Keir Mather MP praises the Chancellor's Spending Review as ‘fantastic news for Yorkshire - creating jobs and unlocking opportunities for our region’.

On 11 June, Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out her full spending plan for the next Parliament. The Spending Review detailed a breakdown of day-to-day departmental spending, known as resource spending, and the major infrastructure projects that the Government is committed to funding.

In the Spending Review, the Chancellor reaffirmed her commitment to investing in public services and to restoring stability in the British economy. Her fiscal rules will ensure that the Government covers day-to-day spending through tax receipts, whilst unlocking an additional £190bn of investment in our public services.

The Review delivers on the government’s key priorities - building strong economic foundations, cutting NHS waiting lists, giving children the best start in life, securing Britain's borders, putting police back on the beat, building 1.5 million new homes, and securing home‑grown energy.

The Spending Review included a notable boost for defence and security, with the Chancellor making pointed references to changing global circumstances which demand a greater focus on national security. The Review confirmed that defence and intelligence spending will rise to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027, with investment focused on delivering jobs here in Britain. The Chancellor described her plan to “make Britain a defence industrial superpower, with the jobs, the skills and the pride that come with that.” The Spending Review follows on from the earlier announcement of the Strategic Defence Review, which committed to an ambitious list of new investment in munitions factories and nuclear warheads, signalling a huge opportunity for renewal in our region's steelmaking capabilities.

In a further boost for local employment, the Review also included a mega investment of £9.4bn for carbon capture, usage and storage projects. The Review gave the green light for the 'Viking' project in Humberside, plans which are expected to unlock billions of pounds of private investment and create high-quality jobs for the region.

Keir Mather, Labour Member of Parliament for Selby and Kippax, has welcomed the government’s investment plans, which he believes will transform our region. Responding to the announcements, Mr Mather said: “This Spending Review is a recommitment from the Government to the people that voted for us last July - it is a recommitment on our promise to deliver change and vastly improve living standards over the course of this Parliament.”

“These are Labour choices, ones that will build a better Britain - protecting our borders, cutting hospital backlogs, and supporting families with the cost of living. As a direct result of these measures, working families across Selby and Kippax will have more money in their pockets.”

"I'm pleased to see the government has allocated funds to improve Yorkshire's public transport service with a a bus franchising pilot scheme in North Yorkshire and for mass transit system in Leeds included as part of the £15.6bn of investment in transport to connect our cities" He added: “The Review builds on the steps which the Government has already taken to improve things for our area, including the rollout of free breakfast clubs in local primary schools and a record investment in the NHS which has seen waiting lists fall to a two-year low.

There is a great deal more to do. I spoke in my maiden speech to the House of Commons about building a country where each and every one of us has a right not just to survive but to realise our full potential, and to live decent, happy and fulfilled lives. It is so refreshing to see a Chancellor who is committed to seizing the opportunities in front of us, harnessing public and private investment to unleash the huge potential in our region and in our country. I look forward to playing my part in making these aims a reality."