Uk politics

Monday

Steerpike

Big business struggles to make friends at Labour’s conference

From our UK edition

Big business is back with a vengeance at this year’s Labour conference. Twelve months ago, in the wake of Jeremy Corbyn’s re-election as Labour leader, the party’s gathering was largely shunned by corporate firms. The likes of Google - who had exhibited in 2015 - stayed well away. But in the wake of the party’s relative success at the general election - and with no sign of Corbyn going away any time soon - the companies are back. Google are among those exhibiting at the conference. Microsoft are here, too. And so are BP. But it seems like their efforts might have been in vain.

Katy Balls

Sadiq Khan discovers his inner Corbynista

From our UK edition

When Sadiq Khan spoke at last year's Labour conference, his speech was deemed hostile to Jeremy Corbyn. Fresh from victory in the London mayoral election, Khan managed to say 'power' a whole 38 times – in what was widely interpreted as a thinly-veiled attack on the Labour leader's lack of electoral appeal. So, what a difference a year – and a surprisingly good snap election result – makes. After weeks of rows and attempts to prevent Khan from taking to the stage this year, the Leader's Office must have today been left wondering what the fuss was all about. The Mayor of London fell into line – using his last-minute speaking slot to play it safe with a speech that praised both Corbyn and public sector workers.

The Spectator

Sadiq Khan’s Labour conference speech, full text

From our UK edition

Conference, it's great to be back in Labour Brighton. And it's great to see our Labour Party so fired up under Jeremy Corbyn. Labour confounded all expectations at the general election this year. Let's be clear, Theresa May called this snap election to try and wipe us out. And boy did she fail. It was inspiring to see millions of people vote for the first time - especially so many young people. And it was inspiring to see so many people who used to vote for our Party return home to Labour. We made huge progress in the general election and the credit for that goes to one person – the leader of our party - Jeremy Corbyn. He mobilised our movement. He motivated our activists and reached voters we hadn't reached before.

Isabel Hardman

John McDonnell’s speech showed Labour is now comfortable in its new skin

From our UK edition

If you wanted a clue to how much the Labour Party has changed over the past few years, you wouldn't have had to sit through much more than the first few lines of John McDonnell's conference speech. He started it with the words 'I'd like to thank Ken Loach for that wonderful film'. Loach hasn't been the most loyal supporter of the Labour Party over the years, but is now firmly back in the fold thanks to Jeremy Corbyn. Party members, normally tribally opposed to those who set up rival parties, gave the veteran filmmaker a standing ovation. The Labour Party has been changing for a while, but this conference is showing that it is now comfortably settled into its new Corbynite skin.

Steerpike

Labour MP: ‘It’s a pleasure to be here in Bristol… Brighton’

From our UK edition

Labour is gathering in Brighton but it seems that simple fact is news to some of those taking to the stage at the party's conference. Shadow Scottish Secretary Lesley Laird kicked off her speech by doing her best to endear herself to those in the audience. The only problem? She told those in the Brighton centre that it was a 'pleasure to be here in Bristol'. She then attempted an exercise in damage limitation: Only 200 miles out...

Steerpike

Corbynistas fail to practise what they preach

From our UK edition

TFL's decision not to renew Uber's licence in the capital has gone down like a cup of cold sick with many Londoners – including a good chunk of the 40,000 drivers who will soon be out of work. However, over at Labour conference in Brighton, the decision has proved very popular. It's been praised at the fringe events, by Labour politicians and just today Tim Roache –  the General Secretary of GMB – has spoken at conference where he called on all Labour members to boycott the taxi firm. Alas Mr S thinks his words may have fallen on deaf ears. So far, several conference attendees trying to get an Uber to or around the centre have found themselves hit by a surge charge.

Tom Goodenough

Ignoring Brexit to spare Corbyn’s blushes is a price worth paying for some

From our UK edition

Labour’s Brexit row rumbles on. While the issue won’t be the subject of a vote at the party’s annual gathering, that isn’t stopping delegates from tearing scraps out of each other in the conference hall over the issue. This morning’s session was dedicated to giving delegates a chance to talk shop on Brexit. It’s true that much of it was good natured. But some of those who took to the stage were booed for their troubles. One such delegate earned the disapproval of the audience for accusing Labour delegates of doing nothing to stop the Tories pursuing their Brexit agenda. He told those in the hall: 'We will be remembered as the opposition that let the Tories do what they want on Brexit’.

