BID FOR CADBURYS

That this House is alarmed by reports of a hostile £10 billion-plus city takeover bid by foreign competitors to buy out the UK manufacturer Cadburys; notes this company's unique British heritage and its well-regarded ethical credentials, regularly displayed in its functioning and expressed recently in its £45 million Cadburys Cocoa Partnership which gave Fairtrade accreditation to Dairy Milk in July 2009; understands the company's recent trading update shows significant improvement in its market position; and therefore believes that the selling off of such a fundamental cornerstone of British manufacturing in this sector is neither necessary nor in the interest of the UK, as it risks relinquishment of control over the UK economy and consequently the nation's prosperity.