Solent Freeport Chairman Brian Johnson was a guest on Politics South on BBC1.

Hosted by BBC Political Correspondent Peter Henley, the programme also featured two MPs in Richard Quigley (Lab, IoW West) and Vikki Slade (Lib Dem, Mid Dorset & North Poole)

Brian, pictured right, spoke about how Solent Freeport was an opportunity for big investment and a focal point for regional growth in the South to augment the cluster of forward-looking and effective businesses already driving growth in the area.

He added: “I’ve been very impressed that the councils across the south, the cities, the counties, the districts have all worked together to pool rates – and spend them across the wider region collectively – because communities and business do not really work on old county or district boundaries.”

The programme is available for 29 days on the BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00249f4/politics-south-20102024