Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited UKFT member Camira, an international textile manufacturer based in West Yorkshire, on 28 March to announce the Government’s substantial investment package aimed at improving transport services and infrastructure across Northern England.

Camira, which supplies fabrics to the majority of the major transport operators across the UK, welcomed the Prime Minister alongside West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, Colne Valley MP Paul Davies and Huddersfield MP Harpreet Uppal to their largest manufacturing site in Meltham. The facility, which spans 342,000 square feet, is one of the largest employers in the local area.

During his visit, Sir Keir Starmer revealed a £415 million investment to improve the rail services between Manchester and York, alongside nearly £1.7 billion allocated for local buses and roads across the North.

Camira’s CEO Alan Williams and a UKFT board member, said: “We were very grateful to the Prime Minister, the Mayor of West Yorkshire and our local MP’s for visiting Camira. It was fantastic to introduce them to many of our key staff members, who are vital to the success of our business. This investment will be crucial for businesses across the North that rely on transport services to get to work. Camira has long been a supplier of fabrics for the transport sector, so we are particularly pleased to hear about the major investment planned for this industry.”

Camira designs and manufactures textiles for every space and sector; from public transport, including bus, coach and rail to commercial and residential interiors.

Camira is a privately-owned UK textile group founded in 1974 under the name Camborne Fabrics, but its heritage goes back to 1783 through various acquisitions. Until a management buy-out in 2006, the company was a subsidiary of Interface, an international manufacturer of textile modular floor coverings, for almost ten years. Today, Camira has an annual turnover of around £85 million and employs more than 630 people. Its products are sold in approximately 75 countries and the business produces eight million metres per year.

Headquartered in the UK, the company has manufacturing facilities in the UK and Lithuania, offices and showrooms in Europe, North America, Australia and China and a global network of agents and distributors.

The company introduced its first recycled fabrics in the 1990s, as well as innovating a new category of fabrics made from natural wool and plant fibres, such as nettles, flax and hemp.

While at the Camira site, the Prime Minister shared a personal anecdote, revealing that his own train was delayed on the way to the event, underscoring the very challenges his investment plans aim to address.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The North is home to a wealth of talent and ingenuity. But for too long, it has been held back by a Victorian-era transport system, stifling its potential. I lived in Leeds for years, so I understand the real-world impacts – missed appointments, children late to school, work meetings rescheduled – all of which contribute to insecurity and instability for working people.

“My Government will not stand by and watch. We are rolling up our sleeves, and today’s investment is a down payment for growth and a vote of confidence in the North’s world-beating industries. From the film studios in Bradford to life sciences in Liverpool and fintech in Leeds, it’s time that the North had a Government on its side to get the region moving again.”

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Images: Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Camira Fabrics following an announcement to deliver rail investment in the North. Picture by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street