Voters in Britain’s former industrial heartlands have been “betrayed” by the Conservatives and taken for granted by Labour, according to the man Nigel Farage wants to appoint Chancellor in a Reform UK Government. Robert Jenrick, who once battled Kemi Badenoch for the Tory leadership, visited the iconic Red Wall seat of Redcar on Monday and set out his ambitions for Reform to be the true “workers’ party”. The 44-year-old walked along the seafront and described how the voters who handed the seat to Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in 2019 feel “totally betrayed by that government”, blasting the former prime minister’s “fanatical” support for net zero and the Tories’ record on immigration.

Turning his fire on a former Hartlepool MP, he said: “The truth is this area had Labour politicians who took it for granted, like Peter Mandelson, who just saw these as safe Labour seats where they could have a nice perch and do what they wanted down in Westminster.” Mr Jenrick is fighting for Reform to win in seats which “voted for change” in 2019 before backing Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party in 2024 and discovering this is “even worse”. He said: “This cycle of constant failure and betrayal has to come to an end. That’s the point of Reform.”

Setting out his ambitions for the party which was in second place in Politico’s poll of polls on Monday on 22% – behind Andy Burnham’s Labour (26%) but ahead of Mrs Badenoch’s Conservatives (18%) – he said: “I want Reform to be a workers’ party. Everything [we do] should be putting British workers and pensioners who’ve worked hard their whole lives first. That means that my job is to cut all the waste, the stuff that other governments just won’t tackle, like foreign aid, migrants on benefits and net zero subsidies, and use the tens of billions that we save [to] make life better for people in places like this.”

Describing a flagship policy, he said: “We want to raise the personal allowance to £15,000 so that an average worker in a place like Redcar can get £500 extra a year – £1,000 if you’re a family with two people in the workplace.”

His party is a proud defender of the triple lock, the safeguard against pensioner poverty which Mr Burnham wants to alter to fund a National Care Service. Confident that as Chancellor he could help revive the centre of the town, he said: “If we can save industry in the north of England by scrapping net zero then we give these businesses a fighting chance of recovering.”

Redcar’s steelworks have been closed since 2015 but taxpayers are spending £1.3million a day, according to Westminster’s public accounts committee, keeping British Steel’s blast furnaces at Scunthorpe open to preserve the country’s primary steelmaking capacity. “We have to keep them open, and we’ve got to invest in their future,” Mr Jenrick said. “At the moment you’ve got a Government that doesn’t really have any plan as to how to make this a viable industry into the future. So, they’re just wasting millions of pounds on sticking plasters and consultants instead of really working out a viable path forward. The only way to do that is bring down the cost of energy by scrapping net zero and potentially stick tariffs on Chinese imports of steel and other products like cars to stop people dumping on our industry here and destroying the remaining jobs in heavy industry. At the moment Reform is the only party that’s willing to do that.”

He is not impressed by Mr Burnham’s pledge to set out options for a new partnership with the European Union, arguing the UK has performed better in recent years than comparable EU economies.

“[The] problems our country faces are not because of Brexit and the worst thing that we could do now is spend the next five to 10 years in another pointless debate about Britain’s relationship with the European Union,” he said.

However, the former immigration minister is damning in his account of Britain’s record in this area since Brexit. He claimed his old party “managed to design an immigration system even more liberal than the one that we had in the EU, where we traded high-skilled, motivated people from Eastern Europe for low-skilled workers”.

Claiming that post-Brexit “opportunities are out there to be seized”, he said: “We can fix this. I am optimistic on the economy that we can turn things around… If you have a Government that comes in with a serious plan it can create a climate of optimism very quickly and get things moving again.”

If he moves into the Treasury, he may face many of the same challenges which today confront Chancellor John Healey as he wrestles with numerous threats to the public finances. Does he fear market panic? Mr Jenrick said that neither the Conservatives nor Labour had “instilled enthusiasm” in the markets. “We’ve had Liz Truss’s mini-budget, Rachel Reeves crying in the House of Common, John Healey making promises he can’t keep,” he said. “I think there’s actually an opportunity to come in and surprise the markets [and show] that for the first time in a long time they’ve got serious people running this country. The way to do it, actually, is cutting the benefits bill. That’s what is the number one thing you could do, very quickly, to instil confidence in the bond markets.”

Bringing down benefits payments, he said, would show investors that “we’re serious people who know what we’re doing and we’re going to be careful with people’s money”. Mr Jenrick joined Reform in January after being sacked as Shadow Justice Secretary by Mrs Badenoch. Did it feel strange for him not to be with former colleagues in Birmingham for the annual conference?

He said: “I always like going to Birmingham because I was born in Wolverhampton… But no, I [am] actually very pleased to be in Reform and this feels like home to me, so it’s been great.”

