A town that is a major player in British manufacturing has been crushed under Labour, locals say. Redditch had been the sort of place Labour had promised to reward in its election campaign, having vowed to support hard-working people.

But over the last few months, joblessness has risen faster than anywhere else in the UK in the town of 80,000. Redditch had a strong employment market before Labour’s victory, with just 2.5% of its residents unemployed. That is roughly one in 40 people. However, it rose to 5.6% in the year to September 2025, above the national rate. Local businesses say Labour is cripping the manufacturing industry, after Rachel Reeves’ Budget blow last year.

James Leng, the boss of manufacturing company Pre-Met, said a dozen businesses similar to his around Redditch had fallen into administration in the last 18 months.

“The Government are sleepwalking into killing an industry and then wondering why they can’t produce the most basic of metal components that go into the most basic products,” he told the Telegraph.

“If it carries on the way it is, Redditch will continue to be the bellwether of rising unemployment.”

The company employs around 55 staff and ships metal components for trains, aeroplanes and fuses across the globe.

He said that “directly as a result of that Budget”, when Rachel Reeves announced an increase to minimum wage and employer National Insurance contributions, costs increased by about £60,000 to £70,000 overnight, equivalent to the cost of two employees.

He said that while the team were inundated with calls from recruiters, often to place people who had been made redundant from nearby businesses, he could not hire. He has luckily managed to avoid redundancies.

In the town centre, shops have also closed. Just last month, Smiggle had its final day of trading on February 22. The Cancer Research UK store in Redditch has also been pinned for closure.

Locals told the Telegraph about their endless search for work, recounting how they had applied to dozens of jobs for months without success.

At the Old Needle Works Foundation in Redditch, which offers support to people who are struggling, they said the food bank was becoming increasingly busier.

“More and more people are coming through the door who are unemployed. There’s a mixture of people. There have been redundancies,” said Louise Potter, the manager.

Reddich will be an important marginal seat in the upcoming election. From 1997, when it was created, it was held by Labour until the Tories took over in 2010.

Labour took it back in 2024 by just 800 votes; however, it is now a key target for Nigel Farage’s party. According to the Electoral Calculus, Reform UK has an 86% chance of winning the next vote.