A Teesside MP has warned that jobs and investment could slip away from the region after OpenAI paused plans for a major data centre in the North East.
The £31 billion Stargate UK project had been expected to include a site at Cobalt Park, with the wider programme forecast to support as many as five thousand high-skilled jobs.
However, the company has now put the plans on hold, citing high energy costs and wider economic pressures.
Stockton West MP Matt Vickers said the decision was a blow to communities across the North East, including Teesside, which stood to benefit from jobs and supply chain opportunities.
North East Conservative MP Matt Vickers said:
“This is a hammer blow for jobs in the North East. This project was meant to bring thousands of high-skilled, well-paid jobs to our region – opportunities for local people that are now being put on hold.
“Businesses are being driven away by sky-high energy costs, rising National Insurance and endless bureaucracy. It’s no wonder companies are thinking twice.
“The North East should be leading the way in industries like AI, but instead we’re watching thousands of opportunities slip away because this Labour Government isn’t getting the basics right. People don’t want excuses – they want decent jobs, good wages and a future for their families. Right now, that’s being put at risk.”
