Welcoming the new Labour Government
10 July 2024
Last week, the General Election swept in the winds of political change with a new Labour administration under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with over half of all incoming MPs new to Parliament. We look forward to working with these Labour ministers, alongside our partners, members and young Londoners in support of their commitments to young people and the youth sector.
We previously welcomed Labour’s recognition of the transformational role of youth work for young people through their commitment to embedding youth workers in the Young Futures programme. This should also acknowledge critical shortages in the current workforce and the need to work collectively to build back the sector with a pipeline of qualified and fairly paid youth practitioners. All young people should have access to youth provision in their communities and a trusted youth worker in the spaces and places they choose to be, as we set out here.
Breaking down barriers to opportunity is a central Labour mission key to building a fairer society. As a youth infrastructure body, we support the new investment in education and broadening of the curriculum; the apprenticeships and skills reforms and critical measures to address the mental health crisis for young people. We hope to see the flourishing of apprenticeship and traineeship pathways for young people as set out in Labour’s youth guarantee. This needs to be underpinned by the vital transitional support that young people and employers need to maximise these opportunities.
As yet, it is unclear where the responsibility for all the youth-relevant policies outlined above sits. Whilst it is understood that DCMS will still be the anchor department for the youth sector, other key policy measures affecting young people in the fields of education, skills and training and employment will span several other departments. All the Cabinet appointments that the Prime Minister has made are available here. Those of greatest relevance to the youth sector and young people are the following:
Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for DCMS
Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education
Yvette Cooper MP, Secretary of State for the Home Office
Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State at DWP
We are still awaiting the full list of junior ministers in the above departments. We will continue to press for a joined-up approach to the policies that affect young people with a youth minister who can act as a powerful advocate on their behalf. Alongside that, we will be looking for greater representation of young people in all the policy areas which affect them, and innovative ways to encourage their active participation in the policy-making process.
At a London level, we also welcome new London MPs into what is also a changed political landscape. 15 of the new London MPs are current or former London councillors and you can read more about them in the London Councils press release here. All 75 MPs can be found with their respective constituencies here.
To get involved in our ongoing policy and advocacy work, please get in touch with Clare MacNamara at clare.macnamara@londonyouth.org
