Kickstarting economic growth. That was the number one mission of the Labour Party ahead of the last General Election.
There has been some progress. The UK had the highest growth in the G7 at the start of 2025, but it has not been all plain sailing. Tariffs and the need to raise revenue to fix the damage to our public services left by the Tories has undoubtedly played a part in us not yet getting the country to the place we would like it.
My constituency, Banbury, is an interesting case study. Technically part of the South East, the UK’s wealthiest region, and part of Oxfordshire in the Thames Valley, it is one of the few areas of the UK to make a net positive contribution to UK GDP.
Among the people I can list as my constituents are David Beckham, Jeremy Clarkson and an ex-boss of a major high street bank; the “Chipping Norton set”. Yet while we have our share of advanced industries, there are multiple pockets of deprivation with three of the ten most deprived council wards in the county, among the top 20% most deprived in the region, in Banbury itself.
The government has committed to the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, which we are on the edge of, which should benefit us. Space will clearly feature as part of this knowledge spine and the knock-on effects could be of real benefit to my constituents.
At Harwell Campus, more than a hundred space and wider science organisations have created a genuinely world-leading cluster, contributing to data analysis, climate science, advanced manufacturing and the technologies which will define our future. The National Satellite Test Facility at Harwell is a world-leading site for firms of all sizes to develop and test their spacecraft, with its first testing campaign being for the UK’s military satellite communications system, reflecting the importance of our area’s scientific prowess for protecting our country.
These firms create pathways for young people from across the county to forge careers in the industries of tomorrow.
Indeed, Banbury Futures Academy, a comprehensive secondary school in the town, focuses on the teaching of maths, physics and associated subjects. It was founded under a different name; Banbury Space Studio. The benefits from a thriving science and space industry on our doorstep to its pupils, are obvious and can be replicated nationwide.
Oxfordshire, however, will only remain an attractive place for global investment in industries such as space if we make a very clear decision to welcome it. We need an active industrial strategy, including more housing for our local workforce; an education and skills system which reflects the needs of the modern economy, including advanced vocational training; and improved transport infrastructure.
We need joined-up government, reflecting the contribution made by places like Oxfordshire to
innovation and GDP, and deliver all of those facets of policy which will give our area a fighting chance against the economic might of the United States and China. We need to retain our best industrial and scientific talent, but young people cannot afford housing and childcare. That needs to change.
A joined-up industrial strategy would bring to bear all areas of government, from science to transport to defence procurement, to support our pockets of global excellence.
If we are ambitious then space, and advanced research and manufacturing industries like it, can open new opportunities for national renewal, creating remarkable opportunities for future generations