Sir Keir said how proud he was to support the Alstom campaign but added that the Government should have acted quicker(Image: Derby Telegraph)

Sir Keir Starmer is 'proud' to support Derby's campaign to save train maker Alstom

He thanked Derbyshire Live being involved because of the 'power of the local media'

by · Derbyshire Live

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has praised and thrown his support behind the city-wide campaign that was launched to save Derby's 185-year-old train making industry after the production line at Alstom's Litchurch Lane works dried up in March. Just over a week ago, business Marketing Derby, Derby City Council and Derbyshire Live and Derby Telegraph came together to orchestrate letter writing, pledges of support and publicity for the train builder's plight.

After failing earlier in the week to speak to Derbyshire Live because of pressing business in the House of Commons, he went out of his way to pledge his support for the saving Alstom campaign during a visit to Derby on Friday morning (April 19).

Sir Keir spoke to Derbyshire Live during a visit to a brownfield site in the city centre at the Nightingale quarter, off London Road. He was with deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner to launch Labour's new drive to boost housebuilding by identifying green belt land that is not essential and could be re-classified as "grey belt" for 50% use as social and affordable housing.

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He expressed his concern that more than 1,300 jobs have been at risk, plus another 15,000 in the supply chain, as talks have gone on for almost a year between Alstom and the Government to secure an order that would enable the company to continue production between now and 2025-26 when it is due to start producing trains for HS2.

But just days after the campaign was launched, the Government announced that in principle it was able to offer 10 trains for building - five more than previously offered - and the deal is now under consideration.

Sir Keir told Derbyshire Live: "First of all let me say that we support your campaign. I think it is really important that you have been involved in the campaign because that is the power of local media and it really matters. I think in this case the Government has been slow to act.

Studying an aerial photograph of Derby, Sir Keir was very impressed by being able to see the city from the air(Image: Derby Telegraph)

"There are some positive signs now but the deal is not over the line. For some time there has been this worry for people who work there and they have been left in a state of anxiety and uncertainty. [I'm] proud to support your campaign and I think it's really important.

"Train building is part of the heritage, history and future of the region. I want to see the Government acting on this and concluding what appear to have been steps in the right direction. Losing these jobs would have been bad for the economy."

He said that in his conversations with train manufacturers, he has always been aware that gaps in orders are a constant concern for them. He said: "The way to resolve that would be to have a strategic approach to transport so you know what orders are coming down the line and you have joined -up transport strategy which we haven't got currently and Labour would introduce. I was very impressed when I visited Alstom in 2021 and it was busy then."

Sir Keir Starmer, centre, is pictured visiting the Alstom factory in March 2021(Image: Labour Party)

The 11th hour Alstom campaign also included a logo - Save Our Trains Do The Deal - which was produced and appeared on digital signs at last weekend's Derby County home match at Pride Park. Derbyshire Live carried front-page headlines urging the Government to save the city's 185-year-old train-building industry. And urgent questions were asked in the House of Commons on Tuesday this week.

As the questions were being asked, Transport Secretary Mark Harper was meeting with Alstom Group chiefs to put the Government's revised offer in principle on the table. Alstom is now considering the situation, which it is understood will be concluded by the end of May.

The campaign has been put on hold for now pending a response to the offer from Alstom. John Forkin, managing director of inward investment body Marketing Derby, said: "We will stand down the campaign but keep a hawk-eye on progress and believe me, if there is any sense of slippage or chicanery, we will be back."

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