Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives to speak before President Joe Biden, June 28, 2023, at the Old Post Office in Chicago.
Hampered in part by the coronavirus pandemic during his first term, Pritzker has focused more intently on courting businesses since winning a second term in November and after high-profile corporate relocations last year by headquarters for Boeing, Caterpillar and Citadel. From Sunday through Wednesday, the governor and first lady M.K. Pritzker will be joined by a delegation of 40 state officials and business and higher education leaders on a trade mission in London.
Other members of the delegation, including the private business leaders and lobbyists, will be paying for their own airfare and lodging, according to the governor’s office. And while Stellantis could use Belvidere as a bargaining chip in the just-started negotiations with the United Auto Workers by agreeing to put a product back in the plant, Illinois is exploring other options — including foreign EV manufacturers — to fill the void.