BIRMINGHAM needs a “big win” showcase project to help it claw back ground lost to Manchester and London, the new president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.

Paul Bassi, officially installed at the Chamber’s annual meeting in succession to previous president Bridget Blow, said developments such as the rebuilding of New Street Station – putting Birmingham at the heart of the national rail network – would be important boosts to its image.

Mr Bassi and Chamber chief executive Jerry Blackett agreed that Birmingham and the wider West Midlands had failed to state its case for big investment projects.

“Manchester is better at it than Birmingham,” Mr Bassi conceded.

Mr Blackett added: “We have assets like Jaguar Land Rover and Cadbury here in the West Midlands but we don’t sell ourselves enough.”

Mr Bassi was joined by Jaguar Land Rover public relations director Simon Warr as one of the organisation’s two vice-presidents with Dr Christine Braddock, who was appointed last year.