Economic Situation: Productivity
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken to increase economic productivity in a) England and b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Torsten Bell
The Government is committed to increasing productivity as a central driver of sustainable economic growth and rising living standards.
To support this, at the 2026 Mais Lecture, the Chancellor announced the government is going further with three big choices to drive stronger, more secure growth by empowering regional growth, embracing AI and innovation, and establishing a closer relationship with the EU.
This builds on the significant steps the Government has already taken to increase investment across the whole of the UK, including delivering on our plans to increase public investment by over £120 billion compared to previous plans, alongside reforms to boost private investment.
As part of our plans, the Government is investing £39bn to increase the supply of affordable homes, and over £820m for the Youth Guarantee to strengthen access to employment opportunities in areas such as Romford supported by initiatives such as Trailblazer Youth and Economic Inactivity Hubs.
The Government are also investing in public services, with the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund expanding GP capacity by upgrading over 1,000 surgeries nationwide, including 7 schemes across the North East London Integrated Care Board area covering Romford.
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