“It’s great to be here talking to you at Queen Mary University of London’s new Ilford Campus today.

“I know that Queen Mary does a significant amount of good for our medical research, and I’m pleased that the Labour and Co-op Party will be realising its full potential should it make its way into government again. We have committed to increasing funding to the NIHCR and MRC — both of which will fund vital studies at QMUL and other research institutions. This will allow QMUL to continue to grow and attract even greater talent from across the country and the world.

“However, I know many of you here today are worried about your jobs — with many of them being insecure and you not knowing how many hours you’ll be doing from one week to the next. And I know from when I was in university that many staff members worked unofficial overtime to try and help their students as much as possible. After all, the vast majority of teachers go into teaching because they enjoy it, not just because it’s another job.

“That’s why I and the Labour and Co-op Party will work with universities and education trade unions to figure out how we can end it. Whether that be by additional government funding, new legislation, or just a compromise between everyone. But I promise you this. If a deal cannot be reached, we will consider whether to introduce new legislation to resolve the situation. And I’m sure the university administrators next door are getting a lil nervous now because they thought I was going to be talking about research only!

_The audience laughs while Kuri uses the moment to take a sip of water._

“But you and I know that a full-time, in-person degree is not always suitable for everyone. I know it wasn’t for me. Maybe you have a medical condition. Or caring responsibilities. Perhaps you just have a full time job already and want a change of career. That’s why we will promote alternative forms of training. In the university sector, that means part-time and remote degrees, and trialling degrees that allow you to take modules at your own pace, as and when you are ready.

“For medicine in particular, we will look to fund over 2000 medical apprenticeships per year. In doing so, we open up a new route into the medical profession for those who prefer a more hands on approach to training, ensuring that no one is locked out of a profession that they would excel in.

“Of course, more people entering medicine will also put more strain on the internal training system of the NHS. Earlier in the election, one of the Lib Dem candidates commented on our manifesto, saying that they were unsure how we would tackle that. Well unfortunately the National Manifesto Hosting System is limited to 8,000 words for some reason, and we didn’t have space to elaborate on those plans. But I’m happy to do so now, to explain to you how Labour and Co-op will ensure this is no longer a problem that students at QMUL will have to face in the future.

“First, we’ll prioritise workforce planning so that the number of training vacancies matches the roles needed at the end. One of the largest bottlenecks is once someone has completed all of their training, only to discover that there’s no role actually available for them. By taking more time to plan in advance, we can identify where roles need to be created, where transfers may need to be offered, and where new training vacancies need to be increased or reduced.

“Second, we’ll boost the funding available for senior clinicians and consultant posts. In doing so, we’ll be making more roles available for those going through the training process.

“Third, we’ll also boost the funding available for the training courses, and attempt to match the core training vacancies to the higher speciality training so that people aren’t stranded at the intermediary stage.

“Fourth, where uncoupled training is still resulting in bottlenecks, we’ll push for the use of run–through training where this would be appropriate for the discipline. This helps better match the end roles to those applying for the training courses.

“Labour and Co-op have plenty of experience resourcing the NHS effectively, being the party that established it. And I am confident that we can tackle the issues that medical students, and other students, face in their studies and beyond. So I ask today for your support tomorrow. Your vote isn’t just a mark on the ballot, but a leap into a better functioning health and education system. And we can bring that about together. Thank you.”

Kuri spends time after the speech to talk to those who attended, talking about their studies and what areas of medicine they intend to go into.