Labour makes funding centrepiece of its industrial strategy in bid to counter Reform’s surge in so-called red wall
The government will present a £275m investment in technical training and apprenticeships as the centrepiece of its long-awaited industrial strategy, in a direct challenge to Nigel Farage’s growing influence in England’s manufacturing heartlands.
The package, announced by the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, on Sunday, includes funding for new technical excellence colleges, short courses in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital manufacturing, and major capital upgrades to training providers across England.
It aims to tackle longstanding skills shortages in engineering, defence and high-growth sectors such as battery production and advanced manufacturing.
Officials said the new strategy was designed to “end the overreliance on foreign labour” and ensure a pipeline of domestic talent for critical industries – a move clearly aimed at countering Farage’s narrative of national decline and reclaiming the industrial vote in traditional Labour strongholds.
