Labour conference 2018: Day Two

The big conference speech of the day is that of the Shadow Chancellor. Taking the main stage this afternoon, John McDonnell will set out his radical plans for employees of large private companies to get part ownership of the firms they work for. Labour says it would make those workers up to £500 a year better off – and some of the revenue from the ‘Inclusive Ownership Funds’ would go back into public services, benefiting the rest of society. It’s a bold policy announcement that has successfully grabbed headlines today.

But in the corridors of Liverpool’s ACC, delegates and other attendees will mostly be talking about last night’s Brexit compositing meeting. In true Labour Party meeting style, it went on for hours and finished close to midnight. Hundreds of CLP delegates and trade unionists worked to reach a unanimous decision on a single Brexit motion that would be debated on the floor.

The initial reaction was for everyone to claim the result as a victory. Remain Labour’s Andrew Lewin particularly highlighted the commitment to “full participation in the single market”, which he interprets as EEA membership being “an absolute minimum”. Pro-EU Corbynite Michael Chessum, who has organised the campaigns of left-wing groups Another Europe is Possible and Labour Campaign for Free Movement, tweeted that it was “not everything we wanted but a clear step forward”. Chessum likes the motion’s commitment to fighting for the “democratisation of European institutions”, which he says “implies we will be a part of them”.

But the composite motion is a bit of a fudge. It is basically in line with what Keir Starmer has already announced: a close single market relationship with features of the EEA, plus a customs union, but all tailored for the UK. And the predictable caveat to another public vote on Brexit is not being able to get a general election. And it isn’t specified whether that referendum would include the option to remain – as David Lammy has pointedly noted in a tweet this morning, calling the alternative “farcical”.

Of course, conference is also buzzing with excitement after the LabourList rally offered barnstorming speeches from Jon Ashworth, Sadiq Khan (“Is Andy Burnham here? Is Steve Rotherham here? Then I’m the mayor of the greatest city in the world!”), Diane Abbott, who – to the surprise of some – said we should focus on fighting the Tories rather than internal democracy, and many more.

This afternoon, I hope to see all of you conference goers at our panel events at 1.30pm and 5.15pm this afternoon in Concourse Room 5: A Woman’s Place is in her Trade Union and The Path to 325: Where Does Labour Need to Win?

Oh, and tonight’s karaoke. Don’t pass up the chance to duet with a Labour frontbencher.

Sienna @siennamarla

Sign up to LabourList’s morning email for everything Labour, every weekday morning.