Liverpool Bound

Labour gathers in Liverpool this weekend for their Annual Conference and after July’s thumping election win, few would begrudge a mood of jubilation up in Merseyside. After all, this is the first party conference with Labour in power since 2009, and the party rank and file have much to celebrate after 14 long years in opposition.

But the party big wigs and those in and around Keir Starmer will be mindful of how the conference is perceived by the wider public. Last year, Labour successfully portrayed themselves as a confident, unified government in waiting – this time round, the aim is rather different. Yes, bask in the glow of victory, praise all those who worked so hard to deliver the win, but also give off the air of an energised government, focused on solving the big challenges facing the country.

What we’ve already seen since 4 July (and in fact even before the election) is Labour’s messaging focused on the difficult inheritance, be it the state of the nation’s finances, overcrowding in prisons, migrant crossings in the English Channel or NHS waiting lists. In fact, there’s probably a case to be made that Labour have gone too far, the language so downbeat as to be depressing the country at large. If recent reports are to be believed, Labour MPs have petitioned Downing Street, desperate for a bit more optimism in the messaging!

The new Government looks to have deliberately copied the Cameron-Osborne playbook from 2010. It goes a bit like this – blame the previous regime for the state of the country, warn about the very tough decisions that’ll need to be taken to remedy this, all of which paves the way for difficult decisions on public spending and tax.

But in contrast to Cameron-Osborne – who argued that short-term austerity was necessary for medium to long term benefit – Starmer and Reeves have lacked as much of the positive vision. Liverpool might well provide the forum for more optimism. In the words of Harvey Milk, ‘you’ve got to have hope’.

Partly this is of Labour’s own making – insisting the Office for Budget Responsibility has the full 13 weeks to study government spending plans meant the first budget couldn’t happen before early October. That’s left a vacuum, filled by much speculation over tax and spend policy decisions. What’s more, some of the biggest issues such as education, health, transport and housing that likely rely on public spending decisions, must wait for the 30 October Budget for any additional investment.

From the built environment perspective, as Labour heads to Liverpool, it’s arguably the one area where the government has made the most progress. A new National Planning Policy Framework published, a string of high-profile planning interventions, New Towns Commission launched and the Renters Rights Bill published. Party reflecting the importance of building homes and planning reforms, the fringe is packed with events and Planning & Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook looks the most in demand of all government ministers. Might we get some more goodies in Angela Rayner, Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer’s speeches on housing, planning and major new infrastructure?

Let’s also be honest – party conference is also set against what has been a difficult first few months in government for Labour. I don’t think many people felt the honeymoon would be a long one – the scale of the challenges faced by Labour and today’s uncertain world put pay to that – but it lasted barely a month.

Following the horrific murders in Southport at the end of July, the country was rocked by a series of riots. It’s fair to say that the unrest happened at the precise moment the new Government was at its most exhausted – ministers and advisers, with little or no time off for months, having moved straight into governing mode from the election campaign, with one eye on a desperately-needed break during August, instead had to respond to a major crisis. The initial response was, to say the least, rather slow. The Prime Minister’s popularity took a hit and has yet to recover.

Compounding this, a series of stories have added to the feeling that perhaps all is not right in 10 Downing Street. The changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance could see disquiet bubble to the surface in Liverpool. We’ve seen reports of infighting within Starmer’s team, accusations of cronyism regarding some Whitehall appointments and more recently the failure to declare some donations (which were used to fund a new wardrobe for the Prime Minister and his wife). Conference offers a chance to draw a line under this and focus on the government’s priorities. But there is also the risk that these stories continue to fill the column inches up to and through conference.

It’s likely that the sheer jubilation of Labour party members will get them through this conference. But the warning signs are there – the machinery at the heart of government isn’t working as well as it should be, there is unhappiness at some policy decisions to date, and the pressures on the public finances look likely to make the run in to the Budget on 30 October a very intense period for Ministers. And the absence of any concerted Tory opposition won’t last forever.