Published: June 3, 2026 • 7:34 PM IST · Updated: June 4, 2026 • 12:30 AM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
British taxpayers will provide £1.3bn in funding to help the Hollywood studio giant Universal build its first theme park in Europe.
Comcast, the US media company that owns NBC Universal and Sky, had been considering a number of countries in which to build its first European theme park.
However, a deal to build the attraction on the site of the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks near Bedford was agreed after a significant offer of government financial support.
A package initially revealed last June included almost £500m of public investment in rail and road infrastructure, including a station development at Wixams, while talks over the scale of the overall government assistance continued.
View image in fullscreen Rachel Reeves visits the Bedford site.