Days later, after Mrs Badenoch had delivered her conference speech and pledged to exempt family homes from inheritance tax, Mr Jenrick told the Express: “The Tories have given up on working people, in favour of their mates in Kensington. Andy Burnham abandoned them too to court votes on Benefits Street. Reform is the only national party interested in cutting taxes on the hard-working majority. That’s why in my first Budget I will raise the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000 to give 40 million a tax cut. It’ll mean the state pension is never taxed and work pays again.”

The ‘Abandoned’ UK Seaside Town ‘Betrayed’ by Burnham and Boris – ‘We’ll Give Locals £500’

For years, Britain’s struggling coastal communities have found themselves at the centre of a political argument about declining industries, disappearing jobs and the future of working-class towns. Now, Redcar has become the focus of renewed attention after Reform UK figures promised a different economic approach, arguing that residents have been let down by successive governments.

During a visit to the North Yorkshire seaside town, Robert Jenrick, who has joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, criticised both Labour and the Conservatives over their records in former industrial areas. He argued that voters who supported Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in 2019 had expected meaningful change but were left disappointed, while Labour had also failed to meet the expectations of communities that once provided much of Britain’s industrial strength.

At the centre of the latest political debate is a promise to raise the income tax personal allowance to £15,000. Jenrick said the measure could leave an average worker around £500 better off each year, with a larger combined benefit for some two-earner households.

The proposal has placed Redcar back in the national conversation, raising questions about whether tax cuts, industrial investment and changes to energy policy could help revive communities that feel overlooked by Westminster.

A seaside town shaped by industrial decline

Redcar is more than a traditional seaside destination. Its identity has also been shaped by heavy industry, particularly steelmaking, which provided employment and supported businesses throughout the surrounding area.

The closure of the former SSI steelworks in 2015 dealt a major blow to the local economy. The loss extended beyond the workers directly employed at the site. Suppliers, contractors, shops and other businesses also faced the consequences when a major source of employment disappeared.

For industrial communities, the closure of a large employer can leave a lasting mark. Skilled workers may struggle to find comparable jobs locally, younger residents may move elsewhere to pursue careers, and businesses that once depended on industrial activity can find it difficult to replace lost customers.

Although regeneration projects can create new opportunities, their benefits are not always immediate or evenly distributed. A new development may generate headlines, but residents are ultimately interested in whether it produces secure employment, better wages and a more promising future for their families.

This helps explain why political promises about economic revival can carry particular weight in towns such as Redcar. Residents have heard commitments from different parties over many years, and many want evidence that new plans will produce tangible results.

Why Reform UK is targeting former industrial heartlands

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has sought to establish itself as a political alternative for voters who feel that the traditional parties have failed to address their concerns.

Redcar fits into a wider political landscape in which former industrial communities have become increasingly contested. Some voters who previously supported Labour turned towards the Conservatives in 2019, attracted by promises of change and a stronger focus on areas outside London and the South East.

The subsequent political shifts have created opportunities for Reform UK to appeal to people dissatisfied with both major parties.

Jenrick’s visit was part of that strategy. He argued that the Conservatives had disappointed voters who had trusted them to deliver change and that Labour had failed to offer a convincing alternative.

His language focused on the idea of a political betrayal: communities had voted for different governments, yet many of their underlying economic difficulties remained.

That argument resonates with people who believe national politics has concentrated too heavily on short-term announcements while failing to develop lasting strategies for industrial renewal.

However, the economic challenges facing Redcar cannot be attributed to a single government or one policy decision. Industrial decline, international competition, energy prices, investment decisions and wider changes in manufacturing have all played roles in shaping the fortunes of Britain’s industrial towns.

Any serious revival plan must therefore address the underlying economic conditions rather than rely solely on political criticism.

The promise of £500 a year

One of the most prominent elements of Jenrick’s message was the proposal to increase the income tax personal allowance to £15,000.

The personal allowance is the amount of income an individual can receive before paying income tax, subject to the applicable rules. Increasing it could reduce the tax bill of eligible workers whose income is above the existing allowance.

Reform UK has presented the proposal as a way to reward employment, increase take-home pay and help households manage everyday expenses. Jenrick argued that a worker in a place such as Redcar could receive approximately £500 more a year, while a household with two eligible earners could potentially gain around £1,000 between them.

For families facing rising bills, an additional amount of disposable income could make a practical difference. It might help cover food, fuel, transport, clothing or other essential costs.

Yet the precise benefit would depend on an individual’s earnings, existing tax position and the final details of any legislation. A proposed tax change should not be mistaken for money that residents are already entitled to receive.

The policy would also need to be considered alongside its cost to the public finances. Raising the personal allowance would reduce tax revenue, meaning the government would have to explain how the change would be funded and how it would affect spending priorities.

