‘Opportunity, not aspiration, is what’s missing in the East Midlands’

But what I hear, day after day, in villages, towns and our two great cities in the East Midlands, is not a lack of ambition. It’s the opposite. Parents want stability for their children. Young people want the chance to start decent careers. Communities want a fair shot at shaping their own future. The barrier isn’t aspiration. The barrier is opportunity.

That’s why, last year, I brought together the Inclusive Growth Commission. A team of regional and national experts who were asked to do something bold: to look honestly at our strengths and weaknesses and to map a better way forward.

The Commission has now delivered its recommendations – and at the heart of them is something new: the UK’s first Opportunity Escalator.

Here’s what it means in practice. If you’ve got skills, we’ll recognise them and connect you to a flexible, affordable training course in one of our growing sectors. While you train, we’ll tackle the barriers that stop people in their tracks – like the cost of childcare or getting to work. And crucially, the training will be tied to real jobs with local employers. At the end of the course, there will be a genuine offer of work, with fair pay, reliable hours and a clear route to progress.

In October, I’ll publish what will be the country’s first Inclusive Growth Plan. Every decision, every investment, every pound I spend will be judged against one simple test: does this open doors for people? Does it turn ambition into achievement?

‘Opportunity will follow’

And we are putting real money behind it. This will be the biggest investment in skills, housing and transport our region has seen in a generation – reaching every corner of the East Midlands.

However, I know I can’t do it alone. This has to be a joint effort: businesses, universities, investors, councils, charities, and communities, working together.

The prize is clear. Knock down the barriers. Open the doors. Prove that wherever ambition exists, opportunity will follow. And give every person the chance to get on, get up, and build a future in the East Midlands they can be proud of.