Labour works: we’re already changing lives for the better across the UK

The Labour Party is a phenomenal force for change. From creating the NHS to negotiating peace in Northern Ireland to introducing a national minimum wage and so much more, our record in government at Westminster speaks for itself. Whenever and wherever Labour is in power, lives change for the better.

We should celebrate our past achievements, but after over a decade of Conservative government we cannot afford to dwell on them. We must also be ready to show the difference that Labour is making in power today. That’s what Stronger Together: Labour Works, the new report we’re launching today, is all about.

Whether the focus is the Labour government in Wales, our eight metropolitan mayors, our police and crime commissioners or our Labour-run local authorities, Labour is delivering for the British people right now, right across the UK. Labour Works brings together a selection of examples of that fantastic work to build a fairer, greener and more secure future for Britain in one place.

There are contributions from Labour’s First Minister in Wales Mark Drakeford and his team, helping to create record numbers of secure jobs, investing in the NHS, tackling inequality, and putting the planet and people first. And from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, working towards a better, more secure future for Scotland while relentlessly holding the SNP to account.

Stories about Labour councils supporting families, children and veterans in our communities, investing in public services and building the digital infrastructure of the future. Stories about our Labour mayors supporting high-quality jobs, good local businesses and a clean, green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. And our Labour police and crime commissioners, working tirelessly to create safer, more secure communities.

These success stories show the difference that Labour is making right now, right across the UK. And that change can happen anywhere, at any level of government, whenever people put their trust in Labour.

Above all they show that we can achieve incredible things when we come together. Nothing could demonstrate that sentiment more clearly than the way in which our Labour leaders in Wales and Scotland, metro mayors, PCCs and local councillors brought their communities together during the pandemic, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people they represent to get them through the most challenging of times. As we look to the recovery, we must harness that spirit to start building a better Britain for everyone.

The belief that we achieve more together than we do alone is at the heart of everything Labour does, and it’s central to the exciting, hopeful vision for Britain that Labour will begin to set out at Labour Party conference this weekend. We’re stronger together – and when Labour comes together, we are a force to be reckoned with.

Our country is at a crossroads. We can go back to the same, insecure, unfair economy that the Conservatives created over the last decade. Or we can choose a different path to a better Britain under Labour.

We have a long way to go as we chart a path to victory at the next general election, but the success stories contained in Labour Works show how we are already changing people’s lives for the better. Because Labour works – and only Labour can deliver the change this country needs.

That’s why conference this year is our chance to take on the challenges of the post-crisis world and grasp the opportunities of the future. To build a future that everyone in Britain can be proud of. That task is beyond the Conservatives, but Labour has done it before. Together, we can do it again.