Labour MPs have sounded the alarm over Andy Burnham’s 10-year plan for government, raising concerns that it will not be radical or detailed enough.
MPs in the Reindustrialisation Research Group (ReRG), many of whom represent “red wall” seats that helped Labour win the last election, are meeting Sally Jameson, the Cabinet Office minister, on Wednesday to share their concerns about the prime minister’s long-term strategy.
Members of the group say they are particularly concerned about the prime minister’s commitment to reviving Britain’s heavy industries, which they say are being crushed by high energy prices and a lack of government support.
Their worries reflect wider concerns among some parts of the Labour party that Burnham’s much-vaunted plan could fall short of the high expectations the prime minister has set.
Andy MacNae, the head of the group, said: “There are a lot of gaps in the government’s reindustrialisation strategy which are not yet filled. The 10-year plan is a chance to fill them, but in the briefings we have been given that is not what we are seeing.
“We have had really good engagement from ministers, but we need to see something more constructive and we are just not seeing that at the moment. The risk is we don’t see reindustrialisation at all, and continue to see deindustrialisation.”
Jonathan Hinder, another member of the group, said: “Making reindustrialisation cannot just be about political slogans. We are going in the wrong direction and we need pretty drastic action, but we are not yet seeing that from this government.”
Burnham has billed his 10-year plan as the defining blueprint for what he wants to achieve in government, including bringing utilities under public control, reducing bills and establishing a national care service.
MPs had been told to expect it before the end of the year, but the prime minister said last week it could be delayed until January.
Labour MPs in former industrial areas, many of which proved vital in delivering the party’s landslide in 2024, are hoping the plan will include measures to encourage manufacturing.
Burnham has suggested industry will sit at the heart of his economic agenda while the chancellor, John Healey, promised at this year’s Labour conference to bring in “a new age of industrialisation”.
Many however are concerned the government is not yet matching its rhetoric with policy support.
The ReRG called before the budget for Healey to expand the British industrial competitiveness scheme, which reduces energy costs for about 10,000 businesses.
But while the chancellor used his budget to announce a £100 council tax rebate to help households pay their energy bills over the winter, he did not announce changes to the business support scheme.
MPs on the ReRG are calling for the prime minister to use the 10-year plan not only to announce immediate energy bill support for industrial companies, but also to create a minister for reindustrialisation and to empower No 10 North in Manchester to oversee the agenda.
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Some say they are concerned by briefings held by ministers in recent days which they say suggest the plan will be a modest document, subject to lengthy consultation.
The group will hold a meeting with Jameson to lay out their concerns, but many say they are unclear on who is leading the process of writing the plan.
Peter Hyman, who previously advised Keir Starmer on his missions, is reported to be overseeing the writing process, though officials insist Burnham himself will make the key decisions.
Many MPs say they are worried about the involvement of Boston Consulting Group, a company which previously employed Burnham’s chief of staff, James Purnell, to help draw up the plan.
One MP said: “The idea that BCG are going to be involved in reindustrialising Britain feels like a tragic joke.”
Downing Street has said BCG is only providing one consultant to help with the process, while Burnham has insisted the plan will be more radical than many think.
He told the Economist last week: “People are underestimating the significance of this. There’s been briefing around this week, inaccurate briefing … to try and play [it] down. I will lay out my very clear vision for Britain, and it will be substantial, and it will also be, in my view, compelling because I am weaving the different threads together.”
