Laurie Thornton attended 11 Downing Street for a reception hosted by Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The invitation came from local MP Jayne Kirkham, who has been a consistent advocate of Cornish engineering and her constituency’s potential for wind power projects, and a friend of the company. A select group of MPs from North and South West England attended the event on Nov 3, with each MP bringing a local businesses leader.

The Chancellor hosted several MPs and their guests to celebrate British business and discuss the key opportunities and challenges facing small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are estimated to have turned over £2.8 trillion in 2025, over half the private sector total, according to the UK Department for Business & Trade’s October 2025 figures.

“MintMech impressed me when I first visited the company in January 2025. Laurie and the team are a great example of the high level of skills and resources Cornwall can supply to the rest of the country. MintMech really champions Cornish offshore wind’s future, so was a good choice for this event.”

— Jayne Kirkham, MP

“I was very pleased to be invited, and found it inspiring to see Jayne and neighbouring MPs proudly representing Cornwall in Parliament. The other Cornish business representatives came from companies supporting critical minerals like lithium which, combined with installing offshore renewable energy, are essential for delivering the energy transition and achieving net zero.”

— Laurie Thornton

In 2025, MintMech was awarded government funding by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Fund. The investment has gone towards MintMech’s Automation, Manufacturing and Engineering Centre (AMEC), a new facility in Penryn dedicated to delivering offshore wind.

“MintMech’s work at AMEC is helping bridge the skills gap and give the next generation of Cornish engineers the tools to deliver offshore wind and other crucial technologies that have huge potential in Cornwall.” — Jayne Kirkham

“The Chancellor seemed genuinely interested to hear that we are conserving a traditional Cornish export, skilled engineers. Cornwall has exported its skills around the world for centuries, and today MintMech regularly consults organisations in the USA, Canada and Japan.” — Laurie Thornton

MintMech specialises in automating processes in marine construction projects. To learn how we can help with your next engineering project, contact us.