‘National pride matters’: Jim Allister urges UK to back British-made buses

North Antrim MP Jim Allister speaking in the House of Commons, and Wrightbus Ballymena-built Electroliners in service for Translink in Northern Ireland

North Antrim MP Jim Allister has called on the UK Government to take decisive action to support the British bus manufacturing industry, warning that current procurement practices risk undermining one of the country’s most strategically important advanced manufacturing sectors.

Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday, Mr Allister used the example of Ballymena-based Wrightbus — one of Northern Ireland’s most significant manufacturing employers — to argue for a more assertive, UK-focused approach to public procurement and industrial policy.

Declaring an interest as co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Buses, Mr Allister told MPs:

“I declare an interest as the co-chair of the APPG for British buses.

“As the representative for North Antrim, I have the privilege of having Wrightbus as the key manufacturing company in my Constituency.

“It is remarkable that, having started in a domestic garage just after the second world war, Wrightbus is now one of the world leaders in technology, skills and innovation.

“Ballymena in my constituency will forever be grateful to Sir William Wright for his innovative foresight, which led to where we are today.”

From crisis to recovery

Highlighting Wrightbus’s dramatic turnaround following financial difficulties earlier this decade, Mr Allister praised the company’s resurgence under new ownership and its contribution to local employment.

“It was not always an easy road. Just a few years ago, after substantial problems, Wrightbus rose like a phoenix from the ashes under new ownership, generating 2,300 jobs and producing many, many hundreds of buses, with the ambition to produce more than 3,000.

“I recently visited the site again, and saw the most modern of the company’s buses, which thankfully take care of all the accessibility needs one could think of. I was encouraged by the enthusiasm of the new chief executive, who certainly has ambitious plans for the site.”

The MP argued that the Government’s stated commitment to advanced manufacturing must be matched by practical support through procurement policy.

“It is important that we as a nation grab hold of the opportunity here. The industrial strategy talks about advanced manufacturing as a strategic growth sector. If we mean that—I certainly believe that the sector has that potential—we must twin it with the approach we take on procurement. There is no point saying that advanced manufacturing is a strategic growth sector if our procurement policy is letting it down.”

‘Where things are made matters’

Mr Allister quoted the Chancellor’s recent comments in Parliament to reinforce his argument:

“The Chancellor is on record as saying that

‘where things are made, and who makes them, matters.’—[Official Report, 11 June 2025; Vol. 768, c. 979.]

“That is correct, and the Government need to get that message embedded in their soul.”

Turning his attention to transport policy in London, Mr Allister questioned the scale of foreign-built buses operating in the capital.

“I want to speak directly to the mayor of this great city—our capital city. In recent times, 479 Chinese buses have been put on our streets, with another 160 to follow—that is China, with the kill switches.

“I ask the mayor and TfL: where is the national pride in our capital city if we arrive and discover that the bus we are likely to get on was made in China rather than the United Kingdom?”

He argued that other UK mayors had shown greater determination to support domestic manufacturing and urged London to follow suit.

Call for bold procurement and fairness for Northern Ireland

Mr Allister said public bodies should use existing social value tools to prioritise UK-made buses and ensure public spending supports domestic jobs and skills.

“Our procurement must be assertive and bold. There are the social value tools to make our procurement effective in assisting the production of home-made buses.

“I hope that one outcome of this debate will be that those in a position to order buses reflect on where they order them from, and that we will see an interest in and accentuation of orders from within our United Kingdom. We have the means. We have the product. Let us build on it and make it even greater.”

He concluded by raising concerns about what he described as an uneven post-Brexit playing field for Northern Ireland manufacturers, pointing to continued EU state aid constraints.

“Sadly, under the Brexit arrangement, we are still under EU state aid rules… How can we have a level playing field for UK production if, quite outrageously, one part of the United Kingdom is subject to a cap under EU state aid rules?

“For Wrightbus, the workers in my Constituency and the commonality of this United Kingdom, we must have that level playing field. That will then unleash opportunities for this great industry. It is time for the Government to liberate the bus building industry so that it can grow, including in Northern Ireland.”