The press and political pundits may have been focussed on clothes, freebies, and fuel allowance revolts at this year’s party conference. Delegates may have been underwhelmed by the lack of euphoria and razzamatazz that one might expect at a political party conference where the hosting party has just won a landslide election victory. And Keir Starmer may not have delivered the most uplifting leaders speech Labour Comrades have ever witnessed.
However, what the government is banking on is that the old adage – ‘It’s the economy stupid’- will be as true at the next election in four- or five-years’ time as it was back in 1992, when the phrase was first coined by Bill Clinton’s top advisor Jim Carville.
For it was the speech on the Monday of conference, delivered by the prime minister’s closest political ally, chancellor Rachel Reeves, that was arguably the most important at the Liverpool gathering.
In a rather understated fashion, the UKs first female chancellor indicated that the Treasury rules around government borrowing may be reformed. This will give her the room she needs to begin to invest in what Labour says – and most of the country feels – is a broken Britain.
Housing, roads, railways, the health service, education, and much more besides is in need of some TLC. Economic growth will only be delivered if we can substantially improve the infrastructure – or the ‘foundations’ – of UK Plc.
On 30th October Reeves will deliver her first budget. She hopes that will outline an ambitious, more optimistic vision than she and her mate in Number 10 have thus far been able to articulate.
If she does that – and then more importantly delivers the change that people desperately crave for – in public transport improvements, skills and training initiatives that make a difference, cuts in NHS waiting lists, and a growing economy – then Labour’s end of Summer trials and tribulations will be forgiven and forgotten.
Can Rachel deliver? I, for one would put my shirt on it.
On the Fringe
There are literally thousands of fringe events and drinks receptions hosted at political party conferences – indeed in Liverpool this week it felt like there were millions!
At many of them, a Minister rocks up, does a five-minute turn, before dashing off to do the same speech at a ‘do’ next door.
Alternatively, you can head into one of the bawdier receptions, where you can find drink flowing, and get a selfie with a mayor, a minister, or a minor celebrity.
It’s fast food for political junkies.
The Downtown in Business network has higher expectations than that, which is why we teamed up this year to host two quality fringe events with our good friends at Best for Britain.
In addition to getting the excellent insights on policy from the BoB chief executive Naomi Smith and her colleagues, our members were able to engage with the Paymaster General and the Minister tasked with resetting the UKs relationship with the EU, Nick Thomas Symonds, at a Leaders Lunch which we hosted for twenty of our members on Monday afternoon; followed by a roundtable dinner for thirty the following evening with the hugely impressive Minister for Energy Miatta Fahnbulleh – she is definitely ‘one to watch’.
We did feed and water our guests. A few of them even got a selfie. But it was the quality of the engagement and conversation that they enjoyed most.
It’s easy getting 100 people in a room. Getting the right 20 – that’s what Downtown does.
