Theresa May visits Warwick Manufacturing Group

Prime Minister Theresa May visited the University of Warwick and Warwick Manufacturing Group today, along with Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond.

The pair visited Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and toured the International Manufacturing Centre. The aim of the trip was to find out more about research and innovation being undertaken at WMG.

Amongst the designs shown to May and Hammond were the 3xD Simulator, a one-of-a-kind driving simulator soon to be the key attraction at the Virtual Reality Centre in the National Automotive Innovation Centre. A student project for a human powered submarine, WarwickSub, was discussed too.

They also met with Warwick’s Provost, Christine Ennew, and the Chairman of WMG, Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, who said he was “delighted” to welcome them both.

Warwick Students’ Union (SU), however, were not aware of the visit until after the pair had left campus.

On this note, Hope Worsdale, Education Officer at the SU, wrote in a statement on Facebook: “So earlier today, the University welcomed the Prime Minister onto our campus. Oddly, the Students’ Union were not made aware of this visit, nor did we receive any invitation to meet with her.

“That’s a shame, because I have quite a few questions I’d like to ask about how the policy of her government is impacting students.

“Questions such as: Why, under May’s leadership, does the government think it’s acceptable to deport thousands of international students out of the UK; often violently tearing them away from their friends and family without any warning?”

Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor of the University, commented: “We were pleased to welcome the Prime Minister and Chancellor to the University of Warwick so soon after commencing their new roles.

“They saw and heard about Warwick’s role as a leader in supporting the regional and national economy through technological innovation, high-tech engineering and skills development.”