Reform UK’s argument is that savings elsewhere in government could help pay for its plans. Critics would reasonably ask for detailed calculations demonstrating how those savings could be achieved without creating other financial pressures.

For voters in Redcar, the key issue is whether the proposal would deliver a meaningful and sustainable improvement in living standards.

Energy costs and the future of British industry

Another major part of the debate concerns the cost of energy and the future of manufacturing.

Energy-intensive industries, including steelmaking, face substantial operating costs. When electricity and other energy inputs are expensive, domestic producers can struggle to compete with international rivals operating under different cost conditions.

Jenrick argued that changing the government’s approach to net-zero policies could help reduce energy costs and improve the prospects for British industry. He also discussed the possibility of using trade measures to protect domestic steel producers from unfair competition.

These proposals form part of a wider disagreement about how Britain should balance industrial competitiveness with its environmental commitments.

Supporters of Reform UK’s approach argue that businesses need affordable energy and predictable policies if they are to invest, expand production and create jobs. They contend that environmental measures should not impose costs that undermine domestic manufacturing or encourage production to move abroad.

Others argue that the transition to lower-carbon energy can create opportunities for investment, innovation and new employment, provided the process is managed effectively. They also warn that abandoning established climate policies could introduce uncertainty for investors and create longer-term economic risks.

The practical question is how Britain can maintain industrial capacity while meeting its environmental objectives. That requires careful consideration of electricity generation, grid infrastructure, industrial investment, trade policy and the costs faced by manufacturers.

For Redcar, the stakes are particularly significant because the future of industry affects not only individual workers but also the wider economic prospects of the surrounding region.

What about Andy Burnham and Boris Johnson?

The political argument surrounding Redcar has also drawn attention to Andy Burnham and Boris Johnson, whose names represent different periods and approaches in British politics.

Johnson’s Conservatives won support in former Labour strongholds in 2019 by promising to deliver change and respond to communities that felt neglected. For some voters, the subsequent years did not deliver the improvements they had expected.

Jenrick’s criticism focuses on that sense of disappointment, particularly in relation to industrial policy, immigration and the direction of the country’s economy.

Burnham, meanwhile, has become an influential figure in discussions about Labour’s future and the party’s relationship with working-class voters. Critics who accuse him of abandoning such communities argue that Labour must demonstrate how its economic policies will improve employment opportunities and living standards outside the country’s wealthiest areas.

However, the claims made by political opponents should be distinguished from established evidence about the performance of individual governments and public figures. Economic outcomes are influenced by many factors, and responsibility for a particular town’s difficulties may be shared across different levels of government and the private sector.

What matters most to residents is not the intensity of political accusations but whether proposed policies can produce lasting improvements.

Can Redcar be revitalised?

Reviving a struggling seaside and industrial town requires more than a single tax proposal or a campaign visit.

A sustainable strategy would need to encourage private investment, develop local skills, improve transport connections and support businesses capable of creating stable employment. It would also need to address the condition of town centres, the availability of housing and the quality of public services.

Local employers must have reasons to expand, while workers need access to training that prepares them for available jobs. Young people should be able to imagine building careers locally rather than feeling that leaving is their only realistic option.

Investment in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, logistics and other industries could potentially contribute to the region’s future, but projects must be assessed on their commercial viability, environmental effects and capacity to create local employment.

National government also has a role in providing a predictable framework for investment. Frequent changes in policy can make it harder for businesses to plan, particularly when major industrial projects require substantial capital and long development periods.

Local authorities, businesses and communities must also be involved in deciding which opportunities are most appropriate for the area.

The challenge is to turn the promise of regeneration into visible results: secure jobs, stronger businesses, improved services and a town centre that attracts residents and visitors.

A test of political promises

Redcar’s story reflects a wider question confronting British politics. Can parties that promise to represent overlooked communities deliver the economic improvements those communities need?

Reform UK is attempting to make tax reductions, lower energy costs and a different industrial strategy central to its appeal. Labour and the Conservatives, meanwhile, face pressure to demonstrate that their own economic approaches can provide stable employment and improve living standards.

The proposed £500 annual tax benefit offers a clear message, but its value must be judged alongside its funding, distribution and wider economic effects. A tax cut can help households, yet it cannot by itself replace a major employer, restore lost industrial capacity or guarantee new jobs.

For residents of Redcar, the most meaningful measure of success will be whether their economic prospects improve over time.

The town’s industrial history explains why promises of renewal carry such importance. Its future, however, will depend on practical decisions about investment, employment, skills, infrastructure and the long-term competitiveness of British industry.

Political parties may disagree sharply about the best route forward. What residents need is a clear explanation of what each proposal would cost, how it would be delivered and what measurable benefits it could bring to the community.

The real test will not be who delivers the strongest speech on the seafront. It will be who can turn promises into opportunities that local people can see and experience in their everyday lives.