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.
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.