Biofuel battleground: Why the fate of Hull's Vivergo Fuels matters

Rob Parsons looks at a story playing out in the North that sits squarely in the middle of two huge issues Keir Starmer and the Labour government want to be judged on at the next election: economic growth and the net zero agenda. In the coming days the Hull-based firm Vivergo Fuels will find out whether it has a viable future, or whether it will have to start the process of laying off its 160 employees because of the impact of this year's trade deal signed between the UK and Donald Trump's USA. But there's a huge amount at stake not just for the company and its staff, but thousands more workers in the supply chain, and also the future of the growing biofuels industry - essentially turning living matter into fuel - which has the potential to bring lots of jobs and investment into many areas of the North. Rob speaks to Vivergo's managing director Ben Hackett, who says the decision made by the Government over whether to support his company will have huge implications for our farmers and even our ability to fill up our cars at petrol stations. The Northern Agenda is a Reach production, presented by Rob Parsons and Liam Thorp, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices