MPs hope to bring ARIA headquarters to West Midlands after launching new pressure group

The West Midlands Innovation Region (WMIR) group was officially launched at an event on Wednesday that was attended by MPs, business leaders and representatives from the region's combined authority.

The group, which includes MPs from the Black Country and Shropshire, has been formed to ensure the region is at the forefront of the Government's levelling up agenda.

It is also bidding to ensure the party's manifesto heading into the next general election is "West Midlands friendly".

Members are hoping to successfully lobby ministers for the new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) headquarters to be located in the West Midlands, with a site next to the new HS2 terminal in Birmingham already identified.

Group chair Mike Wood said all 44 Conservative MPs in the region had expressed an interest in the group, which was devoted to "working with the Government to deliver on levelling up".

The Dudley South MP said: "The idea is to bring Conservative MPs together with key stakeholders to really push the argument for funding where there is a shared West Midlands interest.

"This goes beyond bringing in a few quid for high streets. It's more about how we can really transform our region by working together.

"Here in the West Midlands we have a fantastic record of building on investment – for every pound we get from the Government a further £4 is attracted from the private sector.

"We want to make sure the Government is fully aware of how successful the region has been in leveraging investment."

Mr Wood said that with 44 of the region's 59 MPs now being Conservative – compared to 16 in 2010 – it was vital that the Tory manifesto for the next general election was "West Midlands friendly".

Earlier this year representatives from the region wrote to ministers calling for Birmingham to be the chosen location for the ARIA, a new government agency focusing on research and development.

They argued the West Midlands could play a "leading role" its long-term success and support national priorities for levelling up.