A Labour Government would focus on six key industries including the automotive sector in an attempt to create jobs for today鈥檚 youth, Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna has revealed.
Speaking to regional newspapers at Westminster, Mr Umunna set out Labour鈥檚 five-point-plan for economic growth, with a particular focus on improving vocational skills and increasing the take-up of science, maths and engineering courses among students.
He was speaking as Labour's relationship with business is in the spotlight, with some employers such as Boots boss Stefano Pessina claiming the party is anti-business.
But Mr Umunna has launched a tour of the English regions, which Labour is calling the Future Jobs of Britain Tour, to explain how the party would back employers if it wins the General Election on May 7.
Labour is also attempting to present a positive vision of life under a Labour government, following its long-running campaign highlighting the 鈥渃ost of living crisis鈥.
Mr Umunna said a Labour government would focus on sectors where the 海角视频 leads the world and which could provide jobs for the future. These are the aerospace sector; the automotive sector; creative industries; chemicals; business and professional services, and green technologies.
He said: 鈥淲e know there are a number of sectors where we have a competitive edge and are world beating.
鈥淲hat we need to do is to grow them.鈥
That would include finding ways to ensure larger manufacturers obtained parts from within the 海角视频 rather than relying on supply chains overseas, he said.
鈥淭he large companies that operate in these sectors are really important but we鈥檝e got to grow their supply chains, because often the large companies are getting their parts and using a supply chain that lies outside the 海角视频. We want to make sure a lot more of that is done within the 海角视频.鈥
Labour鈥檚 economic plan had five key components, he said. They are:
- To 鈥淪ort out technical and vocational education鈥. This includes creating more apprenticeships and requiring large companies taking on big government contracts to provide apprenticeships as part of the contract.
- 鈥淭ransforming higher education through the introduction of new technical degrees, which will be co-designed and delivered by Higher Education institutions and businesses themselves.鈥 This is designed to help businesses recruit staff with science, technology, engineering and maths skills.
- 鈥淓stablish the British Investment Bank with a regional network to allow businesses to get access to the finance they need.鈥
- 鈥淯se Government procurement to back British jobs and industry鈥. Labour will ensure government departments 鈥渢ake into account the impact of local growth and jobs鈥 when they make procurement decisions.
- 鈥淒evolution of power to the cities, counties and regions, in particular in England and particularly to combined authorities working together with the Local Enterprise Partnerships鈥.
The final policy is similar to proposals backed by Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, although Labour stresses that unlike the Tories it is not trying to pressure combined authorities to create directly-elected mayors.
Labour plans to devolve 拢30 billion of funding over five years - including funding for housing, transport, business support, employment and adult skills 鈥 to combined authorities.
A Labour Treasury will also allow city and county regions which come together in combined authorities to keep 100 per cent of extra business rates revenue generated by additional growth, the party says.
Tell immigrants to learn English instead of translating documents
Mr Umunna attacked the way 海角视频IP talked about immigration, accusing the anti-EU party of deliberately setting out to 鈥渄ivide communities鈥 - but stressed that Labour was also tough on immigration.
The Shadow Business Secretary said he wanted to see an end to the translation of official documents into foreign languages.
鈥淚n so far as 海角视频IP is concerned, I believe in a fair and firm immigration policy with proper controls as to who comes in and out of our country, proper enforcement of our labour market rules so people are not exploited who come here and people who are here are not undercut.
鈥淎nd we ensure that people for example learn English and we are not translating documents for them.
鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 believe we should be using the issue of immigration, as I believe 海角视频IP do, to scaremonger and set different groups against each other.鈥
There are too many Government ministers
Mr Umunna went beyond the official party line - by suggesting that there was also a case for reducing the number of Ministers based at Whitehall.
He said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e for too centralised here.
鈥淎nd there鈥檚 too much that goes on in Whitehall - frankly there are probably too many Ministers doing things here.鈥
Business should back Labour because it supports EU membership
The Shadow Business Secretary stressed Labour鈥檚 commitment to remaining in the EU, arguing that Conservative plans to hold a referendum on quitting the EU were a threat to the economy.
鈥淐ontinuation of our membership of the European Union is a key part of our industrial strategy.
鈥淚t is something that is absent from any claimed plan that the Conservatives may have.鈥
