
Reply to  soundofreason

The M18 doesn’t go very near Robin Hood so once you leave the motorway it’s a pig to get to. No direct station line.
Recently used Humberside -& found operator KLM using local Eastern Airways 45 minutes to Schipol hub which goes everywhere.
Humberside is a gem. Nobody there, no queues, easy parking.
Getting round the top of Leeds to airport is nerve racking due to A1 or M62/ring road congestion tho’ a bus from station is efficient.
East Midlands at the mercy of M1 congestion but train arrives nearish.
No direct train to Manchester from East Yorkshire. At the mercy of M62 congestion & massive parking costs.
Easyjet out of Liverpool works. Just a full day travelling.

4
0
NeilParkin
NeilParkin
3 months ago
Reply to  Keencook

I’d have to disagree about it being difficult to get to Robin Hood. M18 Jct3 to the airport, they built a new road out to Parrots Corner, (car parks and park and ride there for staff) and then a road direct into the terminal. Agree about rail, although the GNER line London to Scotland is 200m from the end of the runway. A missed opportunity. Agree with Humberside, but as it gets a good chunk of revenue from helicopter flights to gas rigs, there has to be a question mark long term. The rest again, I’ll give you.

0
0
JXB
JXB
3 months ago
Reply to  soundofreason

She’s a Socialist – they don’t do economics. If they did they wouldn’t be Socialists.

8
0
Gezza England
Gezza England
3 months ago
Reply to  JXB

The more her past is looked into it is clear Rachel has never done economics either.

5
0
FerdIII
FerdIII
3 months ago

Great news. Quackcine poisons, ready for the next plandemic. A plant ‘powered by renewables’. Ha ha. Love it. 2 loser cults. Shut down all the quackcinery.

21
0
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
3 months ago
Reply to  FerdIII

I wonder if the heave-ho has anything to do with Astra’s C1984 “vaccine” getting crossed off?

6
0
Purpleone
Purpleone
3 months ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

No they wanted that as much as anyone else, hence pulling it at exactly the right timing

2
0
Climan
Climan
3 months ago

“Powered by renewables”, what a load of tosh, would they have downed tools when the wind died, and just how would they have filtered out green electrons?

Just more 100% renewables BS, that marketing slogan should be illegal. Yes, they may pay their electricity bills to renewable generators, but that just stops other people from doing so.

All renewable electricity gets used, regardless of whether or not anybody buys it.

8
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
3 months ago

Oh dear how sad never mind. I vaguely remember the name AstraZeneca in connection to a very expensive product that was so bad even the Satanic Pharma industry had to withdraw it.

8
0
Art Simtotic
Art Simtotic
3 months ago

While £50 million is small change compared with other public money that gets sluiced away, the principle seems questionable of using public money to support the most highly valued company in the FTSE100.

Not only in vaccine collaboration but also in evaluation of a monoclonal antibody, AstraZeneca got used during Operation Warp Speed to infusions of public money to fund private enterprise:

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2380882/trump-administration-expands-collaboration-with-astrazeneca-to-develop-and-manu/

“Trump Administration Expands Collaboration With AstraZeneca to Develop and Manufacture an Investigational Monoclonal Antibody to Prevent COVID-19…

…BARDA to provide approximately $486 million to AstraZeneca for two Phase 3 clinical trials and related development activities”

Nice public money if you can get it.

Last edited 3 months ago by Art Simtotic
5
0
JXB
JXB
3 months ago

Don’t be silly! It’s all part of her plan for Growth™️ and Starmwurstführer’s cunning plan for Change™️.

7
0
Jabby Mcstiff
Jabby Mcstiff
3 months ago

It is beautiful and spiritual and poetic. As if the spirit of the land refused to have the monstrosity of a spike protein factory built upon it. And the renewables malarkey was a piss take too far for the archangel. There aint no energy coming into this country right now because this country has to go through a harsh purgatory. Even Poundland is struggling to turn a profit. When you can’t afford Poundland then you are in the deep kimchi. Every part of the beast system will be laid bare and every resource we depend on for survival will be attacked. Just look at the reduction in fertilizer production. This is already written in and can only have one outcome in terms of global population. People in Ireland have been without power for over a week you don’t hear much in the media about coming to their support.

