In February 2026, more than 70 leaders gathered at the House of Commons to mark the formal launch of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the South East and Gatwick Diamond Growth Gateway. Cross-party MPs stood alongside council leaders, business representatives and community figures from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The message was clear: this region warrants sustained parliamentary focus.
Formally registered last year, the APPG provides a cross-party forum dedicated to the area’s economic, infrastructure and social priorities. Established through a partnership between Invest in the Gatwick Diamond and Gatwick Diamond Business, it creates a direct line between regional stakeholders and decision-makers in Westminster.
The launch was not simply ceremonial. It marked the beginning of a year-long programme including roundtables on transport and skills, discussions on tourism and investment, and appearances at national platforms such as UKREiF and the party conferences. With more than 100,000 quality jobs supported by the region and billions in associated supply chain activity, the objective is to ensure the South East is firmly positioned within the national growth conversation.
Here we speak to Invest in the Gatwick Diamond’s Executive Director Brett North and Gatwick Diamond Business Managing Director Sally Brown to explore why the APPG matters, what it changes in practice, and how businesses can make their voice heard.
What excites you most about the potential for the APPG?
Sally Brown: It was brought to the table by young Brett North! And we had a good conversation about it and thought, yeah, that’s a great idea; let’s see if it’s got legs. And boy, did it have legs.
I am so excited about it because I think it’s added huge strength to the merger of our two organisations and has really helped to position us alongside key stakeholders and partners, which is exactly what we were trying to do.
More than that, it opens the door for some of the corporates and other businesses that are very politically minded to have a voice in Westminster. So although I’m not front and centre with the APPG, I talk about it all the time, and I’m really excited about it and credit to Brett for driving it forward. Very exciting.
Brett North: I think the APPG has been a team effort, and I think that’s really summed up. We’ve got gdb members working together. We’ve got the team of MPs that have come together. I think what was really great about it was the ability and the desire for MPs and others to want to get engaged, learn more and understand. I think that’s really important.
It’s very easy to say what happens about this, what happens about that. If I had a choice, without helping inform the decisions, you’re never going to get the decisions that you’re looking for; nothing will change. I think for me in particular, this is about the first step of supporting so many other things that are going on in the region. We’ve got airport economics going on, that’s really important.
We’ve got things going on with the airport. We’ve got so many other bits and pieces, seaports and rail connections. We’ve got discussions around infrastructure and how that impacts business, and how business can have a voice in that. We’ve got conversations coming on around skills and skill sets.
This is a region that’s got quantum computing, AI, and computer gaming, perhaps not something you think about in an area like this. I live in a town called Horsham, which is a small market town with a massive computer gaming company based here.
You wouldn’t think that if you came to what looked like a Sussex market town. So there are great opportunities there. What we need now is a voice. And I think other parts of the UK have been really big at doing that.
Again, I refer back to working with the airport at UKREiiF and the other partners, the local authorities and businesses. I think we are one of the few UKREiiF organisations that go not just with headline names, but with businesses, local authorities, and education in the region. And I think that says it all about the Gatwick Diamond mentality, the Gatwick region mentality, whatever you want to call it. I think that’s really strong.
So I’m really pleased to be part of that. I think the other thing that I’m really excited about with the APPG is that whatever happens politically, and we see a lot of change currently, we see government policy changing quite a lot, we see probably situations internationally that government, regional, local, and national governments can’t really control.
During that time, it gives us a constant place to learn more and to offer a business viewpoint, a perspective that might otherwise get lost.
How can South East businesses or other organisations get involved, and why should they be interested?
Brett North: Because gdb and GDI in our history has always been about working with organisations. I can’t tell you the number of organisations that we’ve worked with, whether it’s regional promotion, whether it’s campaigning, whether it’s trying to make voices heard for the business, whether it’s advice, whether you are another business organisation, whether you are a business, whether you are a university, we’ve always been very open.
I think Sally personifies that. Even before Sally, gdb and GDI have always been about working with people. Let’s come together. There’s no reason. I’m a great believer that, actually, I’m less worried about what we might not agree on and more interested in what we do agree on because I actually think we can get more done if we focus on that. And actually, we’ve all got the region’s best interests at heart.
So let’s do that and let’s bring the components together because the more we do together, the better it’s going to be. For me, I’d say, look, we’re around, we’re here, we’re a chat, wherever you come from, whatever organisation you’re in, but also whatever size business you are as well, whatever your viewpoint is, check it out because we’re going to be asking questions of members to get their opinions and get their views and put them together.
So you’ve got to be in it to win it kind of scenario. That’s a really not terribly posh way of putting it, but that’s possibly what I’m going to say.
What should businesses be excited about the APPG?
Sally Brown: Well, we’re trying our best to educate people, I guess, answer their questions through our social media platforms, through our Diamond Magazine, through the events that we run.
I don’t think there’s an event that we’ve had since we’ve been speaking about the APPG that we haven’t mentioned. So we’re just raising awareness of it for organisations and businesses outside of the membership. The purpose of Gatwick Diamond Business is to support the business community across the South East. So if they want to find out more, we’re here to answer any questions. And there are lots of benefits to the membership. Come and join, be part of the community, then they’ll definitely be able to hear more about it and understand more and be involved and have a voice.
Brett North: Can I add one other thing as well? This is a Gatwick Diamond voice. This isn’t anybody else’s voice.
This is a Gatwick Diamond voice. This might be the only time we actually get a chance to have an unfiltered Gatwick Diamond business voice going anywhere because that’s what it is.
Sally Brown: Yes, but it’s not a Gatwick Diamond Business voice, it’s a Gatwick Diamond businesses’ voice because it’s not about our organisation, although we want to be aligned with other organisations, stakeholders and partners. It’s on behalf of our members, on behalf of the business community.
Brett North: Yes, absolutely. It could be the only way that businesses get a chance to have an unfiltered regional voice that doesn’t have to pass through anybody else. It’s what the members are telling, saying and supporting.
For the first time ever, you’ve got a straight line into being able to put that into something to make a difference without having to worry about whether this will go to another committee because we aren’t owned by anybody else. We’re owned by members. This is a not-for-profit organisation. It is almost one of the few mutual organisations left in the UK.
So there you go, it’s about you, the members, rather than us, the board or us, the committee or us, the APPG. It’s about getting that voice in. So I think it’s a real opportunity.
Sally Brown: Yes, and our independence is a strength. You’re right, Brett.