Starmer's SEZs and Freeports to cost taxpayer £64 billion over 25 years

Make no mistake, this is a live corporate coup

New data on UK deregulated free zones rollout. If you are not shocked by this astronomical expenditure of public money on corporate governance experiments in deregulated zonification, then you need your head examining.

£64 billion projected cost over 25 years for Freeports and SEZs Break down of the projected £64 billion cost over 25 years for the UK Government’s Freeports and SEZs (Investment Zones/Enterprise Zones), tracing the sources for each component, explaining the methodology used to process the figure, and ensuring transparency in the calculations. Overview of the £64 Billion Figure The £64 billion projected cost over 25 years represents the estimated total public expenditure on Freeports and SEZs from their inception (2012 for SEZs, 2022 for Freeports) through to the end of their 25-year contract periods (around 2037 for Enterprise Zones, 2046 for Freeports, and 2048 for Investment Zones). The figure is composed of two main components: Freeports: £9.5 billion. SEZs (Investment Zones/Enterprise Zones): £54.5 billion. Total: £9.5 billion + £54.5 billion = £64 billion. This projection builds on the current costs (up to 2024) and extends them forward, accounting for ongoing tax reliefs, infrastructure investments, and other public expenditures over the full 25-year period. I've provided detailed sources and methodology for each. Freeports – Projected Cost of £9.5 Billion Over 25 Years Current Cost (2022-2024): £2.5 Billion Source: Seed Funding: The 2024 House of Commons Business and Trade Committee report https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmbeis/272/report.html and UK Freeports Programme Annual Report 2022, confirms that the UK Government allocated £1 billion in seed funding for the 12 Freeports. This was part of the initial setup, distributed around 2021-2022 when Freeports became operational.