THE consortium promoting the Thames Freeport in Thurrock lodged its bid with the government today for a digitally-linked economic zone connecting Ford's world-class Dagenham engine plant, the ports at London Gateway and Tilbury, large development employment areas and many river communities in need of regeneration.

The bid was endorsed by borough MP Jackie Doyle-Price who said: "The Government is committed to tackling deprivation wherever it occurs. Thurrock is the ports capital of the UK, but it's also among the country's top 25 most skills-deprived areas.

"The freeport will unleash the best of the private sector to turbocharge the river communities with new and better jobs fit for the 21st century."

The government's Estuary Envoy and chair of the Thames Estuary Growth Board (TEGB), Kate Willard, has also spoken up for the bid, saying: "The Thames Estuary will play a major role in the UK's post-Covid, post-transition recovery – and a freeport is at the heart of our plans.

"It would galvanise green growth and help to level-up some of the UK's most deprived areas. It would ensure the estuary is able to capitalise on its existing strength as a magnet for growth through commerce, creativity and prosperity.

"It would bolster our ambition to create the greenest estuary in the world and help achieve national net zero targets. We fully support the Thames Freeport bid and we're confident that our partners will deliver an irresistible pitch to Government."

DP World, which operates the London Gateway port at Corringham, and Forth Ports, owner of the Port of Tilbury and the new Tilbury2 port, are bidding for a Thames Freeport, with London Gateway, the Port of Tilbury and Ford's Dagenham engine plant and the Thames Enterprise Park (TEP) at its heart. The enterprise park, which joined the bid in January, will be a customs sub-zone.

The bid headlines:

• Over £4.5 billion in new public and private investment

• 1,700 acres of development land – much with planning consent

• 20% of the UK's most deprived communities are in London and the South East

Alan Shaoul, Chief Financial Officer at DP World in the UK, said: "Freeports will be an effective way of underpinning Britain's economy post-Brexit and post-Covid by further enabling trade with the rest of the world and creating zones which act as catalysts for commerce, creativity and prosperity. We have global and domestic expertise in freeports, which are part of our DNA.

"We began as a free trade zone and free port in Dubai, Jebel Ali, and have successfully replicated the concept across the world."

Dr Graham Hoare OBE, Chairman and Executive Director, Business Transformation, Ford of Britain, said: "The Thames Freeport provides Ford with a great opportunity as a test bed for a variety of customer-focused mobility technologies and promises to create a vibrant trading environment that will enable us to consider a range of other business opportunities on the Dagenham estate in the future."

Stuart Wallace, Chief Operating Officer at Forth Ports, added: "The Port of Tilbury has a track record of investing for the future – from building Britain's newest port, Tilbury2, to a sustained focus on innovation, alongside the construction sector that allows us to build back better, green logistics and clean energy production.

"Exporters will be able to take advantage of Thames Freeport's connectivity to every continent, our proven track-and-trace technology system and modern training facilities to ensure the Thames Estuary remains a magnet for investment across the aerospace, automotive and the many complex manufacturing and processing businesses along this important industrial corridor."

Check out the Thames Freeport website here.