Dear John,

This week conference season shifted to rainy Liverpool for Labour’s annual jamboree where the group put on their first set-piece event as a governing party in 15 years. 

As usual Best for Britain were there and can fill you in on everything you might have missed and more.  Let's get into it, shall we?

From doom to dreaming

Beset by a sticky ethics scandal, brutal Whitehall briefings and plummeting opinion poll ratings, it’s fair to say the Labour Party didn’t go into their annual conference in the position they would’ve liked. Forget any kind of honeymoon period.

But despite the initial downbeat mood, it wasn’t all bad. And in-fact some of it was actually quite good, with Starmer and his top team delivering a series of generally well-received speeches which, while light on policy, were heavy on optimism. Much needed after two and a half months of incessant doom-mongering.

According to the PM there is in fact “light at the end of the tunnel”. Even if that tunnel is really really long.

The economic elephant

At the centre of discussions that took place over the four days both in the conference centre and on the fringes were Labour’s five missions. One of which stood out above all others: growth. Or more specifically, to get the UK’s economic growth to the highest sustained level in the G7 by the end of Labour’s first term.

Between keynote speeches from the Chancellor and the Prime Minister, there were 20 separate mentions of the term. And with food prices rocketing, public services crumbling and our universities on the brink of bankruptcy, it’s clear why. 

It was therefore disappointing that Brexit - which continues to stifle trade, drive up costs and deprive business of key opportunities - only got the most minor of mentions.

Doing our bit

But not to worry, Best for Britain were there in Liverpool keeping up the pressure on those within and beyond Parliament, hosting several round-table discussions in partnership with Downtown in Business to talk about resetting the UK’s relationship with the EU ahead of the TCA in 2026.

Liz gives back

In an unexpected gift to Labour, Liz Truss took to X/Twitter on the second day of conference to publicly celebrate the two year anniversary of her notoriously disastrous mini-budget. Arguing that despite what economists, bankers and literally everyone else says, it definitely would have worked if it “hadn’t been undermined by the economist establishment”. Sure Liz, sure. 

On the very morning when the Chancellor had to remind everyone that the Tories had ruined the economy, there was Liz Truss doing her job for her. How lucky can you get?

In other news….Liz Truss orders her books by colour group. Surprisingly unsurprising.

Brexit Corner

Cross-industry complaints

This week it was reported that exporters of plants and flowers from mainland Europe are turning their backs on supplying Britain as Brexit border checks put relationships at breaking point. 

While this side of the Channel, the UK’s biggest dairy provider warned that labour shortages are undermining the country’s food security as wage inflation and the end of freedom of movement squeeze production and force farmers to reduce their herds.

Cross-party solutions

Among Best for Britain’s recommendations for fixing the problems Britain faces after Brexit are:

1 - Beneficial alignment with the EU on standards and regulations 

2 - A visa system that works for the UK, based on a more pragmatic approach to immigration - i.e. one informed by the labour market 

Yay for youth mobility

On a brighter note, the EU ambassador to the UK Pedro Serrano told Times Radio this week that he believes a youth mobility scheme will be agreed, despite previous briefings that the Government did not have any plans for one. 

If so, this would be a major breakthrough for UK-EU relations; one which Best for Britain has been specifically campaigning for.

Plea for peace

The Prime Minister spent the latter half of the week at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where he and other delegates confronted the not so small issue of “all out war” in the Middle East. Gulp. Also on the agenda was military aid to Ukraine and the worsening situation in Sudan. 

Addressing these issues and more, Starmer recommitted the UK to “the UN, to internationalism, to the rule of law”, as well as a return to “responsible global leadership.” All things Best for Britain can get behind.

🫣 Cringe Column 😬

And that’s all from us this week!

Martha Harrison
Press Manager
Best for Britain