MP Jacob Rees-Mogg paid Wrexham a visit as he looks at post-Brexit opportunities for business in the city.

The Conservative MP and Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency has been on a tour around Wrexham today (Thursday, July 21) as part of his Places for Growth project which looks at bringing the public sector, for example, civil servants from government departments, out of London at into the wider region of the United Kingdom.

Wrexham is one area that these departments could move to, which would bring more opportunities to the area.

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The Leader: Jacob Rees-Mogg during his visit to Matclad Jacob Rees-Mogg during his visit to Matclad

MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “When I was Leader of the house, Sarah (Atherton, Wrexham MP) stood up every week and told me how brilliant Wrexham was, she was such a champion for her constituency, and I think understands it so well and sees the opportunities here.”

He added: “Wrexham kept coming up as a possible future place for growth, with departments being interested in coming here and the council being really enthusiastic about attracting business, and [with] Sarah breathing down my neck, that’s why I wanted to come and try to push this agenda forward because my experience in government is that things happen when ministers said, ‘that’s the thing I’m really interested in.'

“With the council being this interested, and the local MP, if I can bring the ministerial ‘oomph’ I hope Wrexham can become a really important part of Places for Growth.”

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He explained: “What I want for the Places for Growth is to bring some civil servants here, not to turn Wrexham into the largest bureaucratic centre in the world but as piper liners for other businesses to bring additional skills here, additional investment, and then that will help other businesses too.”

The Minister visited Matclad on the Rhosddu Industrial estate which specialises in creating “slim bricks”. He described it as ‘wonderful business’ and even got his hands dirty when he tried working with the clay in the factory. The company employs locally and has adapted post-Brexit.

The Leader: Jacob Rees-Mogg helping with the clay Jacob Rees-Mogg helping with the clay

Neil Sullivan, the manager at Matclad said: “People are generally interested in what we do which I’m pleased about, because I enjoy what we do but you never can gauge with visitors whether it's what they want to see. We're proud of what we do here which I hope came across.

“I think he understood the principle of (what they do). A lot of what we do here is very difficult to understand like many hands-on craft-type businesses. He was certainly prepared to get his hands dirty.”

The Minister is currently backing Liz Truss to become the next leader of the party, and he thinks she will have a positive impact on Wrexham through her focus on economic growth, which would see taxes cut.

MP Sarah Atherton was also with the Minister today on his visit and supports both remaining candidates.

She said: “Wrexham’s got an absolute buzz at the moment. We’ve grasped the opportunity of leaving the European Union, that’s why we're here today.

“There’s a lot of businesses here focussing on Wrexham, and you will feel it when you go out in the town, at the football club, the Gateway Project and the Levelling up fund."

She added: “The UK government had just given £22m for the shared prosperity fund. I’ve been out there (speaking to constituents) because my responsibility is to support the constituents and what they want, and what they clearly want is for that shared prosperity fund which has come from the UK government, straight to the council, is the regeneration of the town centre.

"It’s up to the council how they spend that, but my job is to make sure the council hears the constituents' voices.”