Following the King’s Speech which marked a new parliamentary year, on Thursday 14 May, Bishop Helen-Ann took part in a debate in the House of Lords on 'Economic Growth, Trade and EU Partnership'. Read her full speech below or watch it above.
My Lords, I am pleased to speak in this debate on the Gracious Speech and wish all noble Lords well in this new session. I declare an interest as President of the Rural Coalition.
It is an honour to follow the noble Lord, Lord Burns, particularly with his Northeast roots. I speak from the perspective of the region in which my diocese is located, the Northeast: communities with deep resilience, and enormous potential, but which also continue to live with the consequences of economic inequality, industrial transition, and social fragmentation.
There is much that gives cause for confidence. We see innovation emerging from our universities and wider research communities; growing expertise in clean energy, digital technology, and advanced manufacturing; and renewed confidence in sectors helping to shape the industries of the future. The Northeast Space Skills and Technology Centre based at Northumbria University is a notable example of combining public funding, university match-funding and private-sector aerospace investment; a model that is about long-term economic development.
Yet optimism is accompanied by realism. The latest Northeast Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey points to a business community that remains resilient but cautious. Firms continue to report pressures linked to labour costs, energy prices, inflation, and uncertainty around future demand. Businesses are still recruiting, but many are delaying investment decisions and remain concerned about long-term productivity and skills shortages.
The rural economy is especially important within Northumberland yet often insufficiently recognised in national economic debate. Farming, land management, tourism, food production, and rural small businesses contribute enormously not only to economic activity but to environmental stewardship, cultural identity, and the sustainability of rural communities. Yet many rural businesses continue to face challenges linked to transport connectivity, digital infrastructure, workforce shortages, and access to services. If growth is genuinely to reach every part of the country, rural economies must not be treated as peripheral to national prosperity but as integral to it. As my noble friend Baroness Batters has often pointed out, food security is vital for economic prosperity and stable food systems reduce poverty.
In Newcastle, areas such as Ouseburn and the Grainger Market reflect the imagination and determination of local enterprise. Businesses such as Greggs, founded in Newcastle and still strongly associated with the region, show how commercial success can remain connected to local identity and social responsibility with a much wider reach. My Lords, it can be argued that the humble cheese and onion bake is now an instrument of EU partnership as there is now a Greggs in Tenerife airport!
On a serious note, this connectivity is why economic policy cannot be judged solely by whether growth occurs, but by the nature of that growth and who shares in its benefits. Do people experience greater dignity, security, and opportunity through that growth? Do communities feel strengthened or left behind? Do younger generations believe they have a meaningful future in the places where they grew up? Does work enhance human flourishing, or does it leave people exhausted, insecure and excluded?
It is right that the Government’s proposed legislative programme seeks to support investment, industrial renewal, and closer co-operation with our European neighbours. The proposed European Partnership Bill is important for regions such as the Northeast. Our relationship with our neighbours is not an ideological abstraction but a matter of practical economic significance.
I hope the Minister might say more about how the Government intends the proposed European Partnership Bill to strengthen opportunities for regional exporters, universities and smaller firms outside London and the Southeast. How will the Government ensure that improved relationships lead to tangible economic benefits for places such as Newcastle and Northumberland, rather than reinforcing existing geographical inequalities?
I also welcome the emphasis placed upon energy security and industrial renewal within the gracious Speech. Northumberland is well placed to contribute to the nation’s transition towards cleaner and more secure sources of energy through offshore renewables and associated industries.
Yet the transition to a low-carbon economy must also be rooted in justice and fairness. Communities that contributed so much to earlier generations of industrial and energy production should not feel excluded from the opportunities now emerging. Economic transition cannot simply happen to communities; it must happen with and for them.
Can the Minister say more about how the Government intends to ensure that smaller local businesses, local workers, and younger people are able to participate fully in the opportunities created through energy transition and industrial investment? What role does the Government see for devolved leadership and community wealth building in ensuring that prosperity is genuinely shared?
I also welcome the Government’s proposed Regulating for Growth Bill and its stated intention to create greater clarity and consistency for business.
Can I too (along with the noble lady, Baroness Finn) ask the Minister how the Government intends to ensure that smaller businesses are properly supported within this agenda? How will the Government balance economic flexibility with the need to maintain fair employment standards, workforce wellbeing, and responsible business practice?
My Lords, economic life is ultimately about human beings, relationships, and moral responsibility. As we pursue growth and competitiveness, we must resist any tendency to treat human beings merely as economic instruments or units of productivity. Every person possesses inherent dignity and worth which no labour market can define, and no economic circumstance can erase. Modern slavery remains a painful reality in our country. It represents not only criminal exploitation but a profound moral failure — the denial of human dignity for economic gain.
In that respect, may I ask the Minister what further steps the Government intends to take to strengthen transparency and accountability within supply chains, particularly in sectors vulnerable to labour exploitation?
Good growth is not growth at any cost. Good growth strengthens communities, widens opportunity, and enables people to live with dignity and hope. My Lords, the success of this session of Parliament will not be measured solely through national growth figures or investment totals. It will be measured by whether people truly experience greater dignity, stronger communities, wider opportunity, and renewed hope in the places they call home.