Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has welcomed a £500 million investment by McLaren Automotive as a “massive vote of confidence” in British manufacturing, saying the programme will create 1,000 new jobs by 2032 and support thousands more across the supply chain.
The announcement, marked by a ministerial visit to McLaren’s Technology Centre in Woking, will expand research, development and production in South Yorkshire, open a new UK vehicle production facility, and strengthen the company’s footprint in Woking and across the country.
Jobs, engines and a performance SUV
McLaren said the investment would support at least 1,000 new direct and indirect jobs by 2032, with up to 3,000 further roles expected across the wider supply chain. The manufacturer plans to build engines in-house in the UK for the first time, expand its product range with a performance SUV, and grow design and engineering capacity through its Bicester design centre and a development facility at MIRA in the Midlands.
Reynolds said:
“McLaren’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in Britain and our world-class automotive sector. It means 1,000 new jobs up and down the country, with thousands more supported across the supply chain — that’s boosting growth and making us all better off.”
He added that the package formed part of Labour’s Modern Industrial Strategy, which is backing the car industry with billions of pounds in investment — including £4 billion into the wider automotive sector by 2035 — to help reindustrialise Britain and create the conditions for firms such as McLaren to choose the UK.
Burnham: doubling down on Britain
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said McLaren was “doubling down on Britain”, keeping the design, engineering and building of every future car in the UK while taking on a thousand more people to do it.
“Their investment will create high-quality apprenticeships, jobs and drive growth far beyond their factory gates. It is how you get skilled work, decent wages and pride back into a place.”
Burnham said partnership between government and business would help reindustrialise communities and make every part of Britain better off, adding that he wanted young people to see a future in making things wherever they grew up.
Haigh on apprenticeships and young people
First Secretary of State Louise Haigh said McLaren’s decision to expand its footprint in Britain was a vote of confidence in the country’s advanced manufacturing sector and in the skills and expertise available across the UK.
“Today’s investment will create hundreds of new high skilled jobs, including new apprenticeships for young people across the country. This government is committed to backing British business and driving good growth in every postcode.”
McLaren commits to UK manufacturing base
McLaren Group Holdings and McLaren Automotive chief executive Nick Collins said the company was investing in the future of McLaren and in advanced manufacturing in the UK, giving it the platform to grow, develop its next generation of cars and strengthen skills, jobs and Britain’s global competitiveness.
Reuters reported that the programme follows restructuring after McLaren’s acquisition by Abu Dhabi’s CYVN Holdings, with the automaker’s main shareholder now Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund L’IMAD. Ministers present the commitment as evidence that iconic British brands can keep designing, engineering and manufacturing at home while expanding into new markets.
For Reynolds, the McLaren package is a concrete example of the Modern Industrial Strategy in action: backing automotive investment, locking high-value manufacturing into Britain, and turning industrial confidence into jobs in Woking, South Yorkshire and beyond.
