From coal to coding, I promise to bring the jobs of the future to the Vale

Britain once led the world in industry. We invented the steam engine, built the railway, and pioneered the assembly line – British innovations that shaped the modern world and helped us win the Second World War.

But the Industrial Revolution wasn’t just about machines. It transformed lives, creating jobs that powered Britain’s rise. And it was the labour movement that turned those jobs into something better: securing dignity, fair pay, and pride in work.

Nowhere embodied this more than the Vale of Glamorgan. In 1913, Barry was the world’s largest coal-exporting port, fuelling Britain’s success. Then coal declined. In 1966, the Vale opened a Butlins – just as UK domestic tourism began its downturn. And now, after years of Tory neglect and economic mismanagement, good jobs are too scarce, and young people feel they have to leave to get ahead....