Labour MPs Urge Andy Burnham to Pass Reindustrialisation Act

More than 90 backbench Labour MPs are urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to decisively drive the reindustrialisation of Britain. In a briefing paper, the group warns that decades of deregulation and deindustrialisation have stripped the state of the capacity and knowledge required to plan for industrial growth.

The MPs propose the passage of a Reindustrialisation Act to establish clear job targets and recommend that First Secretary of State Louise Haigh oversee the initiative from the No 10 North outpost in Manchester. To provide the necessary capital, the group suggests transforming the National Wealth Fund into a Reindustrialisation Development Corporation.

This push coincides with preparations by Chancellor John Healey to deliver his first budget, following his previous promise of a "new age of industrialisation" intended to ensure growth across all postcodes. Backbenchers expressed concern over institutional resistance, with some arguing that civil servants in Whitehall treat industrial policy as outdated or only address problems when explicitly ordered to do so.