Having just returned from the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences, our Public Affairs team share their top 10 takeaways and insights. 

From critical policy shifts to personnel changes and emerging challenges, we reveal new developments (and maybe some gossip) and and what they mean for the political landscape and for business.

We hope you enjoy, and should you like to get in touch with the team, you can reach them at publicaffairs@lansons.com 

#1. Putting meat on the growth agenda. 

With ‘growth’ the number one buzzword for this Government, attendees at Labour Conference were keen to understand more about how the Government actually wants to achieve this ambition. 

From our discussions at Conference, the National Wealth Fund, inward and foreign direct investment, and changes to procurement and commercial strategy seem to be front of mind for ministers.

#2. The No. 10 Business Team were the ones to speak to. 

With the Investment Summit and the Budget scheduled in quick succession in the weeks following Conference season, the No. 10 Business team were in high demand but keen to make themselves available. In particular, Varun Chandra, Starmer’s Business and Investment Advisor, was eager to understand from business leaders what their concerns and priorities are, and what they would like to see from Government. 

He will be an influential player in the coming weeks and months, as the Government looks to solidify its relationship with industry amid concerns that business confidence is starting to wane.

#3. The timing of Labour Conference didn’t help ministers, who had their hands tied when it came to policy. 

With a raft of policy reviews ongoing and the Budget yet to come, ministers were unable to talk openly about their plans for Government. At fringe events, they were generally forced to point to whichever review was considering the policy area in question or state that they couldn’t comment on tax or spending ahead of the Budget. 

This dynamic was reflected in the speeches given by the top team, including Starmer’s where there was a lot about the past 14 years and a vague vision of the future, but still little in terms of concrete direction. Remove references to the election win and Starmer’s speech probably could have been given at the 2023 Labour Party Conference.

#4. With the Budget still a way off, the Investment Summit was a primary focus. 

As business leaders wait for Labour to play their hand at the Autumn Budget later in October, the Investment Summit, scheduled roughly two weeks before, was a key focus. Attendees were keen to learn more about what might be revealed at the exclusive event on 14th October, with only 250 CEOs of the UK’s leading organisations due to be in attendance. 

Ministers remained tight-lipped about the programme of events planned, but we did learn that the overriding message will be ‘stability through change’ and creating a ‘concierge service’ for international investors looking to develop in the UK.

#5. The Budget might not deliver all the answers business are hoping for. 

With the hotly anticipated Budget scheduled for the end of the month, the Lansons team learned that instead of the concrete answers which businesses are crying out for, there is likely to be a healthy dose of consultations and green paper publications sitting alongside the Government’s much-awaited industrial strategy and more information to build on its skills agenda. 

#6. Reform to the skills agenda underpins almost every sector. 

Aside from no fewer than 52 fringe events referring to the Government’s ‘missions’, the majority of the hundreds on offer were about the Government’s skills agenda and how Skills England and the reformed Apprenticeship Levy can deliver change and economic growth across all sections of the UK economy. From construction to financial services, ministers, thought-leaders and other panellists were clear that delivering the workforce of the future through the skills agenda will be central to delivering the Government’s key missions, as well as the upcoming Budget. 

There was less consensus, however, around the proposed decision to exclude Level 7 apprenticeships from the Levy funding, which has caused concern among many sectors.

#7. Expect major pensions reform in the coming months. 

Treasury ministers confirmed that the Chancellor has been very focused on the value that could be derived from a review of the pensions landscape, and that changes will be coming before the end of the year. However, reassurances were given that the Treasury does not want to mandate, but incentivise, and that it recognises that the regulator – pensions or otherwise – holds the levers to growth.

#8. The Labour leadership had made themselves clear about discipline for new MPs. 

While the lack of jubilance at Labour Party Conference was not entirely deliberate or orchestrated, there was also a sense that new MPs were under strict instruction not to party too hard and show up the new Government – with one new MP heard to be saying “I’m only allowed one beer. The Whips are watching”. Looking to set themselves apart from the reputation of the previous government and instil a sense of grown-up, effective leadership, all MPs were on their best behaviour and new ministers were incredibly well-informed across their briefs, on display both publicly at fringe events and privately in meetings and roundtables. 

Additionally, many of the new Labour MPs were spreading themselves too thinly across their first Conference season, accepting too many meetings and learning that it is not all glamour on the other side of the table, with one noting, “I just guzzled down a bacon sandwich on the floor next to the loo as I couldn’t find anywhere to sit”.

#9. Conservative Party Conference felt surprisingly cheerful. 

While some Tory MPs were missing their officials – with one former minister telling us “I’m on my own now!” – there was also a sense that a weight has been taken off their shoulders. The past few years have not been easy for the rank and file of the party, going out on media rounds to defend and endless chain of contrasting policies and sticky situations under a succession of leaders. Now, they are free to reset and try to reinvent the party, under significantly less scrutiny. There was a definite feeling that it can’t get any worse, so the only way is up. 

#10. New Tory MPs made impressive starts. 

With most fringes looking at the future of the Conservative Party, a few notable new Tory MPs stood out, including Katie Lam, with many commenting that she seemed well informed, articulate and one to watch. Others included Nick Timothy, Theresa May’s former Chief of Staff, and Lincoln Jopp, a former Colonel in the Army who was doing the rounds at defence policy fringe events.

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