Simon Lightwood MP: Let’s get Britain’s future back

Simon Lightwood MP writes: In Wakefield, I have seen and heard the effects this has had. Antisocial behaviour running rife in our communities, yet police numbers have been cut to the bone and their resources have been depleted.

Adults and children alike having to deal with excruciating tooth pain because there are no dentists accepting new patients. And households across our community having to choose between heating and eating due to spiraling costs and no concrete help from a Tory government too busy looking inward at themselves to help the poorest in our society.

Despite Britain’s potential, successive Conservative prime ministers have presided over low productivity, low wages and low growth. People have had enough. It’s time for change.

With Keir Starmer at the helm, Labour has a vision to rebuild Britain and give it its future back.

Like many places across the country, Wakefield has an extensive waiting list for housing, particularly social housing. A Labour government will get Britain building again and deliver 1.5 million new homes in five years and make peoples’ dream of homeownership a reality, alongside the school places and GP services that new developments will need

Our mission to rebuild Britain doesn’t just stop with houses. We need to build infrastructure to last. Labour will build transport infrastructure which connects our towns, cities and regions.

Labour will build an energy system through Great British Energy giving us security and providing the platform for net zero and the new jobs and industries of the future.

Labour will also build an NHS, always free at the point of delivery, utilising new technologies and with a long-term workforce plan that doesn’t paper over the cracks of 13 years of underfunding, but which makes it an NHS fit for the future.

While the Conservatives are rowing back on our climate commitments, we will drive them forward. Labour sees our climate mission not as a threat to jobs but an opportunity to harness the potential our country has to become the world leader in the industries of the future.

In Yorkshire and the Humber we will create over 19,000 jobs upgrading our homes, including upgrading 1.5 million homes through our warm homes plan and building over a thousand local power projects.

We have a vision for a Britain which looks forward not back and grasps opportunity with both hands.

At the Labour Party Conference, Keir Starmer showed that he has a real vision for Britain. It is not going to be easy. The Tories have left us with a weak economy and wounds which need healing. The road to recovery will be tough. The Tories want to kick the hope out of this country.

However, we can still be bold and confident that we can get our country moving again. Why? Because Labour has a plan. A plan to grow our economy, take back our streets, switch on Great British Energy, tear down the barriers to opportunity and get our NHS back on its feet.