London Gateway: New Economic Boost?

 In an increasingly globalised and competitive world, to protect UK employment, and for the UK economy to remain competitive,  the UK government has to implement the necessary framework to attract foreign direct investment making the UK a desirable place to do business and to invest in. Transport infrastructure is critical to the movement of goods and people, facilitating both domestic and international trade. London Gateway port is  a £1.5 billion foreign direct investment in the UK economy and will open in quarter four of 2013. Due to its location and ability to service the largest vessels in the world today, it has been described as a  "game changer" for the UK supply chain. The project will create an estimated 36,000 thousand jobs and contribute around £2.4bn a year to the UK economy .The new ports location means that it will allow for firms in the south-east to reduce transportation costs and thus help them remain competitive by passing these onto consumers through lower prices. 
       There are some fears for Felixstowe port (UKs busiest port) that they are going to lose many of their customers to the new competition.  This could potentially affect 30,000 jobs in felixstowe, however experts are positive that both ports can be successful. 
    London Gateway customers will be bringing imported goods from China and the Far East to retailers in the UK. Last month the gap between imports and exports of goods was at its widest for almost a year in September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and this new port is perhaps going to be making the gap larger in the long run.