Yes, headlines about Labour have been bad, but we’re already changing UK for better in first 100 days, says Pat McFadden
WHEN voters went to polling stations 100 days ago, many did something they have not done for a long time – or in some cases never before.
They voted Labour.
After 14 years of the country going nowhere under the Tories, they put their trust in us to change Britain.
And after just a few weeks you can see how we are fixing the foundations so we can turbo-charge the economy.
Yes, there have been some days when the headlines have not been what we would have chosen.
But we are already beginning to deliver on our promise of change and nothing will distract us from making life better for you.
The Health Secretary is turning around our NHS, starting by putting an end to the junior doctors’ strike.
Kick-starting economy
The Home Secretary has appointed the new Border Security Commander and is preparing legislation to introduce new counter-terror-style powers to tackle the criminal smuggling gangs.
The Education Secretary has begun work to recruit 6,500 new teachers and from April the first primary schools will start offering free breakfast clubs.
The Energy Secretary has announced the HQ of Great British Energy and we have removed the ban on onshore wind farms.
And the Deputy PM is overhauling the planning system so we can build 1.5million homes.
Above all, though, our No1 mission is kick-starting the economy so we improve the lives of people everywhere.
It is only by getting growth going that we will create jobs and get more money in your pocket to spend on the things you want.
While things are tough at the moment after the Tories left a £22billion black hole in the nation’s finances, by taking the difficult decisions now we will put the country on the path to prosperity.
While things are tough at the moment after the Tories left a £22billion black hole in the nation’s finances, by taking the difficult decisions now we will put the country on the path to prosperity.
We are restoring economic stability because it is working people who pay the price if you don’t — as the families paying hundreds of pounds more in rent or mortgage costs know after the chaos of the last government.
But by doing so, we are also unlocking the investment that will bring the jobs of the future. Just look at the last few days.
Billions of pounds of new investment has been announced. Britain is truly open for business.
The UK’s first carbon capture sites will open in Teesside and Merseyside thanks to billions of private investment.
The game-changing technology — that removes CO2 emissions before they reach the atmosphere and stores them safely beneath the seabed — will create 4,000 jobs in these industrial heartlands.
A £500million investment to deliver 1,200 zero emission buses will support up to 500 UK manufacturing jobs.
By putting industrial relations back on a sensible footing, we will end the chaos that has cost our economy billions in damaging strikes.
NHS patients will benefit from a partnership with pharmaceutical companies and universities to spot cancer sooner through trials for new technologies.
Thousands of jobs in green industries will be created from Yorkshire to Suffolk and Aberdeen to Stow thanks to £24billion of private investment in energy projects announced yesterday.
Our Make Work Pay plan will deliver the biggest boost to workers’ rights in a generation, while making Britain a better place to do business.
We will end exploitative zero-hour contracts and unscrupulous fire and rehire practices.
By putting industrial relations back on a sensible footing, we will end the chaos that has cost our economy billions in damaging strikes.
And this is just a start. On Monday, we will bang the drum for Britain as we host a major International Investment Summit, bringing together the world’s most important companies and investors.
Opportunity and optimism
Together, we are changing our country’s story to one of growth, opportunity, and optimism.
We will make Britain a stronger country, with a stronger economy, a stronger NHS, a stronger borders.
So while the Tories threaten to send us backwards, we will get on with delivering on our promise of change.
Meanwhile, the Tory leadership contest has retreated into a battle to see who can double down most on the failed policies that cost them the election.
They have nothing to say about firing up our economy. Nothing to say about getting businesses back investing. Nothing to say about jobs.
Their only economic policy is to abolish maternity pay.
So while the Tories threaten to send us backwards, we will get on with delivering on our promise of change.
We will rebuild Britain to make every part of the country better off.