Take the McDonald’s money Jeremy – and then have the argument about fair wages

Labour was entirely right to turn down the £30,000 offered by McDonald’s to purchase exhibition space at party conference because of the hamburger chain’s poor record on employment rights. It comes down to principles.

Unless, of course, Labour wants to get back in Government.

Then the decision was wrong. And it would be better to take the money and have the argument with Maccy D’s anyway.

That’s because the £30,000 – turned down by the NEC in a decision backed by Jeremy Corbyn – would cover the cost of employing a junior member of Labour party staff. After losing two elections, and seeing a host of major donors waltz off following the election of Corbyn, we need the money. And every additional member of staff should improve the chances of fulfilling our role as an effective opposition.

No-one would suddenly assume that accepting the money would mean Labour or Corbyn is in thrall to the vested interests of the fast-food industry.

After all, we are not talking about a donation; rather it would have been a simple business transaction providing McDonald’s with a stand at autumn conference in Liverpool.

And then we could get down to brass tacks with McDonald’s and raise all the questions Corbyn and I are keen to ask: about low pay, zero-hours contracts, trade union recognition and the sourcing of the burger bar’s food.

But it is harder to do this when Labour has just had a big public row with McDonald’s.

McDonald’s is a huge company, awash with money and confronted with a huge choice of events at which to exhibit. That they decided they wanted to exhibit at Labour conference – at a time when the party is divided, out of government and still searching for a clear message – shows they retain some grudging respect for the official Opposition. At a time when many other do not.

Now that doesn’t make McDonald’s nice or kind or an exemplar employer.  It may mean they are worth talking to, however, rather than snubbing.

It is the historic purpose of the Labour Party to stand up for workers. Increasingly, in an age of consumer power, it is also the purpose of Labour to stand up for shoppers.

In taking the money, and dealing bluntly and politely with McDonald’s, voters might believe we are listening to big business – and having an argument with them about restaurant staff getting a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s frying, which seems in keeping with Labour values.

Instead Labour has been characterised as arguing with major employers, before going back to arguing amongst itself.

Some have suggested the decision to ban McDonald’s was borne out of snobbery by the Labour leadership. Wes Streeting said he was “exasperated” at the party’s attitude towards the chain where he once worked while Ian Austin, whose first job was in the branch on Dudley High Street, also questioned the decision.

I have no idea if this comes down to snobbery. Could the decision have been taken because Corbyn is a falafel-chomping vegetarian? Well this writer hasn’t eaten meat for 13 years, and gets through industrial-sized quantities of falafel each week, but would still have taken the money, for many of the reasons already described.

McDonald’s serves around 3.8 million customers in Britain each day. It is cheap and, vitally for many parents, it is family friendly. For parents on a tight budget, there are relatively few places to take children out to eat. There are plenty of sandwich bars but not many low-cost places to buy affordable hot food for a family of four.

Few people would advise taking the kids to McDonald’s every day, or every week, and I haven’t been for years. But its menu has expanded and looks healthier than when I was occasionally treated to a £2.88 Happy Meal when I was a child at the end of the 1980s.

And if it is good enough for Bill Clinton and Kevin Spacey – as the Blackpool branch proved it was in 2002 – then it is good enough for most of the Labour Party.

So please take the money Jeremy. Continue the argument with McDonald’s. Use the £30,000 to beef-up Labour’s campaigning operation. And try the Vegetable Deluxe.