Labour say the attraction will bring an estimated £50bn boost to the economy while Tories claim they deserve credit for the new park
Keir Starmer also said the Universal theme park announcement would “put Bedford on the map for millions of people”.
At the event to mark the announcement, at a college in Bedfordshire, he said:
What a momentous day, what an important day. It’s not just the first one in the United Kingdom, that would be pretty good, it’s the first one across Europe, and that is really incredible.
It’s going to put Bedford on the map for millions of people, film lovers, people coming here for fun, people building their careers here. It will create thousands of jobs for the local community.
We’ve already made a decision about expansion at Luton airport and alongside the announcement today we are going to be making upgrades at Bedford station, a new station at Wixams and improvements for the A421.
The theme park, which is set to be one of the largest and most advanced in Europe, will bring nearly 20,000 jobs during the construction period, with a further 8,000 new jobs across the hospitality and creative industries when it opens in 2031.
Supporting the government’s Plan for Change to create economic growth and opportunities by getting people into well-paid, decent jobs across the creative, technology, tourism and hospitality sectors, Universal has committed to working with local colleges and universities to train the next generation of its hospitality workforce, including through a range of apprenticeships and internships.
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