32% of jobs in former Labour 'red wall' seats could be lost to automation by 2030, report claims

Boris Johnson pledged to rebuild trust among ex-Labour voters in Durham after the 'red wall' fell (Picture: PA)

Nearly one third of jobs in former Labour 'red wall' seats won by the Tories are at risk of being lost to automation by 2030, a report has claimed.

The report, written by think tank Future Advocacy, projects 32 per cent job losses in the former Labour heartlands. This is 2 per cent above their projected average of 30 per cent,

The area set to suffer the highest job losses is Haywood and Middleton, which could lose 39.3 per cent of jobs to automation.

Boris Johnson's constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip is set to lose 31 per cent. While Jeremy Corbyn's Islington North constituency is projected to lose 26.3 per cent.

Heatmap of areas set to lose the most jobs to automation (Future Advocacy)

The key factor in the analysis is which industries each constituency contains.

"John McDonnell's constituency has one of the highest levels of automation, due to its proximity to Heathrow airport", Anna Pick, a researcher at the think tank said.

She added: "Healthcare, education, and the creative industries are the lowest."

McDonnell's constituency is set to lose 39% of jobs to automation (PA)

Ms Pick warned that the effects will be unevenly spread across the UK, with the north suffering in particular.

"The effects will be unevenly spread across the country.

"A particular focus of this report was the red wall where we see 32 per cent job losses compared to the nationals figure of 30 per cent."

The report warns of significant geographical divides.

"We are seeing a north south divide as well as a country and city divide."

Future Advocacy have called upon the government to double down on its promise to "level-up" the UK's work force.

"The government is definitely saying that it's committed to levelling up in multiple ways", Ms Pick said.

"We think that there needs to be more done."

Mr Johnson has promised to 'level-up' the UK's workforce (Jeremy Selwyn)

In response to their findings, Future Advocacy are calling for greater investment in infrastructure, such as broadband, and a "fine tuned policy approach".

"We know that an adequate policy response will have to take account of different skills", Ms Pick said.

"We need a fine tuned policy approach, one that takes into account different demographic groups across the country."

She added: "We are hoping that the government will do more research into the fine detail."