WEST Yorkshire’s businesses need to look westwards to export goods internationally, according to one of the region’s most senior civil servants.

Sir Roger Marsh, who is chairman of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, identified Mexico as one of the world’s major growing economies, and said that firms in this region would do well to exploit emerging markets in central and south America.

His comments came during a discussion on post-Covid economic recovery at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which looks after large infrastructure and investment projects in the region.

He said: “I’ve been learning a lot about what is going on post-Brexit. What I have learned, as a region over the past decade we have tended to look eastwards, Europe, middle east and further east, as opportunities for growth.

“But actually there is a lot out west. Obviously the US is still the biggest inward investor in the UK, but what struck me was that the OECD’s view is that, within a generation, Mexico is likely to become the 10th largest economy in the world.

“So I think to myself, tactically and strategically, rather than everyone else looking east, maybe we should go where everybody isn’t going to look for those opportunities in financial services, health technologies etc.

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“It’s about seeing the opportunities a decade out from now.”

“Some of these economies are growing so quickly. It’s not a reason to give up or become complacent.”

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that aims to promote the growing of economies and the development of trade around the world.

According to its most recent snapshot of Mexico, it projected the country’s economy to expand by five per cent in 2021, and by 3.2 per cent in 2022. However, it also claimed that poverty, inequality and gender gaps widened again due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the meeting Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe asked, if Mexico was to enter the top 10 world economies, what was the outlook for the UK?

Sir Roger said: "They are not sure we'll be in the top 10.

"That is not a reason for us to give up. This country was once the key trading nation of the world, it is about how we do that again. I'm confident about our future, but not complacent over the challenge we face."