Nick Hilton

Labour’s biggest danger is falling for the cult of Corbyn

From our UK edition

Labour conference has begun in earnest – earnest being the operative word, as Brighton finds itself swamped with Jeremy Corbyn’s credulous acolytes, buoyant from the success of their hero’s election campaign, just three months ago. Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite, told conference this morning that ‘we stand on the shoulder of a giant, and that giant is the Labour manifesto 2017’. Rapturous applause greeted him but it was nothing compared to the applause that filled the hall a few minutes later when a tinsel-furnished portrait of Jeremy Corbyn was paraded across the floor. Currently at #Lab17... #NotACult pic.twitter.

Matthew Lynn

We need a free market in credit cards – just like everything else

From our UK edition

There are some commercial decisions that are intrinsically difficult to defend. The plot of the last Captain America film, for example. Ryanair’s charges for bags that are slightly too big. The price of the new iPhone, and just about anything done by the lovable folks over at Foxtons. Credit cards changes come very close to that category. Almost but not quite. In fact, if the Labour party gets its way, and imposes controls on them, we may find that out to our cost. In what will probably be the first of a whole week of populist measures, the shadow chancellor John McDonnell today announced that, if in office, he would impose limits on what could be charged on cards. No one would have to pay back more than they originally borrowed.

Steerpike

The Beast of Bolsover takes centre stage at conference

From our UK edition

Sadiq Khan had to fight for his speaking slot at this year's Labour’s conference. But while it was apparently difficult to squeeze in a politician with one of the largest personal mandates in Europe, making room for the Beast of Bolsover was not so tricky, it seems. Dennis Skinner was on familiar territory in his speech: bashing the Tories and talking of abolishing zero-hour contracts. He also returned to another favourite subject: the Queen. ‘It really gets to me when they talk about the Queen’s head being privatised,’ he joked. Skinner also had a revelation for the audience on how Labour would fund its plans if it ever made it into government. There has been much talk of the Tories’ magic money tree funding their own pact with the DUP.

James Kirkup

What the threat to Laura Kuenssberg says about the country we live in

From our UK edition

For perfectly understandable reasons, neither she nor her employers want to talk about it, but the fact that Laura Kuenssberg of the BBC is covering the Labour Party conference in Brighton accompanied by a bodyguard is an outrage that has not been greeted with the anger and disgust it merits. Imagine, for a second, if you heard this story – first revealed by Charles Moore in The Spectator earlier this year – about a foreign country. Imagine a country where a journalist could not go about the basic task of reporting a political meeting without fear of physical attack. Would you consider that country to be a fully functioning democracy?

The Spectator

John McDonnell’s Labour conference speech, full text

From our UK edition

I’d like to thank Ken Loach for that wonderful film and thank Ken for his incredible contribution to our movement. Can I also thank the Shadow Treasury Team: Peter Dowd our Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury; Anneliese Dodds; Jonathon Reynolds; Denis Tunnicliffe; Bryan Davies and my brilliant PPS Karen Lee Only a few months ago we were 24 points behind in the polls. Our opponents and virtually every political commentator = those two groups are often interchangeable by the way - they predicted that we would be wiped out in the general election. I said then in interview after interview that the polls would narrow and we would shock them all. Not many believed me. And let’s be honest until you saw the exit polls, most of you were pretty on edge too, weren’t you?

Steerpike

Emily Thornberry’s low blow over Boris

From our UK edition

Oh dear. As the speeches get underway on day two of Labour conference, Emily Thornberry has kicked off proceedings with a low blow aimed at the Foreign Secretary. Rather than attack her opposite number for his policies alone, the shadow foreign secretary appeared to try and make a jibe about Boris Johnson's personal life as she went on the offensive over Brexit: 'Let’s all take a second to sympathise with poor old Boris. Come on, just a second. He’s not been happy lately. Apparently he’s sick of being blamed for the way that Brexit is going, and all the broken promises of the leave campaign. I’m sorry, what? Like, what? Who does he think made all those promises? Who does he think was in charge of the leave campaign?

