Labour’s new ‘Build it in Britain’ campaign, which seeks to ensure a stronger future for the industry, while supporting better jobs and opportunities, has been launched by Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour leader extolled the virtues of a “real Industrial Strategy”, one that would transform the shape of the country’s economy, see the UK better compete on the international stage, and see prosperity shared by “every region and nation of the UK”.
He also commented on the government’s recent release of its Brexit white paper, saying that Theresa May’s “long-waited Brexit white paper was in shreds within a week” thanks to the efforts of hard-right Conservatives, a situation that pushes the nation ever close towards “a disastrous ‘No Deal’ Brexit”.
He highlighted the need of investment as being vital for future success and also mentioned that for too long “we’ve been told that it’s good, even advanced for our country to manufacture less and less and to rely on cheap labour abroad to produce imports while we focus on the City of London and the financial sector.”
“A lack of support for manufacturing is sucking the dynamism out of our economy, pay from the pockets of our workers and any hope of secure well-paid jobs from a generation of our young people,” Corbyn continued.
Currently, the country spends more than £200 billion a year in the private sector, a tremendous “lever” that could help support the domestic industry by encouraging businesses to invest in “cutting-edge investment, high-quality service and doing right by communities”.
However, government’s focus has all too-often focused on overseeing the decline of industry rather than its growth. As examples, Corbyn mentioned the three new Fleet Solid Support Ships for the Royal Navy that are being built overseas; transport infrastructure and assets, which are once again built abroad; opening up defence contracts to overseas bidders; and the steel crisis from 2016, when the UK government sat back and did nothing about it.
For these reasons, and many more, the Labour launched the ‘Build it in Britain’ campaign that aims to change all that and fights to secure full, tariff-free access to Europe.
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