Amazon Web Services (AWS) has said it will spend £8bn in building data centres across the UK, creating an expected 14,000 jobs in the process.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves welcomed the investment from the online retail giant’s cloud computing arm and said she personally met with the firm last week to secure the five-year investment.

AWS said the 14,000 jobs would be needed for the firm’s data centre supply chain such as construction, facility maintenance, engineering and telecommunications, as well as other jobs within the broader local economy. According to Amazon, the investments will contribute an estimated £14bn to the UK’s total GDP from 2024 to 2028.

With news this morning that the economy unexpectedly flatlined in July with regards to GDP growth, Reeves said that overcoming “14 years of stagnation” will not “happen overnight”.

“However, this £8bn investment marks the start of the economic revival and shows Britain is a place to do business,” she added. “I am determined to go further...