“We can all see our country faces a choice, a defining choice. Britain stands at a fork in the road. We can choose decency, or we can choose division, renewal or decline.”
These were the words spoken by Keir Starmer from the lectern in his Labour conference Leader’s speech in Liverpool this week. It was a conference where national renewal was centre stage from a party keen to look to the future, strengthening our public services and improving people’s lives and the Labour Party conference delivered just that.
Minister after Minister took to the stage with a raft of announcements which set out a clear plan on how the Government will deliver renewal for all parts of our country.
On education, a return of maintenance grants will give a lifeline from those from poorer backgrounds to go to university, an enhanced rollout on breakfast clubs will continue with half a million more children next year. Thanks to Labour’s funding of this, over 200,000 children currently already benefit from these breakfast clubs.
Funding for libraries in all primary schools will give children extra support to learn and grow. 18% of all primary schools in North East currently don’t have a library – that’s the highest proportion of any region in the country – so this commitment will bring a clear benefit to our region.
The Prime Minister took to the stage to announce an “online hospital” that will deliver millions of extra appointments and help cut long waiting times. The announcement will provide up to 8.5 million extra NHS appointments in its first three years, by giving patients the ability to access prescriptions, book scans and tests, receive clinical advice, and manage appointments through the NHS app.
He also announced a shake up of education – adapting the long term goal of 50% of students going to university. Instead, Labour will show strong support for apprenticeships, with a new goal of two thirds or all students either going to university or taking up a gold standard apprenticeship, supporting our younger people to be the pioneers of the industries of the future.
The Chancellor announced a plan to increase Buying from Britain – the Government will support businesses that make and invest in Britain by legislating for a new economic security power. This will benefit so many companies in my constituency and the region in which supply parts to critical infrastructure to companies such as Airbus, Nissan and Alexander Dennis.
Labour will finally put an end to long-term youth unemployment – with every young person who has been out of work or education for 18 months offered guaranteed paid work. We won’t leave a generation of young people to languish without prospects – denied the dignity, the security and the ladders of opportunity that good work provides.
Labour will continue to invest in green energy, creating jobs for the future and will also look to further the expansion of the scheme to put solar panels on public buildings, 200 schools and 200 NHS sites will be given money to have panels installed, about 120 sites are due to be added to this scheme in the coming year.
Contrast that to the world of Reform UK, where the politics of division serves their agenda. The divisive nature has been taken to extreme levels by some across our communities with racist graffiti across our region, targeting those in our community, our neighbours and friends. I’m appalled to see this and I would welcome political leaders across our region to call out this behaviour for what it is, much like the Labour Leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon.
That is not what our region is, we are proud and inclusive people, welcoming of those who come here to work in our care homes and hospitals. You only need to look at the streets of Newcastle last weekend to see the tremendous show
of support for those who wish to live in an inclusive country, one that builds the way together for everyone.
Britain stands at a fork in the road, and with the announcements this week that choice is clear, renewal with Labour, or division with Reform.