Labour Party Conference: CBI activity roundup

Last week, CBI Director-General, Carolyn Fairbairn, Deputy Director-General, Josh Hardie, and UK Policy Director, Mathew Fell, attended the Labour Party Conference in Brighton.

Over the course of the conference, the CBI met key political stakeholders to strengthen relationships, discuss Labour’s policy announcements and detail CBI policy priorities ahead of a prospective general election this year.

Listen to the CBI’s podcast on the key takeaways for business from Labour conference

A key highlight was Carolyn and Matthew’s meeting with Rebecca Long-Bailey, Shadow Business Secretary. Taking place after Labour confirmed plans to introduce a zero-carbon economy by 2030 – 20 years earlier than currently planned – Carolyn stressed the need to match ambition with deliverability.

Carolyn and Matthew went on to argue that, alongside agreeing an attainable target, it is vital Labour works with business to put in place a strategy to achieve the transition to a zero-carbon economy. This must include the party reviewing its renationalisation proposals that risk disrupting the investment needed in the energy sector to decarbonise.

This message of partnership featured prominently in many of the CBI’s other engagements across the conference.

Focus on people

Elsewhere, Matthew Fell met with Shadow Education Minister, Gordon Marsden MP, to discuss the CBI’s skills agenda and businesses’ priorities for reform. Here, Matthew highlighted businesses’ concerns on the Apprenticeship Levy, citing the experience of many of the CBI’s members in being able to access and deliver the quality training they need. He went on to outline the CBI’s ambition to see the policy reformed to ensure it’s more flexible and responsive to the needs of the economy.

The importance of skills reform was also a key topic of conversation in Carolyn Fairbairn’s meeting with North of Tyne Metro Mayor, Jamie Driscoll. Carolyn stressed the importance of devolution in creating the right environment and structures to address regional skills challenges. Alongside this, Carolyn and the Mayor also talked about the pressing importance for business and government to work together to tackle barriers to trade and improve the UK’s exporting performance.

Key engagements

During its engagement programme in Brighton, the CBI also engaged with key players in the wider Labour movement, including Unite General Secretary, Len McCluskey and Crossbench Peer, Lord Kerslake. In both these introductory meetings, Carolyn outlined the CBI’s policy priorities and importance of business, the Labour Party and the Unions working together in partnership to build a more prosperous society.

Alongside these private meetings, the CBI also hosted its conference fringe event in partnership with BVCA, which brought together MPs, business leaders and Labour Party activists to discuss the state of the UK economy.

The event featured speeches from Shadow Chief Secretary, Peter Dowd MP, TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, BVCA Director General, Tim Hames and Carolyn Fairbairn, with all participants discussing how business, unions and Labour can work in partnership to tackle the challenges facing the economy. Echoing the CBI’s key message of partnership, Carolyn noted the importance of Labour working together with business to develop policies, avoiding a one size fits all approach that would not work for business.