Andrew Western

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Parliament's party history for this member: Labour (15 Dec 2022 – present).

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Latest on this tracker 442

1. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

   I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee) on securing this important debate and his tireless advocacy for the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the wider Staffordshire area. He has consistently championed the importance of creating opportunities for local people and ensuring that growth brings tangible benefits to local communities. As my hon. Friend said, I was pleased to visit his constituency with him earlier this year to see at first hand the work being undertaken by local partners, including Jobcentre Plus and, as he reflected, Citizens Advice, to support people into employment, education and training. We heard directly from residents and young people about the opportunities and challenges they face and the work he has done to support them. They were indeed, as he so humbly set out, very wise to send him to this place, and if nothing else, that is reflected by his ability to create such a crowd for an Adjournment debate at 10 pm on a Monday night—on a one-line Whip no less. That is truly titanic.

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2. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

   Indeed, and it is for that reason that I am treading very carefully with the words I use. I hear my hon. Friend’s message loud and clear: do not mess with Staffordshire. My visit underlined the importance of ensuring that everyone can access the support and opportunities they need to achieve their potential, but too often in the past this has not happened and whole communities have been left behind. As my hon. Friend said, people should not be forced to leave the places that they are from just to have the chance to get on in life. That is why the Prime Minister has set out our ambition to deliver growth in every postcode in Staffordshire and beyond. Growth is not an abstract economic concept; it is about whether people can find good work, whether businesses can access the skills they need and whether communities, such as those across Staffordshire, can realise their full potential. Staffordshire has significant strengths to build on, with a skilled workforce and strong businesses across advanced manufacturing, including ceramics and logistics, construction and energy.

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3. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

   I have heard my hon. Friend loud and clear, and I will ensure that DBIST colleagues do too. The industrial and logistics specialist Indurent plans to invest £800 million in Staffordshire over the next few years—a clear vote of confidence in the county. As he highlights, the ceramics industry remains central to the area’s identity, with companies such as Lucideon, Mantec and Ross Ceramics helping to apply north Staffordshire’s world-leading expertise in advanced materials to industries including aerospace, defence, electronics and nuclear energy. We have recognised the contribution of advanced manufacturing in the Government’s industrial strategy and are working with industry to develop a jobs plan for the sector. This will help to address workforce challenges and strengthen recruitment pipelines, and it will also help to ensure that more people can access the opportunities being created in one of our most important growth sectors. Turning to partnership, I welcome the role played by local colleges, training providers and employers across Staffordshire in developing the next generation of skilled workers. The selection of Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group as an advanced manufacturing technical excellence college demonstrates the important contribution the area is making to meeting future skills needs and helping people access high-quality technical careers. My colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions have been working with manufacturing employers to promote apprenticeships, work experience opportunities, careers events and employability activity, including activity targeted at young people who are not in education, employment or training.

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4. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

   My hon. Friend makes an important and valid point. I will share his contribution with my noble friend the Minister for Skills. In the interest of time, I will turn to the questions raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme. He was particularly keen to understand how we ensure that people in rural communities can access jobs and opportunities. The Government are supporting employment in rural areas through localised get Britain working plans, a reformed jobs and careers service with expanded digital, phone and in-person support, and increased outreach through a flexible delivery network, including jobcentre vans. We have over 650 visiting officers who carry out home visits for customers with complex needs who cannot engage via digital or telephone channels, or attend a jobcentre. We have outreach work in place with local providers and community organisations to help to reach rural areas so that customers who might otherwise miss out on jobcentre services can access facilities. On a cross-Government approach, my hon. Friend is entirely right to talk about ongoing dialogue with the Department for Transport. Bus services are incredibly important, and it is key that we retain strategic routes wherever possible. A particular, broader example of cross-Government working is our new jobs plans, which is a key part of the industrial strategy. Last Monday, the professional and business services jobs plan set out an aspiration to deliver 100,000 jobs in the coming years, including 22,400 apprenticeships.[Official Report, 2 November 2026; Vol. 792, c. 4WC.] (Correction) Departments involved include not just DWP and DBIST, but the Department for Education as well as Skills England. Departments are really working together to shape these plans, ensure that employment priorities are built in alongside skills and identify where DWP’s employment offer can help sectors to recruit the workforce that they need.

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5. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

   I had made a mental note, from the contributions earlier, of the issues that colleagues have outlined with Staffordshire county council. It appears to be heading towards a meeting without coffee, but in the meantime, I am very happy to give it a chance to rectify its shortcomings when I write to it setting out some of the concerns that colleagues have raised. On engagement more broadly, we want to consistently ensure that candidates come forward with the right skills to meet the jobs that employers wish to fill, to rebuild employer confidence in our services and to reduce skills shortages. The crucial thing there is a strong local understanding of the labour market needs. The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire local skills improvement plan has been shaped collaboratively with employers and other partners to shape a plan for a more productive, inclusive and future-ready regional economy. On the universities, I give my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme the assurance that the University of Staffordshire and Keele University are important partners for the local skills improvement plan. It is absolutely right that they are, and I reassure him that they are and will remain fully engaged. Finally, on the point from my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell), it is absolutely correct to stress the importance of reskilling and upskilling, as well as giving young people the skills that they need. I am passionate about that, and I know that my noble friend the Minister for Skills is too. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme for bringing forward the debate this evening. The level of interest shows the passion that Members across Staffordshire and beyond have for this important issue, and I will take away the actions that I have committed to this evening. Question put and agreed to.

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6. 12 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Employment: Rural Areas

   The Government are supporting employment in rural areas through local Get Britain Working plans, a reformed jobs and careers service with expanded digital, phone and in-person support, and increased outreach through the flexible delivery network.

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7. 12 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Employment: Rural Areas

   I hope that I can give my hon. Friend some welcome news. The DWP does have several different ways to carry out identity verification for customers accessing our services in rural locations, including customers who are unable to access a jobcentre. It offers verification through our digital service, over the telephone or by postal delivery. If, as my hon. Friend says, that is not happening in his locality, I can tell him that there is an excellent team working out of the jobcentre in Stornoway, whom I have met. If they, or he, will let me know what is happening, I shall be happy to look into it for him.

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8. 12 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Employment: Rural Areas

   The right hon. Lady will be aware that this Government are delivering an additional £120 billion of public spending to support improved infrastructure across the country. On her question about jobs in rural locations, this Government are taking the steps needed to support people into work—take the example of the agricultural sector, where there are over 22,000 more jobs than there were when her party left office.

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9. 12 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

   Employment: Rural Areas

   My hon. Friend raises a very important issue, which affects not just his constituency but the entire country. I recognise the specific concerns that he has about his locality, but also that these challenges are faced more broadly. I am delighted that the Government have brought forward the youth jobs grant, introduced the new £2,000 incentive for small and medium-sized enterprises that hire apprentices under the age of 25, and rolled out youth hubs across our country, but if there is more that he feels we could be doing in his area, I would be very happy to discuss that with him.

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10. 12 Oct 2026·Parliament·Andrew Western

    Employment: Rural Areas

    May I, too, welcome the hon. Gentleman back to his place? I would be very happy to ask colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to share any best practice with their Scottish counterparts. This Government are investing £39 billion in the delivery of social and affordable homes because we recognise the issues that the hon. Gentleman sets out. The fundamental starting point for any good life is access to a good-quality, safe and secure home, and that is something we are committed to delivering.

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