Manufacturing Skills

Debate between Richard Quigley and Baggy Shanker

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Westminster Hall

[Richard Quigley]

My hon. Friend is entirely correct. Companies such as Bentley offer good, hands-on skills that can be transferred anywhere. If the company needs someone to test drive one of its vehicles on the Isle of Wight, I am that person.

Across the Isle of Wight, manufacturers are developing specialist composites, marine technologies and precision-engineered products that are exported around the world. Those businesses do not just create jobs, they create highly skilled careers, drive innovation and demonstrate that world-class manufacturing can thrive in the UK, especially on the Isle of Wight.

Earlier this year, I was proud to welcome the Minister for Climate Transition, my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds North West (Katie White) to the Isle of Wight, where we visited investors and saw first hand the world-leading manufacturing taking place on our doorstep, helping to lead the way as the country makes the green energy transition. What excited me even more, was the announcement of the new Large Structures Innovation Centre, backed by the National Composites Centre, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and the University of Bristol.

The centre will be an open-access national facility dedicated to developing, demonstrating and industrialising large high-performance structures, with an initial focus on next generation wind energy. The significance goes far beyond the investment. If we want Britain to remain a leader in advanced manufacturing, we need a pipeline of highly skilled engineers, technicians, fabricators and composite specialists, who can turn innovation into commercial success.

[Baggy Shanker (Derby South) (Lab/Co-op)]

I thank my hon. Friend for securing the debate and for his excellent contribution. In Derby, apprentices at Alstom are making a huge difference, not just for their own futures but for the rail industry across the UK. More than half the manufacturers I speak to tell me that the shortage in the skills pipeline is their biggest limiting factor for growth. Does my hon. Friend agree that having more apprentices throughout their early years is a key way to reduce that skills gap and help economic growth?

[Richard Quigley]

I thank my hon. Friend from the great city of Derby for his intervention. He makes a good point in the context of university or not university. Even before apprenticeships, work experience that gets people across the threshold of employers is an important step to providing the skills we need for the future.

The Isle of Wight’s Centre of Excellence for Composites, Advanced Manufacturing and Marine is at the heart of that effort, giving young people and adult learners the chance to develop the cutting-edge manufacturing, engineering and technical skills employers need. That is further proof that advanced manufacturing is not just part of the economy of the Isle of Wight, it is a cornerstone of our future, creating highly skilled jobs and providing opportunities for the next generation.

For me, that is one of the most important parts of this debate. Our skills future matters and we must ensure that no young person is left behind or constrained by the outdated assumption that university or academia is the only viable route forward. Two weeks ago, my office hosted its second annual skills summit, where we brought together island employers, educational institutions and training providers to discuss how to ensure that local people have the skills needed for the jobs being created on their doorstep. There is little value in securing investment and manufacturing opportunities if young people are not equipped to take advantage of them.

We need to ensure we invest in the future of this manufacturing ambition. Apprenticeship starts in engineering and manufacturing have fallen by more than 40%, and many manufacturers still cannot access the training they need. That is why the Government’s investment in vocational education, apprenticeships and manufacturing matters. It sends a clear message that there is more than one route to success.

A young person on the island, who is perhaps unsure whether to take the conventional university path, should be able to look at our thriving manufacturing sector and think, “There is a career there for me.” They should be able to see world-leading businesses on the Isle of Wight and know they do not have to leave the island to build a highly skilled, rewarding career. That is what makes the Government’s emphasis on investing in manufacturing and vocational education so exciting, but it is also why we must move further and faster.

After 14 years of chronic underinvestment in both advanced manufacturing and the opportunities available to young people, there is significant ground to make up. If we want Britain to lead in the industries of the future, we need to invest not only in factories, facilities and innovation, but in the people who will design, build and operate them. The success of advanced manufacturing on the Isle of Wight shows what is possible when talent is given the opportunity to thrive. Our challenge now is to ensure that every young person across the country can see a pathway into those careers and access to the training, apprenticeships and the technical education needed to get there.

Football Governance Bill [Lords]

Debate between Richard Quigley and Baggy Shanker

Report stage & 3rd reading
Tuesday 8th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Baggy Shanker (Derby South) (Lab/Co-op)]

As someone born and raised in Derby, I know how deeply our football club runs through the heart of our city. Derby County is more than just a team; it represents our identity, our pride and the strength of our community. However, like so many in this House, I also know what it feels like when that identity is put at risk. In 2021, Derby County entered administration. The confusion and lack of transparency that followed made it much harder for everybody involved, including those of us working behind the scenes to help secure the club’s future. It was only thanks to the extraordinary actions of local man and lifelong fan, David Clowes, that the club was saved.

One example that highlights the need for stronger oversight is the attempted takeover of Derby County by Chris Kirchner. Despite initial approval, it became clear that Kirchner was not a fit and proper person to run the club. His financial shortcomings and failure to meet deadlines led to the takeover attempt collapsing. Later, Kirchner was convicted of fraud-related charges in the US over his business dealings and sentenced to 20 years in prison. That is why I welcome the Football Governance Bill, which offers the protections that Derby County and so many other clubs across the EFL need.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

While the facial expressions of Opposition Members are worth an intervention all on their own, does my hon. Friend agree that this Bill provides stronger financial oversight and increased fan involvement, promotes equity and inclusion, protects club heritage, and increases transparency and accountability? The reason the Opposition oppose it is because those are alien concepts to them.

[Baggy Shanker]

Absolutely, the faces of Opposition Members say it all. I will talk a little more about the content of the shadow Minister’s speech in a second.

The EFL has needed this Bill, and it wants this Bill. It will establish the independent football regulator, introduce proper financial oversight and finally require clubs to engage seriously with the fans who give the clubs their life. We do not need to look far to see that the problems are ongoing. They are happening in front of our eyes. My own chief of staff is a devoted Sheffield Wednesday fan and is deeply troubled by the instability and uncertainty surrounding her club. Like so many fans, she sees an owner who clearly does not have the resources required to run the club appropriately. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield South East (Mr Betts) for the work he has done and continues to do to stand up for fans and the future of their beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

This Bill is not just a policy proposal, but a vital step towards a fairer and more sustainable future for our national game. Clubs in the EFL will lose around £450 million this season alone. The level of instability is not just damaging, but dangerous. We have already seen what happens when things go wrong, from Bury to Bolton to Reading. The pattern is clear and it cannot be allowed to continue. The EFL wants this Bill. Most clubs across the English leagues support this Bill. Most importantly, fans want this Bill. I genuinely ask why the Conservatives do not.

What makes it even more frustrating is the political opportunism we are seeing. When in government, the Conservative party brought forward an almost identical Bill to the one we are debating today. Now in opposition, they seem prepared to vote against the Bill not because the policy has changed, but because the politics have changed. That is not leadership; that is putting party before the future of our clubs and the communities that they serve.

The truth is that there is more than enough money in English football to sustain the entire pyramid. The problem is how that money is distributed. Last year, 25 clubs received 92% of the game’s revenue, while 67 other clubs were left to fight over the remaining 8%. The new regulator will have the tools to help fix that and to ensure that clubs are run properly, sustainably and in the best interests of the people they represent. This Bill is a chance to safeguard the heritage, the future and the very soul of English football. I support it proudly on behalf of Derby, and I urge colleagues across the House to do the same. Let us protect the game before it is too late.