Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said Plymouth鈥檚 recently announced freeport status is not a 鈥渟ilver bullet鈥 for success and stressed the city 鈥 and indeed the 海角视频 - needs an economic plan for the next 40 years.
The Leader of the Opposition used a visit to Britain鈥檚 Ocean City to promote his Build British by Default plea 鈥 a demand that shipbuilding, steel, and wider manufacturing jobs should be protected by keeping work onshore unless it can鈥檛 be done in the 海角视频.
He said that would support defence sector jobs in Plymouth, for instance, and called for long-term investment in the city and its prime industry.
And he said that its newly-acquired freeport status, announced by Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak in his March 2021 Budget, would fit well into the Labour-controlled city council鈥檚 current plans for economic growth.
But he insisted the status, to be dubbed a 鈥渇reezone鈥 in Plymouth, was not enough on its own to ensure prosperity for the city, or that the eight freeports nationally were sufficient to boost the economy without wider investment.
鈥淐learly there has been a plan for Plymouth that has been in the pipeline for some time which didn鈥檛 depend on the freeport,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut now the freeport will be brought into that plan, which looks to me will work well for Plymouth.
鈥淲hat I would say is I don鈥檛 think freeports on their own are a silver bullet because what we need is a plan, not just for Plymouth, but for the region, the South West, the whole of the 海角视频, a proper strategy for all places in the 海角视频 and investment and resources to go with it.鈥
But he added: 鈥淚 think here in Plymouth, if I know anything about Plymouth and the people of Plymouth, the communities of Plymouth and the city council of Plymouth, they will do everything to make that work.鈥
However he added: 鈥淲e the Labour Party want to see investment in Plymouth, in defence, not just for the next year or two or three or four but actually for the next 30 or 40 years, it鈥檚 why we established Build British by Default, which means that for procurement, for defence equipment projects, unless you can prove that it can鈥檛 be done in Britain, in places like Plymouth, then it should be done here.
鈥淗ad that been done 10 years ago we would probably have saved 30,000 jobs in defence procurement and equipment, but it certainly needs to be done now as we come out of the pandemic, and it matters here in Plymouth.鈥
Mr Starmer was in Plymouth ahead of the forthcoming local government elections, where Labour is defending its control of the city.
He visited City College Plymouth and its developing Institute of Technology, at Oceansgate, in Devonport, which will form part of Plymouth鈥檚 freeport/freezone.
The Labour leader also met apprentices from defence engineering giant Babcock International, which also operates the vast Devonport Dockyard.
He said: 鈥淪ome of the apprentices we saw today are asking us about what鈥檚 going to happen to them, what鈥檚 the investment in skills for them? There is huge investment in skills for them but it is tied up with the investment the Government makes.鈥
He said Build British by Default 鈥渋s what people want to hear, that you are prepared to invest long-term in places like Plymouth鈥.
Mr Starmer added: 鈥淧lymouth has huge skills, a huge and fantastic history, and it can have, and will have, a fantastic future, but it needs politicians locally and nationally who buy into the idea that we have got the skills we need here, we just need to have a plan to ensure they are the jobs and skills of the future.鈥
He said Devonport Dockyard would be an ideal location for refits of the new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.
The Government has yet to decide where the work should go and Mr Starmer said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e got the skills and ambition here, and we have got the history here, so of course it should be done here, and there is a lot of work going on to make sure Plymouth is absolutely fit for the future work in shipbuilding of all sorts, we should not limit this.鈥
The Labour leader鈥檚 calls for defence contracts to be built in Britian was supported by union bosses who said it would give the economy a major boost by securing shipbuilding, steel, and wider manufacturing jobs.
GMB, the union for shipbuilder backed Mr Starmer's call to Build British by Default and invest in secure jobs for the defence sector.
The union hascampaigned for the 拢1.5billion Fleet Solid Support (FSS) contract to be reserved for 海角视频 shipyards 鈥 producing a ground-breaking report highlighting the estimated 6,700 jobs created or secured if the orders were kept in the 海角视频.
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Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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In September 2020 the Government accepted that FSS ships were warships that could be reserved for 海角视频 yards but since that announcement has yet to clarify when and where these ships will be built.
In 2018 it was revealed that Babcock was in the running to construct them, and .
Ross Murdoch, GMB national officer and CSEU Maritime chair, said: 鈥淕MB welcomes Labour's call for the Government to adopt the British-built by default approach, and invest in and secure jobs for the 海角视频 defence sector.
"Despite repeated questions in the House, the Government is still yet to clarify exactly what the significant proportion of build and assembly work for the Fleet Solid Support ships contract will be carried out in the 海角视频.
"Here's a prime example where the Government can give the economy a major boost by securing shipbuilding, steel, and wider manufacturing jobs at home. Yet they refuse to give any details."
