Across history, there are periods of time which define the very fabric of our society for generations to come. The Industrial Revolution, for instance, was seismic, marking the beginning of the modern age and our country’s transition to a modern economy.

We are on the cusp of a similarly significant moment, as Britain looks to accelerate its energy transition. This isn’t just from an environmental perspective, though, of course, we have an urgent responsibility to safeguard our planet.

It is also because the transition also provides a wealth of opportunity for our town, our county and our country, if we are bold enough to seize it.

Suffolk has already contributed towards the early stages of this transition, from the wind farms off our coastline to solar on our roofs and on our land.

However, I know we have so much potential yet to fulfil, too. It is my personal mission to ensure that Britain becomes a world leader in the transition to net zero, and that Suffolk is the engine driving us towards that brighter future.

This isn’t just ambitious rhetoric. Just over 100 days ago, I was elected as Member of Parliament to deliver on these promises. To provide leadership and ambition through action, not just words.

That’s why, last week, I was so pleased to sign a new, groundbreaking agreement with Sizewell C that guarantees 500 jobs for Ipswich residents, and provides significant new investment and opportunities for our town.

The agreement extends far beyond just a jobs guarantee, though, as crucial as that is. This is a deal with positive social and educational impacts that will reverberate around our town for years to come.

It means hundreds of people from across Ipswich will have the chance to train, retrain or upskill, with a view to gaining secure, well-paid, long-term employment.

It also opens up new pathways for our young people by extending the already-ambitious educational agreements with our town’s colleges and our University. Suffolk New College will benefit in particular by: 

- expanding engineering, welding, and fabrication courses

- developing a Welding Centre of Excellence

- scoping an Electrical Engineering Centre of Excellence

- supporting a Regional Construction Skills Roadshow

The agreement also commits Sizewell C to holding two job fairs every year in Ipswich, as well as sponsoring and promoting the Suffolk Future Skills Fair in our town.

It also pledges thousands of pounds of investment for local charities, including those that help people with special educational needs and disabilities - a cause that I am as equally passionate about as the energy transition.

This agreement with Sizewell C is a signal of my intent, and I am just getting started. As Ipswich’s Member of Parliament, I cannot simply sit on my hands, hoping that our town will automatically receive its fair share of benefits.

I know that, to reap the rewards of the new Labour government’s transformational national mission, we must drive forward a positive local agenda too. We simply cannot afford to let these once-in-a-generation opportunities pass our town or our county by.

In that sense, this deal is not the ceiling of my ambition for Ipswich or Suffolk. On the Sizewell project and much else besides, I will continue to fight to make sure that the new Labour government’s core mission - that prosperity and opportunity is spread to working people in every community across our country - is realised.

Yet, as this agreement shows, these are not just the hollow words of a politician. This is what real change looks like. This deal is good for jobs, skills and businesses, but most importantly, it's good for the people of Ipswich.

Jack Abbott is Labour MP for Ipswich