The confirmed closure of the Nestlé factory in Fawdon has come as a devastating blow to the workers, their families, the Fawdon community, and across Newcastle. Having been home to the factory since the 1950s, Newcastle has proudly produced some of the country’s most-loved confectionary for over half a century.

The factory is one of the largest employment sites in the constituency and has provided good quality jobs in Newcastle for generations. I know that the GMB and Unite unions put forward well considered alternative proposals to keep these jobs where they belong and there is both disappointment and anger that they were rejected by Nestlé.

Sadly, it is not just those workers who are directly impacted that will feel the impact of the closure. It will have a huge affect on many in the wider community too, with shops, business, and the supply chains relying on the factory and the workforce losing business.

While the factory will remain open until 2023, this news could not have come at a worse time – we are still recovering from the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and people are facing a cost of living crisis. Many will be questioning why Nestlé, as the world’s largest food company, needs to close a profitable factory and offshore jobs away from an area of the country that needs to be levelled up, not down, in order to remain competitive.

Since news of the potential closure emerged, I have met with Nestle, and with the GMB and Unite unions. I know the unions remain in discussion with Nestlé to negotiate for potential for jobs at alternative sites and enhanced packages for those who will be made redundant. I will also be raising concerns with the Government who have made bold promises about levelling up our communities in the North, yet this will achieve the opposite.

First and foremost it is vital that the workforce remains the absolute priority in all future discussions, and supporting them through this difficult period and into the future, and that is what I will be focusing on.