Labour have launched a charm offensive that has involved 250 meetings with chief executives, chairs and founders, according to an internal tally. Many have come away impressed
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskAfter a frosty decade, a fervent courtship is under way between the Labour Party and Britain’s largest firms. Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, has launched a charm offensive that has involved 250 meetings with chief executives, chairs and founders, according to an internal tally. Many have come away impressed.
Ed Miliband, the party’s leader from 2010-15, aspired to remodel British capitalism among German lines. One businessman says that visiting his office was like attending a seminar. Jeremy Corbyn, his successor until 2020, proposed nationalisations and higher taxes. Businesses that requested meetings were brushed off.
Business leaders who have met Ms Reeves’s team credit their openness and seriousness. Calls are taken; emails are returned; draft speeches are shared. “They are being very clear about where they agree with us and disagree,” says a bank executive. Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, and Tulip Siddiq, a shadow Treasury minister, are also well-regarded. “There is a consistent epicentre in the shadow cabinet of eight or ten people who know the scripts,” says another executive.
It helps Labour that businesses despair of the Conservative Party. Many people assume that firms want treats such as tax cuts and deregulation. They do—but they are more interested in a stable, predictable environment in which to invest. After 12 years in office and four radically different prime ministers, the Conservatives can hardly promise that. Boris Johnson’s tenure was especially shambolic.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bake Off's Val Stones, 72, confirms Hollywood role in DC Comics filmThe Great British Bake Off's Val Stones, 72, has confirmed that her voice was used in a DC Comics film alongside A-listers The Rock and Keanu Reeves earlier this year
Read more »
Labour pledges new 'Hillsborough Law' to help prevent future injusticesLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has promised to bring in a new law inspired by the Hillsborough fight for justice if he becomes prime minister.
Read more »
Why business leaders should not become cult figures\n\t\t\tLet our global subject matter experts broaden your perspective with timely insights and opinions you\n\t\t\tcan’t find anywhere else.\n\t\t
Read more »