The following is a guest post by Andrew Millar, British Consul-General in Houston, Texas.
It has been an exciting few days for us here in Texas. We had the honour of hosting Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Sir Peter Westmacott, the UK Ambassador in Washington. As the Consul General in Houston, and thus the British Government’s representative in Texas, I had the privilege of showing off the Lone Star State and especially its recent accomplishments.
There are certainly many accomplishments Texans can—and should—take pride in. The financial sector has added 40,000 jobs across Texas since 2001. According to the Milken Institute, four of the top five cities for job growth in 2011 were in Texas. The state GDP here accounts for eight per cent of the national total.
The eyes of Texas are clearly set on continued growth, and the eyes of the world are on Texas. It’s no wonder then that the UK is looking to strengthen our partnerships with Texas, especially in the world of technology and innovation. The UK will have the largest international presence at next month’s South by SouthWest in Austin. Additionally, more than 100 UK-based tech companies will attend the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston this April. They are coming here because they know that high-tech innovation runs deep in the heart of Texas.
British companies already have $20 billion invested in Texas, supporting 70,000 jobs and making us the largest foreign employer in the state. But we’re looking to do more. The Chancellor’s visit was focussed on increased cooperation. We want small- and medium-sized enterprises from the UK to set up shop from the Red River to the Rio Grande. Deeper trade and investment links are beneficial for both sides, creating jobs and driving growth.
Future cooperation between Texas and the UK has a long, proud tradition. This year, we mark 170 years of UK representation in Texas: our first Consulate was to the Republic of Texas. In fact, the building in London that housed diplomats from the Republic of Texas still stands. With a strong past supporting us, we look forward to many more years of prosperous relations between Britain and the Lone Star State.