Texas Gov. Greg Abbott departed Tuesday for an economic development trip to the United Kingdom, his latest overseas visit aimed at strengthening strategic partnerships and fostering new opportunities for the Lone Star State.
Abbott announced Tuesday that he will meet with business leaders and government officials in London during a short visit to the UK from March 12 to March 14.
The meetings will include ways to deepen the strong Texas-UK partnership, encourage expanded trade across critical industries, and attract new job-creating business investments to Texas.
“Texas is where the future is building thanks to our young, skilled, diverse, and growing workforce and the unmatched business advantages found only in our great state,” said Abbott in a news release.
“As a result, Texas is the eighth-largest economy in the world and a global leader in energy and trade. As we meet with business and government leaders in the United Kingdom this week, I look forward to expanding our economic partnership and welcoming new opportunities to promote innovation, business expansion, and job creation for an even bigger, better Texas.”
Overall, the UK ranks No.1 for the number of foreign direct investment projects in Texas, according to the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TEDC), which jointly organized the trip with the Governor’s Economic Development & Tourism Office.
TEDC said the cumulative foreign direct investment between January 2011 and December 2023 included about 430 projects, over $10 million in capital investment, and nearly 22,000 jobs created by 369 companies.
The blossoming relationship between Texas and the UK was highlighted by the TEDC back in late 2021. Since then, the Texas-UK partnership has only grown more robust and resilient.
“In 2023, Texas trade with the United Kingdom totaled $18.2 billion, making them the state’s ninth-largest total trade partner,” Abbott said.
Furthermore, in the last decade, Abbott said UK-based companies have invested $8.6 billion in capital investment through 326 projects. This has ultimately resulted in the creation of more than 18,200 new Texas jobs.