Steerpike

Watch: John Prescott turns nasty when asked about his expenses

From our UK edition

Piers Morgan seemed to hit a nerve during his interview with John Prescott this morning. Two Jags popped up on Good Morning Britain to talk about party unity. Prescott - something of a recent convert to the Corbyn cause, having criticised the Labour leader in the run-up to the election - was feeling positive about Labour’s chances. Yet when he was asked about matters closer to home - his expenses as a peer in the House of Lords - he changed his tune somewhat: PM: How much are you earning in the House of Lords these days? JP: I get £300. £150 goes to my secretary and £150 goes to a hotel. Do you do that? Do you spend all your bloody expenses? No you don’t. You’re coining it in and asking me about £300.

Steerpike

Sadiq Khan speaks

From our UK edition

This year's Labour party conference line-up has been as much about who's not speaking than who is. After Sadiq Khan was denied a speaking slot, a tussle broke out between the unions, Labour HQ and the Leader's Office over whether the London mayor should be allowed to speak. As things stand, he is now expected to be granted a platform in the hall this afternoon. However, given that just yesterday one Labour member took to the stage to call for Khan to be blocked from speaking as they see him on TV 'all the time', nothing is guaranteed.

Katy Balls

Labour MPs on the rampage over Brexit boycott

From our UK edition

Well, that lasted long. Despite hopes for a show of unity at this year's Labour conference, the peace came to an abrupt end on its first day after members voted so that Brexit was not picked in the 'priority ballot'. This means that while there will still be a discussion on Brexit, there will be no motion to vote on – rendering it all rather meaningless. Helpfully for journalists, this decision came just minutes before the annual Progress rally. Progress is the Blairite pro-EU wing of the party – and in recent years, its main conference event has  begun to resemble a group therapy session for down-and-out centrists.

Tom Goodenough

Labour’s conference, day two: The Spectator guide

From our UK edition

John McDonnell takes centre stage on day two of the Labour party conference. Here are the best of the events taking place at conference, on the fringes and at Momentum's 'The World Transformed': Labour conference: 10.50am: Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry 11am: Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer 12.15pm: Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell 2.15pm: Living standards and strong economy 3.35pm: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Fringe events: 8am: Engineering Brexit Ruinart, Hotel du Vin. Speaker: Hilary Benn 8am: The Times and Sunday Times Red Box Fringe London Lounge, The Brighton Centre. Speaker: Angela Rayner 9.15am: Powering a nation: A strategy for Britain’s future post Brexit New Statesman hub, British Airways.

Sunday

Isabel Hardman

Labour’s Soft Left goes on the offensive

From our UK edition

The Labour Party is starting this conference season in its most confident mood for years - even though it still isn’t in government. It’s not just the confidence of the party’s leader as he makes demands on public spending which would previously have been dismissed, but also what MPs and activists are now calling for as they stand up at fringe meetings. They may not have won an election, but they have started to regain the political narrative, and so they are in a considerably less defensive mood than over the past few years. Take tonight’s Open Labour fringe rally. Open Labour is a ‘soft left’ pressure group in the party, though there was nothing soft about tonight’s event. It kicked off with a passionate speech from newly-elected MP Emma Hardy.

Tom Goodenough

Labour keeps Brexit off the menu at their party conference

From our UK edition

Brexit has given the Labour party something of a collective headache ever since the referendum. Now, the party is trying a new approach: pretending it doesn’t exist. The party’s annual conference has just decided which issues will be voted on by those gathering in Brighton – and the issue of leaving the EU failed to make the cut. Brexit got 72,000 votes in a ballot of Constituency Labour Party delegates. But because other issues, including the NHS (187,000), social care (145,000), housing (187,000) and railways (120,000), got more, Brexit won’t now be the subject of a vote. This is a win for Momentum, who appear to have used their clout in terms of numbers among CLP delegates to good effect, ensuring Brexit won’t be the subject of a vote.

Matthew Taylor

Sunday shows round-up: Corbyn’s single market dilemma

From our UK edition

Jeremy Corbyn - We need to 'look very carefully' at any future EU trade relationship As the Labour party conference in Brighton gets underway, Jeremy Corbyn put in an appearance on The Andrew Marr Show. Of particular interest, was Labour's position on the single market – particularly whether the Labour leader was prepared to change his mind after pressure from party members and senior Labour figures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQhSp8M7JUY AM: 66 per cent of your party members want to stay inside the single market. Will you listen to them? JC: Of course I will listen to them. What I would say is that the important priority is to ensure that we have a tariff free trade access to the European market. Half of all our trade is with Europe...