Campaign Update | Labour Party Conference

Hello,

I had never been to a political party conference before and the opportunity came up at the last minute to go to the Labour Party Conference last week with a free ticket. It was an interesting event and the first thing I noticed was the emphasis on Britain, being British and pride in the nation. There is nothing wrong with that but it was clear that the Government is very aware of the threat of reform.

I attended the conference because I have previously been told it is a good opportunity to catch up with MPs, Ministers, official etc. There are also plenty of of other talks happening away from the conference. It was insightful to hear Mayors talking about regional growth, transport links and investment in smaller towns. It was also good to hear from the new Secretary of State for Business, Peter Kyle, talk about his vision for businesses in the UK.

I also participated in a working session on the latest small business strategy. Overall I was disappointed by the limited focus for high street businesses and this was an excellent opportunity to highlight what more can be done to bring back people to our high streets. In summary I had discussions with Ministers and MPs on: 

1. Business rates and why the government’s reform has not gone far enough to support the smaller retailers. We will keep campaigning on this in the run up to the budget.
2. Why the £135 duty free loophole must be closed for low value imports. Billions of products are coming into the country duty free and VAT free. Unfair competition and often unsafe products. Not only would this support the retail sector, but it would also generate billions on income for a cash strappedGovernment.
3. Retail crime and the need to keep this high on the agenda. Our own recent survey tells us it is not getting better.
4. The Employment Rights Bill and why these new regulations are going to add more costs to retail businesses and reduce employment of young people unless changes are made.
5. The policy to tackle late payments should not reduce the availability of credit in the retail sector. Credit in retail is vital and yet the focus on late payments could have the unintended consequence of damaging the cash flow in retail.

So a productive conference but actions will speak louder than words. Bira will continue to be the voice of indie retail as we look to raise these issues. I also learned from the conference that MPs do listen to their constituents, so please do write to your local MP as it does make a difference.

Thank you.

Andrew