Downpours and digital inclusion at Labour Party Conference 2024

“I’m just soaking it in,” I said, on my second day at Labour Party Conference, and was I soaking it in - literally soaking to my socks in the biblical rain in Liverpool.

Downpours

For days, the national press has been reporting that the honeymoon is over for this?new Labour Government, having enjoyed a landslide and a summer of good feeling, we’re now in the dark autumn with threats of austerity and accusations of sleaze. This is echoed in the grim faces and dripping umbrellas of the huge queues waiting to get through security.

I’m informed that this year’s conference is notably more subdued than last year - when the energy was high in the run up to a General Election. But don’t trust everything you read in the papers, whilst each parliamentary panellist declares there’s no silver bullet, they counter that there is hope, there is will, there is determination and there’s optimism that five years is enough time to turn the ship around.

Silver linings

It's fair to say that Liverpool is heaving. Not only with new students zipping up and down the pavement on scooters, pints in hand, but with lanyard-wearing businesses, think tanks, charities, politicians, advisors, people desperate to be heard by this new Government. We know it's going to be hard to get cut-through this year, and decide that despite our new sandwich boards donning our fabulous new branding, that they might not do the trick in this environment (although keep your eye out for our social content coming soon!)

The new MPs, of which there are many including Samantha Niblett MP and Daniel Aldridge MP , bring the sunshine: the energy and enthusiasm expected from the first conference following 14 years in opposition.

And for Good Things Foundation , we’re seeing positive signs that digital inclusion has risen up the agenda.

On Sunday, we kicked off with our panel, with University of Liverpool: following our latest joint report bringing together the latest datasets on digital inclusion. Joined by experts from academia, local and national government, community and business, our Group CEO Helen Milner OBE led the digital inclusion discussion.

"People want simple, reliable and easy," outlined Professor Simeon Yates , "but it can be complicated to deliver easy," in relation to basic provision, like government services and healthcare.

The panel ended on a typically Good Things Foundation optimistic note: we can make sure that no-one is left behind - we just need to work together to fix the digital divide.

Blue skies

That optimistic feeling continued, as the silver linings shone through, making space for the blue skies that blessed us on Tuesday. Here's a few highlights:

1. Minister Chris Bryant has a new bullet point in his brief: Digital Inclusion. As Helen Milner OBE pointed out on the Digital Inclusion and Inequalities: What the main UK datasets tell us panel - this is a Big Deal!
2. Our new Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy talked enthusiastically about how Labour are resetting the relationship between Government and civil society - recognising the importance of charities to reach those most in need. At Good Things, the National Digital Inclusion Network are at the heart of all we do - supporting people holistically with a range of needs - and I was pleased to hear that this Government recognises the "huge role [that they play] in all of the Labour missions."
3. This summer has seen a flurry of activity on digital inclusion with new teams and roundtables with all sectors offering their expertise and insights.
4. And on Monday, Secretary of State for Department for Science, Innovation and Tech, Peter Kyle, name checked digital inclusion as one of his priorities: “It’s a massive task: ?From Artificial Intelligence to human life sciences; From addressing digital exclusion to widening full fibre?internet connectivity; From promoting the employment opportunities, from new data-driven technologies to protecting children against potential online harms;?From creating the digital centre of government, to spreading digital technologies across the NHS and public services. We have even got responsibility for Britain’s space programme – so for us it really is to infinity and beyond!”
5. On Tuesday, in conversation with Lord Patrick Vallance, he went one step further, comparing his own experiences feeling locked out of opportunities, to people living in deprivation, with no access to digital who have no opportunities to work in tech - and his ambition to change that narrative entirely.
6. Further, success was defined as "Transforming the relationship between the public and government services."

Is a storm brewing?

But one audience question sticks in my mind, "Is AI a distraction for this government? Should they be focused on getting the basics right instead of running with this new and evolving tech?

It's a great question and as I sat in the audience at multiple tech panels (this year saw an influx of tech events, with one venue seemingly dedicated to the tech sector) I heard how AI was revolutionising healthcare (amazing!) how AI will solve some of the biggest public service problems in the country (great!) how AI is transforming businesses across the UK - stories that are at odds with FutureDotNow's Essential Digital Skills gap:

54% of the labour force are missing digital basics around safety, productivity and more.

I thought about the Secretary of State's vision that those living in poverty with no access to digital will be brought along with tech in this AI age, not locked out - and how businesses need to recognise this. Businesses like 埃森哲 , just announced as strategic partners to Good Things Foundation - committed to tackling the digital divide in the AI age.

There is hope, let's just keep our fingers crossed that everyone else is listening too.