How do Infrastructure Projects Fare in Newly Announced Manifestos?

With just three weeks to go until the General Election, and with all polls pointing towards a disastrous defeat for the Conservative Party, we take a look at some of the key take outs from the freshly released Labour Party manifesto in terms of its plans for major infrastructure.

With plenty of talk from Keir Starmer of ‘change’, here are some of the core commitments announced by the Labour Party this week.

Industrial Strategy

To assist in meeting its economic growth ambition, Labour is planning to introduce a new industrial strategy to build up domestic supply chains that are needed to achieve net zero and other long-term ambitions. 

In setting up a new Industrial Strategy Council and establishing a National Wealth Fund, they say they will be able to drive investment for growth and the delivery of clean energy solutions.

With £7.3 billion to invest, they will also target an ambitious plan to attract £3 of private investment for every £1 of public investment.

Supporting Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan, specific pledges include investment of £1.8 billion to upgrade ports and build supply chains, £1 billion to speed up the use of carbon capture and £500 million to support the manufacturing of green hydrogen.

Long-Term Transport Strategy

Labour have pledged to ensure transport infrastructure is delivered efficiently and in a timely fashion. Committing to set up Great British Rail by bringing our railways into public ownership, they will ensure service quality, adequate investment and effective day-to-day operations as well as committing to increasing the use of rail freight.

This commitment aligns with their industrial strategy and regional development priorities which include improving rail connectivity throughout the north of England. Existing bodies will come together to set strategic infrastructure priorities whilst also overseeing deliverables such as project design, scope and delivery.

Clean Energy Superpower

One of the most talked about areas of the Labour manifesto is their pledge to make Britain a ‘clean energy superpower’ in order to cut bills, increase our energy security and achieve net zero emissions.

Their plan is based upon setting up ‘Great British Energy’, a new publicly-owned clean energy company with £8.3 billion ready to invest over the next parliament. Based in Scotland, this organisation will be tasked with building and improving supply chains throughout the UK. 

Labour’s commitment is to deliver zero-carbon electricity by 2030 and it is also pledging to work with the private sector to double onshore wine, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind power by 2030.

Sir Patrick Vallance, Former Chief Scientific Adviser, offers his thoughts on how achievable these pledges are:

“A national mission for clean power by 2030 is achievable and should be prioritised. We desperately need to end the era of high energy bills, excessive carbon emissions and energy insecurity by accelerating the transition to clean, homegrown energy.”