On February 4, 2026, a new group of politicians and business leaders launched a project in Westminster to bring more investment and better transport to Crawley, West Sussex. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Southeast and Gatwick Diamond Growth Gateway aims to give the local area a stronger voice in Parliament. This group will focus on creating jobs and improving local services to support the thousands of businesses in the region.
Mims Davies MP and Natasha Irons MP are leading the cross-party effort as co-chairs. More than 70 guests attended the launch to discuss how to support the regional economy, which involves 45,000 businesses and contributes over £41 billion to the country. The group plans to push for better funding and resources for the local community.
The formation of this group follows the 2025 approval of the Gatwick Northern Runway Project, which will see the airport move toward using two runways by 2030. Members of the group intend to lobby for improvements to the Brighton Mainline train route and local road networks to handle this growth. They also hope to encourage new industries like life sciences and high-tech aviation to set up in the area.
Local businesses are already seeing the benefits of being in this hub, with Crawley-based Acron Aviation recently securing a multi-million-pound contract to provide flight simulators for Jet2.com. By working together in Westminster, the group hopes to attract even more commercial success to the Gatwick Diamond region. This initiative represents the first time a dedicated parliamentary body has been formed specifically to represent the economic interests of the area.
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