Amazon cancels New York City campus plan

Amazon has said it will not build a new headquarters in New York City, citing fierce opposition from state and local politicians.

The dramatic turnabout comes just months after the firm named New York City one of two sites selected for major expansion over the next decades.

City and state leaders had agreed to provide about $3bn (£2.3bn) in incentives to secure that investment.

Those subsidies had prompted fierce backlash in some quarters.

Amazon said its plans to build a new headquarters required “positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term”.

“A number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.

“We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion,” it said.

The firm currently employs more than 5,000 people across New York. The firm said it expects its staff numbers in the region to continue to grow.