ON July 4 2024 a new government was elected and after 14 years of misery and austerity, I welcome the fact that Labour is now in charge and that we have a real opportunity to see policies that were promised prior to the election enacted.

We have reason to be optimistic going forward over the next five years. After all, Labour has a thumping majority, so they can make legislative changes to make the lives of working-class people better with a New Deal for Workers that is wide-ranging.

There is an opportunity to have growth in our economy, with no communities being left behind; Labour needs to be brave and implement those changes.

I am not suggesting that there is a magic wand, and everything will be fine after the next few weeks. Our public services have been decimated over the last 14 years and it will take time to put right the cuts and devastation that we have seen in prisons, the criminal justice system, NHS, schools, fire service, railways and other industries.

Our communities need rebuilding, as the foundations and infrastructures are badly lacking due to funding cuts. There is a lack of affordable housing — we need to get back to producing and building council houses and having decent fit-for-purpose jobs where trade unions are recognised in workplaces and seen as part of the solution rather than the problem.

That is how you stimulate the economy into growth. We simply cannot wait for growth to occur before enacting these crucially needed investments into our communities up and down the country.

I understand when politicians claim there is no money, and we have the worst finances since the second world war but it depends on which lens you are looking through.

For example, governments always find money for war, they do not close the loopholes on tax avoidance which is running at £1.5 billion, and tax evasion at £5.5bn, if recent estimates are accurate.

Some things will not cost this government a penny, such as restoring the right to strike to prison officer grades, who have been deprived of this basic human right since 1994 — some 30 years ago.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) will never give up on its campaign for those rights to be restored. The POA supports the New Deal for Workers, but the anti-trade union legislation needs to be repealed.

The POA is a proud sponsor and supporter of the Durham Miners’ Gala, and we hope it continues to go from strength to strength.

Let us all remember this is the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike. Whole communities were decimated, with some never recovering meaningful jobs and opportunities.

Many people from those communities have been badly let down by mainstream politics over a long period and it will take much persuading that their lives will be better under a Labour government.

The best way to demonstrate that a Labour government is on the side of working-class people is to put in place policies that work in our communities with no-one being, or feeling that they are being, left behind.

Labour must deliver on this over the next five years because if it doesn’t, there will be people throughout the country who will turn to far-right groups — groups that are populist and cannot deliver. These groups pretend they have the solutions to make people’s lives better, but in reality they are divisive and create politics of hate and split the communities that we live and work in.

The trade union movement must play a vital part in moving this country forward, but this Labour government has a brilliant opportunity, through the New Deal for Workers, to make things more balanced and favourable. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed and it needs to deliver in order to fix a broken Britain.

I look forward to the weekend, but I also look forward to the start of an inquiry into Orgreave. Let us never forget we need justice for those communities. Have a great gala.

Steve Gillan is general secretary of the POA.