Prime Minister commits to to delivering good, secure and well-paid jobs for young people in Blackpool

Last week I stood up in Parliament and asked the Prime Minister an important question – when will young people in Blackpool finally get the decent jobs they deserve – here in their hometown?

His answer gave me hope. He remembered visiting St Mary’s Sixth Form with me – my old school. He asked a group of teenagers if they were proud to be from Blackpool – every hand went up. Then he asked if they saw their future here. Just one did.

That says everything.

Our town has always had proud, talented young people. But for too long, they’ve had to leave to get on in life. That’s not right. You shouldn’t have to move away from your family, your community and your home just to find a job that pays well and gives you a future.

When the Prime Minister committed to raising defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 last week I wanted to know how it would help young people here. This is proper investment in industries that create high-skilled, well-paid jobs and I am determined to make sure we get our fair share.  It will mean careers in engineering, tech, supply chains, manufacturing. Careers that give people pride and stability.

When I was growing up here, it was clear that if you wanted a good job, chances are you’d have to leave. I left for a short time after university and worked in Manchester. But like so many of my peers, I wanted to come back. And I wanted to come back and change things.

That’s why I made it my mission to become MP for my home town and I hope that my example shows young people here that, even for a working-class lad with dyslexia, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. But as much as our children need to believe in their dreams – we need to believe in them. And back them. I don’t want to see another generation of young people waving goodbye to their mates, their parents, and their hometown because they feel they’ve got no choice.

This week I returned to St Mary’s and spoke to year 10 students who were interested in studying politics at sixth form.  I asked them again if they saw themselves staying in Blackpool long-term. Only five hands in a full classroom went up. That’s more than when I brought Keir here a few years ago but it’s still heartbreaking.

Speaking to year 10 pupils at St Mary’s last week. Main photo: with the pull leadership team.

This Government is finally serious about linking national investment with local opportunity. That’s how we turn things around. It’s not just about safety and security on the world stage – it’s about security for families here in Blackpool. A proper job. A decent wage. A reason to stay.

The message from the Prime Minister was clear – Blackpool matters. And under this government, we’re going to make sure it gets its fair share of the future.

Because no kid growing up in Blackpool should have to choose between their home and their dreams.