Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says Britain is at a ‘fork in the road’ and faces a choice between ‘renewal and decline’ in his Labour Conference speech in Liverpool. Tony McDonough reports
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer talked about “unlocking the potential of every community” in Britain in his speech to the Labour Conference in Liverpool on Tuesday.
But he warned that Britain is at a “fork in the road” and faces “a choice between renewal and decline”. He added: “We can choose to rebuild our public services and choose investment over austerity”.
And the Premier made a pledge to switch the focus away from pushing young people towards university and in the direction of apprenticeships and vocational training. This was welcomed by the owners of Liverpool building firm Frank Rogers and Bootle window and door maker Warwick North West.
There was a standing ovation in the hall for Margaret Aspinall, long-time Hillsborough campaigner who lost her 18-year-old son James in the 1989 disaster. She introduced the Prime Minister who has just made the Hillsborough Law a reality.
In his address to the hall Sir Keir thanked Britain’s business community. He and Chancellor Rachel Reeves came in for significant criticism after November 2024 when they raised the level of National Insurance contributions which some claim has been at the expense of job creation.
He told delegates: “I want to thank every business in our country… we asked a lot at the last Budget. I do think in the long run that fixing our public finances, investing in new infrastructure, helping our public services off their knees. That will be better for growth.
“But equally important, because of your contribution we have taken a huge step on the path of renewal, a firmer foundation to take our country forward… a Britain built for all.”
In 1999 former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to push the proportion of young people going to university to 50%. That target was finally reached in 2019 but Sir Keir suggested in his speech that the pledge had led to devaluing the choice of vocational training.
“That ambition to get 50% of kids to uni – I don’t think that is right for our time,” he said. “Because if you are the parent of a kid who chooses an apprenticeship what does it say to you? Do we genuinely, as a country, afford them the same respect? Because it should.
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“But I can’t help feeling my dad was right. So we will replace it with a new ambition. Either two-thirds of our kids will go to university or take a gold standard apprenticeship.
“Further education, so long a Cinderella service, we will make a defining cause of this Labour Government with higher standards in every college. The quality of teaching raised, more apprenticeships, more technical excellence in colleges.
“A new guarantee – training, work support or apprenticeship for every young person struggling to find work… the grafters finally included in our country’s aspiration. That is national renewal.”
This pledge was welcomed by business owners in Liverpool who say one of the key drags on growth was the challenge in finding enough skilled workers. This is particularly true in the construction sector.
According to the Construction Industry Training Board an additional 251,500 workers are needed across the UK by 2028 to meet demand.
Dean Rogers, managing director of Liverpool building firm Frank Rogers, said ambitions to significantly increase the volume of housebuilding across the UK would be difficult to reach without an increase in the number of skilled workers.
“At Frank Rogers we are seeing significant growth, not just in our traditional construction business, but also in areas such as fire safety and retrofitting,” said Dean. “But continuing that growth is dependent on maintaining a skilled team.
“I think it is great that more young adults are now going to university, but it is also true to say that too many parents see paths outside of higher education as somehow an inferior choice.
“It is refreshing to see the Prime Minister acknowledge that and talk of a determination to redress that balance. We need to see that backed up with real money and resources.”
Greg Johnson, chief executive of Bootle-based window and door manufacturer Warwick North West, said a renewed focus on vocational skills was good news for both manufacturing and the housebuilding sector Warwick supplies.
“Finding the right people to work at Warwick is an ongoing challenge and it is also in our best interests to see a thriving construction sector, particularly in the residential homes market,” said Greg.
“The Government has pledged to build 1.5m new homes during this parliament and, if you look around Liverpool city region, you will see evidence that both private developers and social housing providers have the appetite to make a contribution to that.
“There is significant residential development in both Liverpool and Wirral Waters and, right on Warwick’s doorstep there are plans from Liverpool and Sefton Councils to build 10,000 new homes. We are also supplying housing schemes in St Helens and Cheshire.
“The commitment to reform planning regulations was welcome last year but today it was heartening to see the Prime Minister acknowledge that skills were just as important. Renewal must mean both high quality, net zero homes and high paying, high skilled jobs.”
Sean Keyes chief executive of Liverpool engineering firm Sutcliffe said he was encouraged by the positivity coming out of the Labour Party Conference but added the Government would need to step up the pace if it was to hit its 1.5m homes target.
“The slogan ‘Build Baby Build’ will only work if we take a real handle on radical reform of the planning system in the UK,” said Sean. In 2025 we are on target to build 200,000 homes, so for the UK to hit the 1.5m figure in this parliament will require an 80% increase in projects on the ground.
“It is fair to say that current pace takes three to four years to progress a small scheme and three to seven years for a large scale housing scheme. So if we are to meet this we need help in getting on site.
“We are massively supportive and welcoming of this ambition, but the reality is that the industry does not have the skilled workforce to realise this pledge. Words are easy, it’s the action we need and I am cautious of sloganism in politics.”