Andy Burnham has insisted that his long-awaited ten-year plan for Britain will be presented to Parliament before the Christmas recess, reversing an earlier indication that the strategy could be delayed until next year.
Speaking during Prime Minister‘s Questions (PMQs), Burnham rejected suggestions that the Government lacked ambition and defended the need for a long-term approach to providing stability and leadership.
His announcement followed questions from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who challenged the Government over its direction and reliance on external consultants to develop the strategy.
Burnham said: “We will present our plan for Britain to this House before it rises for the Christmas recess.”
He added that he had promised a ten-year plan when entering Downing Street because he wanted to provide the stability and leadership he believed the country needed.
Badenoch Questions Government’s Vision and Reliance on Consultants
During the parliamentary exchange, Badenoch reminded Burnham that he had entered Downing Street promising to reverse four decades of neoliberalism.
She questioned whether the Prime Minister had so little vision for the country that he needed Boston Consulting Group to develop the strategy on his behalf.
Although Burnham did not deny working with the consultancy, he maintained that his commitment to a ten-year programme remained unchanged.
Badenoch continued her criticism, arguing that the Government needed considerable assistance to produce its plans.
She also mocked some of the reported proposals, pointing to the planned merger of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
Describing the Government as directionless, she criticised its recent Budget for postponing major decisions, including defence funding, until a future spending review.
She also questioned when that spending review would take place.
Ten-Year Plan Expected to Address Devolution and Social Care
The ten-year strategy has been cited as a reason for the Government postponing several significant policy decisions in last month’s Budget.
Among the areas expected to feature in the document are Burnham’s plans to transfer more powers to local leaders across the UK and reform the social care system.
However, the strategy will not establish a pathway for increasing defence spending to three per cent of gross domestic product by 2030.
That commitment has instead been left for consideration during a spending review expected in the second half of the year.
There are also questions about whether the document will address welfare spending, after the Prime Minister’s de facto deputy, Louise Haigh, declined last week to confirm whether benefits would feature in the proposals.
Red Wall MPs Demand More Ambitious Reindustrialisation Measures
Burnham’s announcement comes amid growing concerns among Labour MPs that the Government’s approach to economic and industrial policy lacks sufficient ambition.
A group of mainly Red Wall MPs has been pressing ministers to take more decisive action to support heavy industries struggling with rising energy costs.
Members of the Reindustrialisation Research Group (RRG) have expressed concerns that the Government’s current strategy contains significant gaps.
A delegation from the group is expected to meet Cabinet Office minister Sally Jameson to communicate its concerns.
At PMQs, Burnham said his ten-year plan would present a compelling vision for reindustrialisation.
However, Andy MacNae, head of the RRG, questioned whether the Government was preparing measures capable of delivering that ambition.
Speaking to The Guardian, MacNae said there were several outstanding gaps in the Government’s reindustrialisation strategy that had yet to be addressed.
He described the ten-year plan as an opportunity to resolve those issues but said the briefings received by the group had not demonstrated that the Government intended to do so.
Industry Representatives Warn Against Continued Deindustrialisation
MacNae acknowledged that ministers had engaged positively with the group but insisted that more concrete proposals were needed.
He warned that the country risked continuing along a path of deindustrialisation rather than achieving the industrial revival being promised.
Jonathan Hinder, Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe and another RRG member, also called for more decisive government intervention.
He said reindustrialisation could not simply rely on political slogans, arguing that the country was moving in the wrong direction.
Hinder added that drastic action was necessary but said the Government had yet to demonstrate the level of commitment required.
The concerns highlight growing pressure on Burnham to ensure that his ten-year plan delivers practical measures to support British industry when it is presented to Parliament before Christmas.
