Tourism minister Chris Bryant has told MPs that negotiations with Universal over its UK theme park plans are “going well,” with the scheme now before Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Though Bryant refused to give any detail on how advanced a potential agreement is, Bryant reiterated that the proposals could be “absolutely transformational.”

“I cannot enter into the precise details of the negotiations, but they are going well,” the MP told parliament last week. “I am hopeful that this will be absolutely transformational for the British tourism industry if we manage to pull it off.”

According to The Sun, “Rachel Reeves is looking at the proposals, with a final decision about the site in Bedfordshire understood to be in the pipeline.”

It was recently announced the 450-acre site would incorporate its own 500-room hotel. And that will be music to a beleaguered chancellor who has been bashing growth all week rather than bashing hopes since their election. 

And that is a view that chimes with Bedford MP Mohammad Yasin who said earlier this month that  “to have such a huge global brand like Universal Studios invest in Britain would be fantastic.”