Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen invites Donald Trump to region for 'taste of the true Britain'

The Conservative mayor congratulated Donald Trump on his election success as he praised the Tees Valley in a letter to the president-elect. Credit: PA Images

Ben Houchen has invited Donald Trump to the region in a letter of congratulations sent to the American president-elect.

The Tees Valley Mayor said he would be "honoured" to welcome Trump on a visit which would "give him a taste of the true Britain" in a post on X.

In the letter sent on Sunday (25 November), Lord Houchen wrote: "I believe a visit to the North East of England will ensure your trip is not dominated by a London-centric, metropolitan, media-driven agenda, but centre around real people and real issues."

Describing the region as being at the "coalface of the real economy", the politician compared investment in the North East to action in the American 'Rust Belt'.

Lord Houchen continued: "This could be the start of an exciting new chapter in the special relationship between our two countries, to sustain what is great from our shared history, and to build on new opportunities."

In a follow-up post on X, the Tees Valley Mayor also addressed the site's owner, Elon Musk.

"We’ve got the UK’s first and largest Freeport, which is attracting billions in international investment," he said. "@elonmusk, we would be delighted to see what could be possible."

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