6
0
Richard
Richard
3 months ago

Sorry? Am I hearing this right? A government subsidy for a drugs company that just made billions from the scamdemic?!!! Now we have lost the plot!

2
0
RTSC
RTSC
3 months ago

Good.

1
0
marebobowl
marebobowl
3 months ago

Who in their right mind would consent to another AZ vaxx after their most recent attempt at a covid vaxx and the horrific results. Not a surprise they have given up on their plans to expand.

2
0
Purpleone
Purpleone
3 months ago
Reply to  marebobowl

They’ve only cancelled the investment in the UK, it’ll go ahead somewhere else, likely Belgium or Germany possibly…

1
0
Freddy Boy
Freddy Boy
3 months ago

Remind me ! Their Jab was the one actually pulled for killing people with blood clots so any money available should go the victims !

1
0
varmint
varmint
3 months ago

Oh such a blow. —-A Covid and Climate scam all wrapped up in one bites the dust.

2
0

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

DONATE

PODCAST

The Sceptic EP.37: David Frost on Starmer’s EU Surrender, James Price on Broken Britain and David Shipley on Lucy Connolly’s Failed Appeal

by Richard Eldred
23 May 2025
8

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

The Net Zero Agenda’s Continued Collapse Into Chaos

28 May 2025
by Ben Pile

Starmer Dragged Into Free Speech Union’s Koran-Burning Court Case

28 May 2025
by Toby Young

Dominic Cummings: Nigel Farage Could Definitely be Next PM

28 May 2025
by Toby Young

US to Deny Visas to Foreign Officials Who Try to Censor US Social Media Platforms

28 May 2025
by Toby Young

News Round-Up

29 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

US to Deny Visas to Foreign Officials Who Try to Censor US Social Media Platforms

21

Dominic Cummings: Nigel Farage Could Definitely be Next PM

19

AI Data Centre Blitz Threatens Labour’s Net Zero Hopes

17

So Renters WILL Pay the Costs of Net Zero

14

The Net Zero Agenda’s Continued Collapse Into Chaos

12

Hooked on Freedom: Why Medical Autonomy Matters

29 May 2025
by Dr David Bell

So Renters WILL Pay the Costs of Net Zero

29 May 2025
by Ben Pile

The Net Zero Agenda’s Continued Collapse Into Chaos

28 May 2025
by Ben Pile

Alasdair MacIntyre 1929-2025

27 May 2025
by James Alexander

Lies, Damned Lies and Casualty Numbers in Ancient History

26 May 2025
by Guy de la Bédoyère

POSTS BY DATE

February 2025
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
2425262728  
« Jan   Mar »

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

POSTS BY DATE

February 2025
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
2425262728  
« Jan   Mar »

DONATE

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

The Net Zero Agenda’s Continued Collapse Into Chaos

28 May 2025
by Ben Pile

Starmer Dragged Into Free Speech Union’s Koran-Burning Court Case

28 May 2025
by Toby Young

Dominic Cummings: Nigel Farage Could Definitely be Next PM

28 May 2025
by Toby Young

US to Deny Visas to Foreign Officials Who Try to Censor US Social Media Platforms

28 May 2025
by Toby Young

News Round-Up

29 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

US to Deny Visas to Foreign Officials Who Try to Censor US Social Media Platforms

21

Dominic Cummings: Nigel Farage Could Definitely be Next PM

19

AI Data Centre Blitz Threatens Labour’s Net Zero Hopes

17

So Renters WILL Pay the Costs of Net Zero

14

The Net Zero Agenda’s Continued Collapse Into Chaos

12

Hooked on Freedom: Why Medical Autonomy Matters

29 May 2025
by Dr David Bell

So Renters WILL Pay the Costs of Net Zero

29 May 2025
by Ben Pile

The Net Zero Agenda’s Continued Collapse Into Chaos

28 May 2025
by Ben Pile

Alasdair MacIntyre 1929-2025

27 May 2025
by James Alexander

Lies, Damned Lies and Casualty Numbers in Ancient History

26 May 2025
by Guy de la Bédoyère

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union
  • Home
  • About us
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy

Facebook

  • X

Instagram

RSS

Subscribe to our newsletter

© Skeptics Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In

© Skeptics Ltd.

wpDiscuz
You are going to send email to

Move Comment
Perfecty
Do you wish to receive notifications of new articles?
Notifications preferences