JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson will travel to the United Kingdom and Ireland next week on a trade mission, his office said Tuesday.
The trip will be the first of its kind since before the pandemic, and Parson’s third while in office. It will be funded by the Hawthorn Foundation, a nonprofit focused on economic growth.
A prior mission to Israel and Greece in November was postponed due to COVID-related travel restrictions.
Parson will stop in Cambridge, London and Dublin from March 11-19 to meet with government officials, business leaders and diplomats and tout Missouri’s “strong capacity for trade.” The two nations combined for around $484 million in exports last year, according to Parson’s office.
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“Missouri-made products are sold and shipped to locations around the globe,” Parson said in a news release. “I look forward to meeting with leaders and officials in the U.K. and Ireland as we continue promoting our state as an ideal location to grow and expand business.”
The governor’s planned meetings include a roundtable focused on agricultural technology, a meeting with Chargé d’Affaires Philip Reeker, another panel focused on aerospace and advanced technology, and a series of briefings from the U.S. Embassy Irish Country team.
Parson has frequently emphasized trade and workforce development as policy priorities during his time in office.
Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at [email protected], (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.