UK Prime Minister visits VEKA plc
Prime Minister visit for Burnley's VEKA plc
This week our subsidiary VEKA plc welcomed the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to their site. VEKA plc is a global leader in the development of PVCu window systems, and one of Burnley’s largest employers.
Accompanied by Burnley Member of Parliament (MP) Antony Higginbotham, the Prime Minister met with the VEKA Board of Directors to discuss the growth of UK Manufacturing and the role that VEKA plays. This was followed by a factory tour, during which some employees from the Extrusion, Maintenance and Quality Lab teams also had the opportunity to talk to the Prime Minister. After an explanation of the extrusion process and a demonstration of the stringent quality testing of VEKA profile systems, a discussion followed on the positive use of their virgin and recycled compound in window construction.
VEKA plc Managing Director Neil Evans said, “We were thrilled to host the British Prime Minister and have a chance to share what we do and how we do it. We also talked about the industry we operate in and the drivers of our growth. It was great to be able to introduce him to some of our people that make VEKA the business it is today.”
Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham commented on the visit, “When people think of Burnley and business, they think of manufacturing. So, when it came to bringing the Prime Minister up to our neck of the woods, VEKA was my first port of call.” He continued, “It was brilliant for him to see first-hand the work done in Burnley by skilled technicians from VEKA, which is then sent all over the country. We should never tire of shouting loudly about what we make and do locally, and for me this was another part of doing just that.”
Another point of discussion during the visit was the National Insurance cut that recently came into effect in the UK: On January 5, 2024 the main rate of employee National Insurance was cut by two percentage points, from 12 % to 10 %, which for a person earning a salary of £ 35,000, equates to an extra £ 450 in their pocket each year. Mr Sunak spoke to employees who will benefit from this regulation. Overall, this tax cut will benefit a huge 27 million people in the UK and is also positive news to many members of VEKA plc staff.
For more information, please visit the website of VEKA plc:
VEKA plc Managing Director Neil Evans welcomed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and MP Antony Higginbotham to the production site in Burnely.