Nautilus has taken its campaign for British seafarer training investment to the heart of government at a Westminster drop-in session hosted by Maritime UK ahead of next week's budget announcement.
Nautilus head of strategy Debbie Cavaldoro spoke to MPs about the union's manifesto for British maritime, which calls for the government to commit significant investment into maritime training and education to ensure British seafarers remain competitive.
About 30 Members of Parliament attended the session.
Nautilus called on MPs to champion the sector and put pressure on Treasury to ensure maritime is not forgotten when the Chancellor announces the new Budget next Wednesday (11 March).
'Many of the MPs were very receptive to our manifesto and some even committed to asking questions in Parliament to ensure the government is listening,' Ms Cavaldoro said.
'One of the outcomes of the ongoing Brexit negotiations has been that there is a much greater awareness in Westminster of the UK's reliance on the maritime industry and this was evident in the interest shown by MPs.
'Many wanted to know more about how the sector might be affected by the eventual trade deals.
'Liz Savile Roberts MP, Westminster leader for Plaid Cymru, spoke about her daughter who is a maritime professional and had seen many copies of the Nautilus Telegraph at her home.'
All MPs who attended the session were given copies of both the Nautilus International and Maritime UK manifestos, which further stress the importance of shipping to the UK and the importance of investing in UK seafarers.
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