Politics has failed communities across the UK for decades, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he promised change to bring an end to an era of “managed decline”.
The Prime Minister said towns and cities such as Doncaster, where he announced a £30 million investment in its airport, had been underestimated and their people ignored.
Sir Keir said jobs and opportunities needed to be created for people across the UK, including the city in South Yorkshire.
Speaking at the airport on the local election campaign trail, he said: “We are not a Government that is just going to sit back and hope.
“I strongly believe that is how politics has failed our communities for so many years, because in the past politics has tried to manage crises, and that has only led to managed decline.
“What we’ve got to do, what we’re offering is fundamental change, rewiring the state completely, ripping up regulation that stops it being a force for good.”
Sir Keir has made growth one of Labour’s priorities since entering Downing Street, amid faltering levels of productivity in recent years.
In March the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) halved the UK’s growth forecast for 2025 from 2% to 1%, but said it would be higher than anticipated for every year until the next general election in 2029.
The Prime Minister said: “Getting towns like this to grow, putting more money in your pockets, that’s the biggest thing we can do to take control of our own future.
“For decades now this town, this region, the people of the North, have, in my view, been underestimated.
“Your ambition, your ingenuity, your pride has not been backed.
“Governments have either failed to deliver – that’s what happened with levelling up – or ignored you completely, and that’s what the Tories normally do.
“Or they believe you can’t control your own destiny.
“Well, no more.
“We’re going to back you, we’re going to give you the power to shape your future and devolution is critical here.”
Sir Keir said: “I do not want to give you the impression that Westminster politicians can decide your future better than you can.
“We’ve seen where that leads with levelling up.
“That’s why devolution is so important, because those with skin in the game make the best decisions about their community, and that’s what I mean about rewiring the state.”
On Thursday the Prime Minister welcomed funds to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport as a “sustainable aviation hub”.
The regional airport was closed in December 2022 after airlines had withdrawn their services over commercial viability.
The Department for Transport said a functioning airport could bring an extra £5 billion to the economy by 2050, and support 5,000 jobs.
Sir Keir referenced his family’s connection to Doncaster, as his wife Victoria’s mother grew up opposite the city’s racecourse.
The city will go to the polls on May 1 to elect a new mayor.
He said: “This airport has sat idle for years, what a waste.
“As this community has had to watch their airport sitting empty.
“That’s not just a huge missed opportunity, it’s a question of history, and pride and place.”
He added: “It’s got potential to drive growth right across the North, especially obviously here in Doncaster.”
Introducing Sir Keir, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “The Tories stood by and watched as Doncaster airport closed its doors, costing jobs, delaying growth, and wasting the potential of this region.
“Doncaster airport is just one of the countless projects abandoned in the graveyard of Tory broken promises.”
