AstraZeneca cancels £450m Liverpool investment

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has cancelled a planned £450 million investment in a vaccine manufacturing plant at Speke, Liverpool, alleging the UK Labour government failed to match the previous Conservative government’s offer of support.

In March, AstraZeneca said it intended to invest £450 million at its manufacturing site in Speke for the research, development, and manufacture of vaccines – building on the site’s current role in supplying the childhood vaccination programme.

However, an AstraZeneca spokesperson said on Friday: “Following discussions with the current Government, we are no longer pursuing our planned investment at Speke.

“Several factors have influenced this decision including the timing and reduction of the final offer compared to the previous government’s proposal.

“The site will continue to produce and supply our flu vaccine, for patients in the UK and around the world.”