15th June- My view on the Spending Review and what it means for Ipswich

What does the Spending Review mean for Ipswich?

It means huge funding boosts for our critical public services like health, education, and policing after years of underinvestment.

It means Free School Meals for more than 6,500 children in our town, to put £500 back in the pockets of local families, and help lift children out of poverty.

It means money to build desperately needed new social and affordable homes, something local residents told me they wanted to see at my latest town hall.

It means a Warm Homes Plan to cut energy bills for residents, and so much more besides.

And Ipswich and Suffolk were right at the very heart of our Labour Government’s investment for Britain’s renewal.

Earlier this week, in the heart of our town, the Prime Minister gave the green light to Sizewell C.

This is a £14.2 billion pound investment which will power up our country’s nuclear industry, giving us greater energy security and providing energy to six million homes.

However, Sizewell C is as much about people as it is about power.

It is for that reason I have been championing the project, both at home as well as in Westminster, because of what it will mean for people in Ipswich and Suffolk.

Thousands of skilled, secure, well-paid jobs will be created for local people, and huge levels of new investment will flow into our economy, with local businesses helping to deliver one of the country’s first nuclear stations since Sizewell B was completed three decades ago.

After I was elected, I got to work to maximise the opportunities for Ipswich.

Last autumn, I signed an agreement with Sizewell C which, from today, guarantees at least 500 jobs for our town, alongside the thousands being created for people across our county and our region.

It also expands Suffolk New College’s engineering, welding and fabrication courses, helping young people in our town not just access decent employment during the construction of Sizewell C, but to really build a career for life, and access the security and the opportunity that comes with it.

It is why, when I was asked about where I thought the Prime Minister could make the announcement on Sizewell C, I did not hesitate for a moment.

I said this decision was as much about people as it was about power.

We should highlight how it will change the lives of young people in Ipswich and Suffolk.

I knew just the place: Suffolk New College.

Every time I visit Suffolk New College, I am blown away by the students.

They are talented, engaged and ambitious, and yesterday, they showed the Prime Minister and the country just how good they are too.

Students Maliki and Leo were particularly impressive, introducing the Prime Minister, without notes, in front of the cameras of the national media.

I am always proud to be Ipswich's MP, but I was especially proud this week.

I am so delighted we were able to make this happen after days, weeks, and months of hard work and planning.

The Prime Minister told me afterwards just how impressed and inspired he was by everyone he had spoken to that day.

This is why the Spending Review was so much more than numbers on a page.

It is about the security of a decent job and a warm home.

About fulfilling the aspirations of our young people.

It is about ensuring our public services are there for when we need them.

It is about hope that our country can and will get better.

That is why people voted for change last July, and this Spending Review signals that our Labour Government are more determined than ever to deliver on that promise.

It shows what we can achieve with leadership, unity, and ambition.

And the best part?

This is only the beginning of a new era for our town, our county, and our country.