Labour will pursue the “reindustrialisation” of Britain by backing the industries of the future, creating skilled jobs and making the country more competitive, Jonathan Reynolds has said.
Writing in The Telegraph, Reynolds set out the Government’s ambition to rebuild Britain’s industrial strength while arguing that reindustrialisation should not mean attempting to recreate the economy of the past.
Promoting the article on X, Reynolds said: “I’m serious about reindustrialising Britain.
“But this doesn’t mean reopening coal mines or recreating the past.
“It means backing the industries of the future to create jobs, drive growth & bring opportunity to every postcode.”
Reynolds argued that Labour’s approach would focus on making Britain more competitive and creating the conditions for businesses to invest, expand and create high-quality employment.
The intervention comes as the Government seeks to put economic growth and industrial renewal at the centre of its programme, with an emphasis on sectors capable of supporting well-paid jobs and strengthening Britain’s long-term economic resilience.
A central challenge, Reynolds argued, is ensuring that young people have the skills and opportunities needed to participate in the new economy.
He said his department would work closely with Alan Milburn to understand why significant numbers of young people are falling out of employment or education and what government can do to reverse the trend.
The focus reflects a broader concern within government about economic inactivity and the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training.
For Reynolds, increasing Britain’s competitiveness will require more than attracting investment. It will also mean ensuring that workers across the country have the skills and opportunities to benefit from new industries.
His argument for reindustrialisation is therefore markedly different from simply attempting to revive industries that have declined over recent decades.
Instead, Reynolds said Labour would seek to build the next generation of British industrial strength by supporting emerging and strategically important sectors and ensuring that investment reaches communities throughout the country.
The approach also reflects Labour’s wider objective of spreading economic opportunity beyond London and the South East, with Reynolds stressing that growth should “bring opportunity to every postcode”.
The Government has made increasing investment, improving productivity and creating good jobs central to its economic agenda, while seeking closer cooperation between government and business.
Reynolds’ intervention suggests industrial policy will remain an important part of that strategy, with ministers seeking to combine greater competitiveness with a more active approach to supporting strategically important sectors.
For Labour, the test will be whether that strategy can translate investment into jobs and higher living standards in communities which have experienced decades of industrial decline.
Reynolds’ message is that reindustrialisation is not about looking backwards, but about ensuring Britain has a larger stake in the industries and jobs that will shape its economic future.
