Direction of Government

Lord John of Southwark Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab)]

I expected a better question from the noble Lord, if I am honest. The whole purpose of growth is that it benefits the country, the company and the employees of that company. When those conditions are fulfilled, of course that is good growth. The noble Lord will see from measures coming forward how much we want to support business. Some of the things he can look at—this ties in with the welfare reform argument—are getting young people into work and working with companies and businesses to support them to take on those young people. So yes, we want good growth across the country.

[Lord John of Southwark (Lab)]

My Lords, some of the coverage of the Prime Minister’s Statement has been rather dismissive of his references to, and reliance upon, his experience as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, but it seems to me that this experience is central to the Government’s mission. Can my noble friend the Leader tell us more about the Government’s ambition to place regional and local government at the heart of their agenda for delivery?

[Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab)]

One of the things the Prime Minister said early on, when we met in Cabinet and in other meetings we have had, is how much he learned from being the Mayor of Greater Manchester. He brings to the table now as Prime Minister his experience not just as a previous Secretary of State and a Government Minister in Westminster but of what can be achieved when power is decentralised. It is a case of ensuring that we devolve not just responsibility but the power to make decisions to those who are best placed to understand the needs of their areas, how to bring growth to their areas and how to bring the hope and optimism that noble Lords have spoken about.

The Prime Minister has laid out a number of things already. On his visit to Truro last week, he talked about how we could look at having a devolved model in that part of the country, as well as about giving advice and support to other parts of the country that do not currently have elected mayors about how they may benefit from the powers that can be given to them. That is not just rhetoric; it is born out of the experience of what he was able to achieve in Manchester, working across the country with other mayors—from all parties, as he has been clear—and the difference that can make. That is high up on the agenda. Part of the role of No. 10 North is to bring that together and show how it has a real drive from the Government, with a focus very much on that policy.