Party Conference Updates
Go-Ape into a successful business.
Arriving in Liverpool for Labour’s annual Party Conference, you would imagine that a newly elected Government would be in the mood to celebrate? But, despite turning 14 years of opposition into one of the largest majorities in Parliament, the mood on Merseyside felt distinctly flat – even accounting for the (mostly) dreadful weather. The reason is simple. Given the timing of the General Election, the Party Conference came before the Budget – something which is without precedent for a Labour Government. And so MPs, party members and business leaders all turned up asking questions. But the Government’s lips remained sealed. What’s more, this was the biggest Labour party conference ever. More than 20,000 delegates crammed into the conference centre. Business Day, where hundreds of senior business leaders gather to hear from senior Ministers, sold out in hours. Such was the attendance at each event that chance meetings were rare and opportunities for meaningful conversations were few and far between. But, a programme of meetings for FBUK, planned in advance, led to plenty of very good conversations with stakeholders and organisations whose members share a common interest in retaining Business Property Relief. Perhaps the most important meeting was a 30 minute one-to-one conversation with the special adviser to the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds. Labour’s mission-driven government means that where issues span more than one government department advisers will work together to find a solution.
that built Go-Ape into a successful business.
Contrast the rather subdued atmosphere in Liverpool to the positively boisterous mood in Birmingham for the Conservative Party Conference. It was obviously less well-attended than Labour. But, freed from the responsibility of government and buoyed by the prospect of political renewal under new leadership, the party conference was buzzing. FBUK attended SME day. An opportunity to renew connections with long-time family business supporter Kevin Hollinrake, now the Shadow Housing Secretary, and make new connections with MPs like Jerome Mayhew who, it turns out, has connections to a family business and was part of the team that built
Business Property Relief is high on the agenda for Conservative politicians. In the shadow business department there is a clear understanding of BPR as a positive story that supports growth, jobs and opportunity. With just 121 seats in Parliament, the Conservatives make no bones of the fact that they cannot oppose the Government (403 seats) and, under a new leader, Shadow Cabinet posts will change. But having conversations in these environments is crucial. Most Conservative MPs will be in Parliament for the next five years where they can champion family businesses.
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