Sir Keir Starmer visits Suffolk New College

Around 250 guests, students, staff, community leaders and industry partners welcomed Sir Keir Starmer to Suffolk New College.

During the visit, the prime minister outlined a commitment to invest at least 14.2bn in Sizewell C, a new power station that will be based near Leiston in Suffolk.

Sir Keir also took questions from learners that included how the government plans to ensure students from rural areas have access to education and opportunities.

He also met the local student council and praised Suffolk New College for the ‘huge range of work’ that it is involved in – including being ‘a vital link to Sizewell’.

Several students also got to have a personal chat with the PM. They included Caitlin Fenn, 18, from Ipswich who is on a level three electrical installation qualification. In terms of chatting to the leader of the country, Caitlin said: “It was great, such an experience. He is very down to earth. We talked about what I want to do. It was amazing.”

Before Sir Keir addressed the audience, two students from Suffolk New College Maliki and Leo Banfield introduced him. Maliki, 18, from Ipswich is on a T Level engineering course and described his meeting with the PM as ‘breathtaking’.

Leo, 18, from Ipswich is also on a T Level engineering course. He said: “We talked about apprenticeships. Meeting the prime minister is not something you do every day.”

Alan Pease, principal and CEO of the college was delighted with the visit. He said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Sir Keir to Suffolk New College. He toured various departments and showed a genuine interest in what our staff, students and stakeholders had to say.

“The fact he chose to come and see us to make such a major announcement that supports the future of our country was a great honour.”

Alan Pease, principal and CEO of the college was delighted with the visit. He said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Sir Keir to Suffolk New College. He toured various departments and showed a genuine interest in what our staff, students and stakeholders had to say.

“The fact he chose to come and see us to make such a major announcement that supports the future of our country was a great honour.”

Earlier in the year, Sizewell C announced plans to build a new post-16 college for its host town in Suffolk – a move that could transform higher education access in the area and ensure a long-term skills legacy for the region.    

The Further Education (FE) college will be delivered in partnership with Suffolk New College and will be an extension of their current local provision, known as ‘On the Coast’. It will be a permanent high-quality post-16 education facility for Leiston, which will deliver comprehensive, multi-site education and training.