today (Tuesday 15 February)
says that Labour will back Britain’s businesses to lead the
country’s recovery, as new figures reveal the decline
of manufacturing jobs under the Tories.
The Labour leader is this week taking his ‘Contract with the
British People’ - which guarantees security, prosperity and
respect for all - directly to voters. On day two of the tour,
Starmer will focus on Britain’s future prosperity.
New research published by Labour shows that the number of
jobs in manufacturing fell by 93,000 between the end of 2009 and
the end of 2021. This includes 16,000 jobs lost in the North of
England and 18,500 jobs lost in the
Midlands. Between 2010 and 2020, Germany added nearly
one million manufacturing jobs.
Low investment, a failure to improve productivity, and cuts to
skills budgets have all contributed to the UK’s decline, which
Starmer has set out plans to tackle in order to provide
a “vital shot in the arm for our economy.”
Ahead of a visit in Burnley, the Labour leader says he
would reverse the Government’s failure to support British
manufacturing and “back the places that powered our country to
get our economy motoring again.”
Starmer says the next Labour government will concentrate on
ensuring we “buy, make and sell in Britain”, by handing
businesses and communities across the country the tools and
skills they need to bring the jobs of the future here.
Starmer says that government must learn from companies
like What More who have bucked the trend by investing
in technology and their products and workforce.
Under the leadership of Labour’s Afrasiab Anwar, Burnley Council
is investing millions in Burnley College, linking up with
employers to ensure the town has the skills and ability to create
quality jobs. Towns such as Burnley - once a major centre of
engineering and the heart of the textiles industry - have powered
our country before and have the traditions and the ambition to do
so again.
MP, Leader of the Labour
Party, said:
“It’s not enough to just leave the EU and think the job is done:
we must now make Brexit work. That means backing the places that
powered our country to get our economy motoring again.
“For too long the decline of manufacturing has been treated as if
it was inevitable and irreversible. I will never accept that. But
these figures show how the Government’s failure to back British
business has led to a shocking decline in the number of
jobs.
“The next Labour government would support our manufacturers
with practical plans to buy, make and sell in Britain.
“We would be as ambitious for towns and cities across the country
as they are for themselves, investing in skills, technology, and
quality jobs - so that people once again feel the benefits of
British industry.
“This is personal to me. My dad was a toolmaker, so I know the
pride that comes with creating and building things – and the pain
felt when the Tories dismantle that hard work. That’s why it’s a
crucial part of my contract with the British people, which will
build a new Britain that guarantees security, prosperity and
respect for all.”
Speaking ahead of the visit to What More, the
Labour leader said:
“The Government can learn from companies like What More here
in Burnley, where investing in technology and products has helped
to buck the trend in manufacturing decline.
“The quality jobs here are a source of local pride. We want to
see this replicated all across the country, so that young people
don’t feel they have to get out to get on.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Analysis looks at seasonally adjusted Workforce jobs by
sector, comparing the end of 2009, when the last Labour
government was in power, to the latest data from September
2021.
Accessed via nomis, February 2022, https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/summary.asp?reset=yes&mode=construct&dataset=130&version=0&anal=1&initsel=
- Data from manufacturing jobs in Germany from Eurostat’s
structural business statistics
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/SBS_NA_SCA_R2__custom_2086600/default/table?lang=en
- Labour has pledged to buy, make and sell more in Britain with
a plan to raise standards, award more public contracts to British
businesses and bring the jobs of the future to the UK.
https://labour.org.uk/press/labour-will-make-buy-and-sell-more-in-britain/
- Labour’s climate investment pledge would ensure Britain leads
the world in green industries of the future, including electric
vehicle and battery manufacturing, home insulation and renewable
energy.
