Written by Mark Harrison: The train from Liverpool to London is always a great time to reflect on key outtakes from Labour Party Conference.
The past few weeks have been an exceptionally inauspicious backdrop for the conference, particularly with the loss of Angela Rayner and a Deputy Leadership election which couldn’t have had poorer timing.
Importantly however, the mood amongst friends and colleagues was fairly upbeat. Labour members have lived through far worse times, and the novelty of being in Government has yet to wear off. As in the past couple of years, there was a healthy level of interest from businesses sponsoring events and showing interest in the mood of party activists.
This year, conference felt dominated by Housing Secretary Steve Reed and his ‘build baby build’ mantra. Steve paired up with Labour Yimby activists to produce branded red hats (bringing a slight Trumpian air to the event) and enthusiastically threw himself into Yimby events and rallies. Steve is one of the most politically-minded members of the cabinet, and his appointment as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has signalled a renewed focus from the top on the Government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes. We can expect him to take a more personal and active role driving delivery of this pledge than his predecessor – as he recognises it as the key test that his success will be judged on. It is telling that within his first week in post, he invited many of the leaders of the country’s top builders and industry heavyweights to a meeting to understand the blockers and listen to their feedback.
The silly hats and slogans were a strategic touch and his way of politicising the issue – firmly positioning Labour as pro-development, drawing dividing lines against the ‘Tory blockers’ and making a virtue of Labour’s position, rather than shying away from controversy.
As a former council leader Steve is also well-placed to bring local government along with him and will be a powerful voice responding to those councillors who may have reservations about the Government’s pro-development agenda. At the Local Government Association’s ‘Rally for Local Government’ Steve delighted the assembled councillors by announcing the restoration of their pension rights – an esoteric reform but one that sends a strong message that he values and understands councillors’ concerns.
Steve’s style is visionary, high-level, energetic, pugilistic and focused on communications; meaning there is great potential for him to complement some of the more technocratic and detail-focused members of his ministerial team.
I’ve left conference feeling energised from hundreds of conversations with friends and colleagues – both from within the party as well as the wider development sector. With Steve’s appointment we can expect a much stronger drive towards achieving the 1.5 million goal, and some much clearer communications to the public and industry about the importance of doing so.
