Since becoming our Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has made it his mission to bring back hope. Many have asked what that means, how he’ll do it, and when we’ll be able to feel the effects. At Labour Conference we heard Andy boldly set out that vision, drawing a roadmap to tackle some of the toughest issues we face head on, bring good growth to every postcode across the country, and put hope into every heart again.
Care, housing, energy, water. The things Labour governments of the past have invested in, built up, and seen flourish, yet have been left to crumble through centralised political power and privatised economic power. This Labour government is putting our core Labour values back at the very heart of government, with a plan to invest in our people, places, and businesses so that everyone in constituencies like Luton South and South Bedfordshire has the foundations of a good future.
Getting back control of the essentials
At the centre of this lies Andy’s plan for care- addressing the way the system has been shamefully left to collapse around our dedicated care workers and too often fails those who need it. In his speech, the Prime Minister pledged to create a new National Care Service, modelled after our NHS, which everyone will contribute to and all of us will be covered by. This will be funded by adjustments to the pension triple lock after the end of this Parliament, still ensuring that pensions rise each year, allowing us to reprioritise spending and level the playing field so nobody has to worry about their care in old age.
This Labour government understands that each generation faces their own set of challenges, and perhaps none more so than the young people today who have grown up to be met with a lack of quality job opportunities, secure and affordable housing, and services to support them. In his speech, the Prime Minister was clear that we must invest wholeheartedly in our young people to secure our future and give them the bright futures they deserve. We will do this by rebuilding the education system so it offers both academic and technical excellence on equal merit, boosting youth services with the biggest investment in a generation, employing 1,000 more youth workers to support young people, increasing opportunities through a new Local Apprenticeship Service, and ultimately driving through the next modern industrial revolution to lead the way in creating the jobs of the future. Here in Luton South and South Bedfordshire, this focus is exactly what we need to meet the moment and get the very best from developments such as Luton Airport growth, Universal Studios, Power Court, and The Stage.
Ahead of Conference, this Labour government also announced landmark support to help young people get on the housing ladder through a new 2.5% deposit scheme, targeted towards those who can’t fall back on the bank of mum and dad. Having a safe, secure home is the foundation of a good life. That’s why the Prime Minister has pledged to end rough sleeping on our streets and will deliver the biggest expansion of council housebuilding in a generation- backing this up with reforms to right to buy to protect our council housing stock, action to end the feudal leasehold system, and new powers for councils to take over privately rented homes which landlords allow to fall into unsafe disrepair.
Good work and making it pay
Work has always been at the centre of our Labour values, as a party built by working people to be the voice of working people. But, for too long the pride that good work brings has been hollowed out because it is no longer enough to get ahead in life. Our Chancellor John Healey pledged to bring this back- ensuring that we have secure, well-paid work which offers new opportunities and allows working people to take control of their own futures. As part of this, at Conference he announced the return of the Union Learning Fund to promote training and skills development in the workplace, as well as £6 billion investment in British shipbuilding to set the precedent for a new age of industrialisation.
To make sure work truly feels like it pays, though, this Labour government is clear that we need to get a handle on the cost of living and give people more breathing space. Building on initial steps including bringing back the £2 bus fare cap at the start of next year and removing VAT from electricity bills immediately, at Conference the Prime Minister set out his plans for the essentials to make them more affordable and ensure they operate in the public interest. This includes a new National Energy Plan to direct the creation of more clean, homegrown energy, lower prices, and increase local control, as well as the publicly owned Great British Grid to speed up grid connections. In a historic move, Andy also pledged to repeal Margaret Thatcher’s ideological ban on government ownership of water companies, meaning the government can step in with strong enforcement measures and take control if they don’t clean up their act.
Our Labour values
These are our Labour values at work. The values that created our NHS, helped rebuild the world order around human rights and international cooperation, and led the way on climate action. Our values have done it before and they can do it again, through building our new National Care Service, taking control of essential services, upholding international law in Palestine, defending Ukraine, and building a brighter future for the next generation.
This Labour government has a renewed energy, and it was palpable in that room during our Prime Minister’s bold, emotional, passionate speech at Conference. He set out the kind of future we all want to build together. One which stands up against a system which has been stacked against working people for too long, and one which brings back hope again.