Cementing Britain’s Future here in High Peak – supporting Jobs, Growth and Net Zero

In April, Parliament was recalled on a Saturday – a rare event – to pass emergency legislation to save our steel industry and keep the blast furnaces alight.

Everyone understands why steel matters. It’s the backbone of our economy and our national defence.

But very few of us would say the same about cement – even though our ability to make it here in Britain is every bit as important, if not more so.

Cement is everywhere – in what we see, and in what we barely notice.

It builds our homes, schools, roads, bridges and garden walls.

It holds together the kerbs we walk on, the tiles in our kitchens, the driveways we park on and the patios we sit out on.

It even underpins our wind farms, flood defences, data centres and the underground vaults that carry our internet cables.

Cement is quite literally what modern Britain stands on – from the foundations of a cottage in Castleton to the base of a turbine in the North Sea.

Here in the High Peak, we’re right at the heart of it.

The quarries and works around Hope, Buxton and Chapel-en-le-Frith don’t just supply the materials that build our country – thousands of jobs depend on them. From workers on site, to hauliers, engineers and local suppliers – our towns and villages rely on them. When those plants thrive, so do our high streets and small businesses.

Last week, I was proud to host a reception in Parliament for leaders from the cement industry – to discuss how we can ensure this great British sector stays strong for decades to come. We covered everything from cutting energy costs and boosting demand, to training the skilled workforce the industry needs.

One of the biggest challenges is decarbonising while remaining competitive. Cement production accounts for around seven per cent of global CO₂ emissions, much of it from the chemical process itself. Innovation and investment in carbon capture are vital. Through Labour’s National Wealth Fund, we’ve secured £28.6 million for the Peak Cluster carbon capture project – a crucial first step that will protect thousands of jobs and create new ones across the High Peak.

And as we meet the challenges of climate change, we must protect our British cement from less responsible overseas producers.  Importing high-carbon cement isn’t good for our planet or our economy.

Keeping production here in the UK means we can cut emissions while supporting skilled British manufacturing.

The cement industry has a proud history in High Peak and across Britain. Its importance to our economy and our nation deserves the same recognition as steel – and I will keep championing it until it does.