In this month’s Personally Speaking , David has written about the deep pride shared in the region’s pottery industry.

However, warm words alone are not enough. On the 4th of March, he will lead a debate in Parliament, calling for greater government support to ensure the kilns keep firing and the industry continues to thrive.

Read David’s Personally speaking below:

When people think of Stoke-on-Trent, the first thing that comes to mind, both for me and for so many others, is pottery. Our city’s proud history as the home of the ceramics industry is known worldwide. Just last week, friends on the other side of the planet sent me a photo of a cabinet filled with Wedgwood teapots, followed by an image of cups and saucers made right here in Stoke-on-Trent, found at an antiques market. The craftsmanship, skill, and innovation that have defined this city for centuries still play a crucial role in our local economy, providing jobs, preserving our heritage, and keeping British ceramics at the forefront of global markets.

But for me, it’s more than just history, it’s personal. My mum and grandad worked in the potbanks of Tunstall and Burslem. Like so many in our city, they were part of an industry that built communities, shaped lives, and put Stoke-on-Trent on the map. That’s why I can’t stand by and watch it fade away.

Our ceramics industry has faced serious challenges. Globalisation has reshaped manufacturing, driving production overseas. High-energy industries like ours have struggled for years, and after Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget, energy bills shot up, with some firms seeing their costs double or even triple overnight. Yet the problem runs deeper than that. Fourteen years of failure have left Britain’s energy security in tatters, forcing us to rely on tyrants like Putin to keep the lights on and the kilns fired. The government should have invested in stable, affordable, clean energy produced here in Britain. Instead, they left us exposed, and we’re all paying the price.

But it’s not just energy costs that are threatening British ceramics, it’s unfair competition too. Too often, cheap counterfeits and low-quality imports flood the market, undercutting the work of skilled local people who create high-quality products. Our manufacturers take pride in what they produce, but they can’t compete with a flood of imports made in countries with weaker environmental and labour protections. The government must step up and introduce stronger anti-dumping measures to stop unfair competition from putting jobs at risk.

When I speak to local ceramics businesses, they tell me the same thing: they want to embrace the future, and they understand the need for sustainability. But they need real support to make that transition. The move to greener energy isn’t just about the environment, it’s about survival. The question isn’t whether we transition, but how we do it in a way that protects jobs, preserves heritage, and keeps industry here in Stoke-on-Trent.

I was heartbroken when I learned of Royal Stafford’s closure. Families who had spent generations working in ceramics were left without jobs. We cannot allow any more of our industry to disappear due to a lack of support. That’s why, on Tuesday 4th March, I’ll be leading a debate in Parliament on energy cost support for ceramics businesses in North

Staffordshire. I know exactly how much this matters to local businesses, to people’s livelihoods, and to our heritage.

We need real action to stabilise energy prices, so firms aren’t at the mercy of sudden spikes. We need investment in greener technology so companies can modernise without risking their survival. And we need to make sure British manufacturers can compete on fair terms, free from the pressure of cheap imports and unfair trade practices.

This isn’t just about industry, it’s about identity. It’s about families like mine, who built their lives in the potbanks, and the thousands of people across our city still working in ceramics today. If we don’t act, more businesses will close, more jobs will be lost, and our ceramics industry, the heart of Stoke-on-Trent, will keep shrinking. But if we get this right, we can secure a thriving, sustainable future for ceramics and protect one of our city’s greatest industrial legacies.

I’m not willing to let that slip away.