Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has said Oxfordshire is fighting its way out of recession.

Lord Mandelson told us the county’s economy was recovering on a visit to Williams Formula One headquarters in Grove – despite Office for National Statistics figures showing the economy had shrunk 0.3 per cent between July and September.

He said: “There is no doubt that in Oxfordshire and the wider country, business confidence is picking up.

“We will see positive growth figures before too long.”

Lord Mandelson was visiting Williams to promote the development of lightweight, composite materials used for racing cars, aeroplane wings and wind turbine blades.

He is pictured, left, being given a tour of Autoclave room by Williams chief operations officer Alex Burns.