KMTV breaks down what Labour's policies could mean for Kent
From Medway to Liverpool, the Labour conference today has had much focus on the economy.
The Party has pledged to rebuild Britain, but what could this mean for Kent if they were to win the next General election?
The Party has pledged to rebuild Britain, but what could this mean for Kent if they were to win the next General election?
Transcript
00:00 Gabriel, what can you tell us? We were covering the Tory conference just last week. What can
00:03 you tell us about what Labour have been saying today?
00:05 Well, we've had the Green Party conference over the weekend and the Liberal Democrats
00:08 the week before, but today it was the turn of the Labour Party conference, potentially
00:13 the last party conference before the general election next year. We still don't know the
00:18 date for that, but it's expected to either be in spring or in autumn next year. So Labour
00:25 could potentially take over. Polls are suggesting that Labour would win the next general election
00:30 if it was to be held now. And we've heard some of the announcements today. A big focus
00:35 on the economy, battery factories being built. We could see some of those being built and
00:39 a push towards 5G infrastructure. And there has been a lot of concern in Kent about 5G
00:47 masts being built. Some people say they don't want them near their home, but it seems that
00:50 there are going to be more of these under a Labour government. And there's also going to be an
00:55 overhaul if Labour come in, of planning to speed up green energy. Now, green energy is
01:01 becoming pretty polarising. We saw the Conservatives earlier this year doing a U-turn on that and
01:08 saying they're going to focus on other projects. But we've heard today that there's going to
01:11 be a big focus, Ed Miliband saying Labour double on shore wind and treble solar panel,
01:17 also investing in nuclear, hydrogen and carbon capture. We know there are two former nuclear
01:23 power stations in Dungeness and there are talks about opening a small modular reactor.
01:28 It seems that if Labour were to carry on, they would renew that. And as I said, there's
01:34 been much talk on the economy. Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, has criticised it, saying
01:38 short-term decisions rather than long-term. But the Labour Party have said, well, there's
01:44 going to be a big focus on wages, as we can hear from the Shadow Chancellor now.
01:48 There is now a mountain of economic evidence that higher wages and greater job security
01:54 have real benefits for businesses. And there is also a mountain of human evidence of too
02:01 many children growing up in poverty, of too many parents skipping meals, of too many people
02:08 waiting by the phone to find out whether they have work that day or not. So as Angela Rayner
02:14 set out yesterday, the next Labour government will offer a new deal for working people.
02:20 Zero-hour contracts banned, fire and rehire gone, sick pay strengthened and basic rights