Foreign Secretary sends top Ambassador to Liverpool City Region to help local firms achieve new growth opportunities with Germany

• Foreign Secretary dispatches top diplomats to all parts of the UK to boost regional ties and deliver economic growth under the Government’s Plan for Change.
• UK Ambassadors and High Commissioners to over ten countries to return home for the tour, with stops planned in all nations and regions of the UK.
• Roadshow hit Liverpool City Region yesterday, with a visit from Britain’s Ambassador to Germany.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy deployed the UK’s Ambassador to Germany, Andrew Mitchell to Liverpool City Region yesterday to boost economic ties as part of a new roadshow to drive growth in every part of the UK.

The visit to Liverpool City Region was part of a new roadshow launched by the Foreign Secretary David Lammy to drive economic growth in every part of the UK by building connections between regions in the UK and growth-driving markets.

Ambassadors and High Commissioners are posted for long stints in other countries, and part of their brief is to get under the skin of the place they are based. That includes getting to know the ins and outs of the business landscape, and spotting opportunities for British businesses.

Ambassador Mitchell, originally from Ormskirk, is one of over ten top British diplomats dispatched on a cross-country tour to build relationships with mayors and regional businesses right across the whole country.

The Foreign Secretary wants the roadshow to strengthen ties between the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s extensive overseas network and every UK region to boost international trade with key markets such as Japan, Canada and Germany, as part of the UK Government’s Plan for Change.

Ambassador Mitchell at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

“Liverpool City Region has a strong connection to Germany but there’s so much more we can do to boost trade and investment.

“I am sending my Ambassador to work directly with local businesses to build connections so they can harness their expertise and champion the interests of the Liverpool City Region most effectively.

“This nationwide roadshow is one of the ways I am ensuring the economic interests of British businesses sit at the heart of our foreign policy as we deliver on our Plan for Change.”

Ambassador Mitchell met with Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and visited the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

He also joined a meeting to discuss Liverpool City Region’s strong connection with Hamburg, including partnering with the 2026 Hamburg Harbour Festival, and toured Everton Football Club’s new stadium.

Ambassador Mitchell said:

“I am delighted to be returning to my roots and it’s a huge privilege to be able to champion a region I visit regularly and a place where I have family and friends. I’m proud of what Liverpool and the region has achieved and I strongly believe in its potential.

“Through regional engagement across the UK, we want to speak to community leaders and businesses. My brief is clear. I want to do all that I can to help generate trade and investment wins overseas for Liverpool City Region. This region shaped me and I will do all that I can to help it prosper.

“It’s exciting to be in Liverpool City Region as part of this first-of-its-kind roadshow – going the extra mile to develop relationships that will help us supercharge growth to every corner of the UK.

“The UK Government’s Plan for Change and our new Industrial Strategy is making Britain the best country to do business with, and I am looking forward to building on today’s roadshow discussions to showcase Liverpool City Region on the international stage.”

Ambassador Mitchell with officers from the Combined Authority International Relations team

The regional roadshow comes as the UK Government marks one year in office. It builds on a keynote Foreign Secretary speech at the British Chambers of Commerce earlier this year laying out the UK Government’s mission to drive economic growth by using the FCDO’s international networks to represent the interests of British businesses and consumers overseas.

Germany is the UK’s 2nd largest trading partner, accounting for 8.5% of all UK trade. Our bilateral trade supports about 750,000 German & 494,000 UK jobs. Ambassador Mitchell will use today’s roadshow visit to build on figures which show total trade between UK and Germany was £146.4 billion in 2024 – with many companies across the Liverpool City Region benefiting.

Peel Ports Group and German energy giants E.ON have embarked on a massive solar project at Port of Liverpool – boasting up to 63,000 solar panels, which will save the site 6,500 tonnes of CO2e a year. Work repowering existing wind turbines will generate a further 20MW of renewable electricity as part of Peel Ports Group’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2040.

German firm Knauf Insulation completed a £40million upgrade of its glass mineral wool manufacturing plant in St Helens in December. The upgrade increased the factory’s roll, slab and blowing wool capacity by up to 25,000 tonnes, added new product capability and further reduced the embodied carbon of products made at the site, which is the largest glass mineral wool plant in the UK. The company employs approximately 600 people at its manufacturing plants in Cwmbran, Queensferry and St Helens.

Biotechnology company Holiferm, whose Wallasey plant employs 30 staff, exports green chemicals, known as biosurfactants, for personal care to Germany via a distributor.

Ambassador Mitchell’s roadshow visit to the Liverpool City Region follows the Prime Minister and Chancellor’s launch last week of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The Strategy is a 10-year plan to deliver growth right across the UK. The Government has also launched the UK’s Trade Strategy, which sets out the role international trade and investment will play in delivering that growth.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram, said:

“The Liverpool City Region has always punched above its weight – we’ve got the skills, the innovation and the political will to thrive on the global stage.

“This visit is a chance to show off what we do best and build new partnerships that will open doors for our businesses around the world and specifically within and across Germany.

“By worprking closely with the Government and its overseas networks, we can attract more investment, create good-quality jobs and put the Liverpool City Region firmly on the international map.”