Good morning, and welcome to LabourList‘s conference round-up. I’ll be in your inbox every morning, keeping tabs from the bitter beginning (now) to the bitter end (some point on Wednesday afternoon).
My colleague Katie will be keeping on top of the action on conference floor, and will be reading through the Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) report every morning so you don’t have to. You can find her report on this morning’s CAC document here, and follow us on our site and on social media throughout the day for her reporting on all the action in the hall.
Our editor Tom also has a running tracker on all the policies announced at conference – keep an eye on what’s been pledged so far here.
If you’re at conference, we want to hear from you – tips, advice, gossip, spicy fringes, weird fringes, good politician jokes, bad politician jokes, shadow cabinet members committing animal abuse, someone looking at you funny, you name it – get in touch by replying to this email or hitting us up on social media.
Women’s conference
Of course, this morning isn’t actually the beginning. Women hold up half the sky (or 3/4 of the LabourList staff team. Boss is still a bloke though, which is probably illustrative. Sorry Tom), and yesterday was Labour’s women’s conference, complete with some policy announcements.
Party chair and Shadow Equalities Secretary Anneliese Dodds said parties will have to publish candidate diversity data, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said police will “relentlessly pursue” those who pose threat to women through a new perpetrator programme, and deputy leader Angela Rayner said employers will face a new duty to take reasonable steps to stop sexual harassment. Among the successful motions was a plan backed by the GMB trade union to step up commitments to deliver equal pay; GMB’s Rhea Wolfson has a write up on the motion and why it matters for LabourList.
Priorities ballot
The priorities ballot – which will decide which motions are discussed at conference, and which aren’t – is today. It’s one step of a long, long process: CLPs and affiliates could submit motions to conference until late September. These motions were then checked over by the CAC, which groups them into subjects and checks that they’re “in order”. Today, CLP delegates will vote for the six subjects they want to discuss, with affiliates picking another six. The motions for these twelve subjects will then be composited this evening, meaning they’ll be worked together into one motion per subject area (with some stuff left on the cutting room floor). And then we get to see if those motions pass in the coming days! The thrill, the rush, of internal democracy! Doesn’t it make you feel alive!
Protests
Conference Confidential
CONGRATS! Labour Party Conference is so popular this year that one couple is even choosing to honeymoon here. Party members Sian Humphries, nee Alexander, and Garreth Humphries – both from Kingston upon Hull CLP – tied the knot on Friday, before heading straight to Liverpool to continue the celebrations at #Lab23. Sian is the newly appointed Training Officer for Labour Women’s Network, and a graduate of the Jo Cox Women in Leadership Scheme. Mazel tov!
WHAT A SAD LITTLE LIFE: The uncanny resemblance between Labour Party general secretary David Evans and, uh, the “what a sad little life” man from the television programme “Come Dine With Me” has often been commented upon, not least by me. At last we’ve heard from the man himself on the matter – brandishing a print out of his doppelgänger, Evans reportedly confirmed to last night’s London regional reception that he had never been on Come Dine With Me, nor told anyone to enjoy the money in their sad little life (X).
Paul Nowak’s Liverpool recommendations
On LabourList…
MARK SERWOTKA: PCS boss condemns the government for “plumbing new depths” in its treatment of refugees and argues for a safe passage policy to combat deaths in the Channel.
NEIL KINNOCK: The former Labour leader is backing closer ties with the EU.
DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: The current PPC and former minister on the Rutherglen by-election.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Amnesty’s UK CEO argues that Labour must work to reverse a decade of devastation for the UK’s human rights record.
MICK LYNCH: RMT boss tells Labour to honour its commitments on workers rights and implement the New Deal for Working People “in full and without delay”.
In brief…
THE BEST PARTY: More tickets are now on sale for the LabourList x Lime karaoke and DJ night, but they are limited so don’t wait! (Eventbrite)
A NEW GENERATION OF TOOL MAKERS: Starmer says that under a Labour government, they would be able to work together with local councils – using money raised from a revamp of the apprenticeship levy – to set up specialist training colleges that equip workers specifically for local industries, and with a particular emphasis on sectors such as renewables, nuclear, engineering, computing and modern toolmaking (Observer).
Jo Cox Women in Leadership Scheme: Applications opened yesterday to coincide with Women’s Conference. Now in its sixth cohort, this challenging political development programme seeks to advance Jo’s political legacy by investing in a generation of women leaders within The Labour Party who have the skills, experience and networks to change the world. All women Labour members may apply here.
“FARCE FROM START TO FINISH”: This was, according to the Mirror, Starmer’s view on Tory Party conference. New polling in the Guardianwould seem to vindicate this – Rishi Sunak has apparently enjoyed no post-conference popularity bump.
SMALL BUSINESS SUNDAY: It’s today, folks. “Listening to the voice of small business is integral if the next Labour government is to succeed” says Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
NHS: Keir Starmer has discussed his plans to boost appointment numbers in an interview with the Mirror.
Read more from LabourList’s conference coverage:
GUIDES:
- What, when and where are the best events today?
- The unmissable full LabourList events programme
- ‘Labour conference 2023: How to make the most of it – for veterans and first-timers’
NEWS:
- Conference policy tracker: What has been announced so far?
- Labour conference 2023: Full list of 12 topics party will vote on
- The 49 issues supporters wanted the party to debate
- Green activists protest over policy rowbacks
- McDonnell says Labour “planning to fail” with its economic policies
- Labour must put health and wellbeing at the “core of its schools policy”
COMMENT AND SPEECHES
- ‘We need political action to end violence against women, not just rhetoric’
- Rayner’s full 2023 conference speech: ‘We have a plan to make Britain better’
- ‘Full HS2 is essential. Labour should keep its options open and not sell off land’
- ‘Braverman’s rhetoric is chilling. Labour must unequivocally support refugees’
More from LabourList
Humza Yousaf woes deepen as Labour files no-confidence vote in government
‘History and poll leads suggest Labour can be bolder, even if it costs some votes’
Labour warned ‘ethical foreign policy’ inevitably sparks charge of ‘hypocrisy’