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Post-industrial Towns 2025-06-18
18 June 2025
Lead MP
Jo White
Debate Type
Adjournment Debate
Tags
NHSEconomyBrexit
Other Contributors: 16
At a Glance
Jo White raised concerns about post-industrial towns 2025-06-18 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
The post-industrial towns of the red wall areas are dying on their feet. Our young people move away to cities and London for better jobs, skills, and higher pay, leaving behind a low-skilled population with high health demands on NHS and care services. Successive Governments have ignored these areas when wealth building or investment initiatives were brought forward. This Government's strategic plan aims to unleash the potential of left-behind towns through an industrial strategy that aligns itself to their future needs. The last attempt under Theresa May’s premiership resulted in silence, but now is our chance to define a strategy that meets national priorities and local ambitions. In Bassetlaw, we have welcomed £2.5 billion for fusion energy development and £30 million for Doncaster airport to kick-start it after its closure. This investment will bring new jobs and economic growth to the region. The industrial strategy must include further education providers like West Notts College, ensure good apprenticeships, and guarantee decent, well-paid jobs for young people years into the future.
Alex Ballinger
Lab
Halesowen
The industrial strategy should focus on aerospace, defence, and manufacturing to revitalise places like Halesowen.
Lee Pitcher
Lab
Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme
Government support for developing skills in aviation, logistics, and green technologies is exactly what we need to open Doncaster-Sheffield airport.
Steve Yemm
Lab
Mansfield
Further education is integral to turbocharging the skills revolution, with strong provision in local FE colleges rather than relying solely on universities.
Luke Myer
Lab
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Combined authorities should play a role not just in creating jobs but also in having a skills strategy that guarantees well-paid jobs for young people years into the future.
Lillian Jones
Lab
Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Post-industrial towns across Ayrshire have potential for exciting developments in aerospace, renewable energy, AI, data centres, driven by a modern industrial strategy to support long-term sustainable growth.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Greater investment in rebuilding vacant spaces is needed and welcomed under the Labour Government's commitment to an industrial strategy.
Jayne Kirkham
Lab/Co-op
Truro and Falmouth
Post-industrial towns in Cornwall should be included in the new industrial strategy, with opportunities in renewables and critical minerals for a rich future.
Honiton and Sidmouth
Government can help by investing in superfast broadband to benefit remote areas like Axminster.
Iqbal Mohamed
Ind
Dewsbury and Batley
Government should look to revitalise workforces and niche industries such as the furniture industry in Dewsbury and Batley, overcoming Brexit barriers.
Wolverhampton North East
A targeted industrial strategy for post-industrial towns will lead to more highly skilled jobs, lifting the ceiling of average earnings in constituencies.
Alan Strickland
Lab
Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
My constituency had the Stockton and Darlington railway, which began the passenger railway. Since the election, we have received £800 million for a world-class train factory.
Northern Ireland should also be included in these discussions.
Gareth Snell
Lab/Co-op
Stoke-on-Trent Central
The plea for the industrial strategy to address high energy prices affecting manufacturing sectors.
Allison Gardner
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent South
The importance of recognising ceramics as a foundational industry in the future industrial strategy.
Adnan Hussain
Ind
Blackburn
We need to invest in our people, local businesses and small businesses in Blackburn and surrounding areas.
David Williams
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent North
The risk of non-mayoral areas getting less investment compared to city mayoral areas.
Government Response
My hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw raised important issues about the neglect shown by previous Governments towards red wall areas, but it is clear that times have changed. The UK Government has provided a £50.9 billion annual settlement to Scotland, which represents the biggest devolutionary funding in history. There are trade deals, investment zones, city and growth deals, direct investments, and a strategic defence review underway. My constituents tell me they do not understand why services being rebuilt south of the border are not mirrored at home, but unfortunately, bad loans, poor deals, misinformed investments and decisions have taken money away from where it was needed. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw on securing this important debate. The turnout and the contributions from other Members demonstrated their strongly held views and passionate commitment to their constituencies, and illustrated the challenges facing our post-industrial areas, which are deep, structural and long-term. My hon. Friend drew attention to regional inequalities that have been exacerbated in recent decades. We have a responsibility and a duty to turn that around, and the Government are committed to doing so. The devolution agenda is central to that work and is one of the key areas on which my Department is leading, devolving power and budgets so that local areas can shape their future and enable all communities to benefit, and ensuring that those historic inequities are addressed. The Government have already given local authorities an additional £3.4 billion in grant funding, and we are also developing a long-term housing strategy. We have committed ourselves to billions of pounds of investment in housing, and are investing £1.5 billion in our plan for neighbourhoods. My hon. Friend, and others, raised a number of issues related to the industrial strategy. I know that the Business Secretary will be following closely the points that have been raised about support for the ceramics industry and broadband and ensuring that the industries in these communities are harnessed. Members rightly raised the subject of steel, and they will be aware of the work that the Business Secretary has done in that regard. The investment zones are key to economic growth and development, and the industrial strategy is, of course, vital. The last Government made many promises of an industrial strategy, but it did not happen, and we are determined to address that. As we announced last week, the Government have committed a record £2.5 billion of investment for fusion energy, including support for a prototype fusion energy plant located in my hon. Friend’s constituency. That project alone will generate more than 10,000 jobs. This Government are committed to renewing our economy, tackling regional inequalities, supporting post-industrial areas.
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