Wales is the place to invest, says Carwyn Jones

The First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones will officially open the Welsh Government’s London Office today and will say that Wales is the place to invest.

The new office on Victoria Street will provide a permanent, more focussed presence for the Welsh Government and will allow Ministers to continue to build on relationships with businesses, embassies and UK Government departments.

The First Minister will say:

“In just a few weeks time the eyes of the World will be on London for the Olympic and Paralympic Games so there couldn’t be a better time for us to be opening our new London office.

“The office will create an important base for the Welsh Government, and businesses from Wales, to influence decision-makers in the foremost financial and commercial centre in the world. We are facing a tough and competitive market but we’re determined to do everything we can to get the message out there that Wales is the place to invest.

“This is vital given the turmoil of the global economy. There are more than 1,000 overseas owned companies based in Wales, employing around 140,000 people. We want to build on this and continue to attract overseas companies to Wales.

“Having a base in central London will help us to continue to promote Wales to the world to boost the Welsh economy.”

The opening of the London Office comes on the back of a series of overseas visits and trade missions led by the First Minister to India, China and the United States. The Welsh Government has also organised an extensive programme of overseas trade missions – including to the Far East, North America and the Gulf States – to encourage Welsh-based companies to pursue overseas opportunities.