Labor leader Keir Starmer is today issuing a pledge to back manufacturing if he becomes Prime Minister – as official figures show more than 31,000 jobs have been lost in the Midlands since 2010.
He said: “The next Labor government would support our manufacturers with practical plans to buy, make and sell in Britain.”
It comes as Starmer continues his tour of Britain, where he is setting out what he calls a “Contract with the British People” focusing on security, prosperity and “respect for all”.
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Recent opinion polls suggest support for Labor has risen following recent controversies involving Prime Ministers, but some Labor figures admit their party still needs to do more to convince voters that they are ready to form a Government, rather than simply benefitting from the problems facing the Conservative Party.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also touring the country, to highlight has plans to “level up” left-behind areas.
Official figures show there are 286,341 manufacturing jobs in the West Midlands, down from 304,566 in 2010. That’s a fall of 18,225 jobs. And in the East Midlands, there are 259,357 manufacturing jobs, down from 273,008. That’s a fall of 13,651. It means manufacturing jobs are down by 31,876 across the Midlands.
Labor says its plans to back manufacturing include asking every public body to give more contracts to British firms, and passing a law requiring public bodies to report on how much they are buying from British businesses including smaller firms.
Starmer 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.”
He added: “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, who will build a new Britain that guarantees security, prosperity and respect for all.”
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