Largan column: 'We must follow Roosevelt's New Deal approach'

In his latest column, High Peak MP Robert Largan explains why he feels the government has to follow the same approach as former US president Franklin Roosevelt and his 'New Deal' to get to grips with the country's economic crisis.

We are now engaged in a national debate on how to shape the economic recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic. These past few months have raised serious questions about the vulnerabilities and inequalities that exist in our economy.

It is right that the Government should find inspiration in the actions of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his ‘New Deal’. When FDR was running for the presidency at the height of the Great Depression, he made the case for “bold, persistent experimentation”. As we get to grips with the greatest economic crisis this country has faced since the 1930s, I believe we have to follow this very same approach.

FDR assembled a team of the country’s best minds to do everything possible to help America to recover. This led to many dead ends, but it also led to huge triumphs, many of which continue to define America. This included the building of major new infrastructure projects like the Hoover Dam. This country needs a similar burst of government activity.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, the future President, was on the frontline of this transformation of America when he became a Congressman in 1937. Johnson fought tooth and nail for the electrification of rural Texas, his home state, going so far as to lobby FDR personally, and successfully secured the funding he needed to get dams built on the Lower Colorado River.

Rural communities still need an active government to experiment and collaborate. Government can deliver a powerful impact on rural Britain by turbo-charging the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband. I have raised this in Parliament directly with the Prime Minister, urging him to keep his promise on full gigabit-coverage by 2025.

Through major investment and planning reform, government can get gigabit-capable broadband rolled out quickly. This would ensure the High Peak enjoys the best possible digital connections with the rest of the UK economy.

By embracing the ambitious spirit of FDR’s New Deal, I believe that government really can unite and level up the country. This means we have to build, build and build again.

In the chamber of the House of Commons, in meetings with ministers, and in Transport Select Committee hearings, I have consistently spoken up for real change for the High Peak. From building the Mottram bypass to upgrading the Hope Valley line, I am making the voices of local people heard in Westminster.

Being an independent-minded moderate does not simply mean defending the status quo. It means defending the best features of our democracy while embracing bold reform for the benefit of the whole community. This is how we can improve and strengthen our economy for the future.