Scottish Labour Business Conference: 5 things to look out for

It’s Groundhog Day for Labour and Business, as they continue their tango. Alongside the Scottish Labour Conference starting in Glasgow today, there’ll be another chance for business to engage with the party at a special business conference. Whether you’re attending or not, here are five key things to look out for.?

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100% faithful? Labour will certainly continue their focus on trying to convince business that Scotland’s economy will be better off with Keir Starmer in Number 10 (& Rachel Reeves in Number 11). That may be trickier now. This week’s highly critical P&J front page reflected genuine frustration from some in the energy sector about the impact a revised green investment plan could have on investment (the windfall tax and as a result jobs) because of the uncertainty now hanging over Labour’s plans. This episode will mean firms will be looking for broader reassurance that Labour will deliver on its promises to work collaboratively with them on the major policy issues of the day and Labour will want to use this conference to reassure business that it’s on their side. Will they succeed? Or will businesses choose to banish Keir & Co??

No rabbits, no hats. Expect lots of big speeches from the usual figures – Keir, Anas, Jonathan Reynolds, Darren Jones & Daniel Johnson. With the recent release of Labour’s “Building a Business Case for Scotland” (which Daniel Johnson has heavily influenced), the writing’s on the wall so don’t expect many rabbits being pulled out of hats! And don’t expect too many detailed commitments. Do expect lots of pointing to big themes and problems that need to be solved (by a Labour Government, obviously). There will almost certainly be an increased focus on party discipline, so everyone will be expected to stick to the script.?

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Row, row, row ya boat. With Labour recently redefining (rowing back on) their ￡28bn green investment plan, critical questions around Labour’s green jobs agenda and impact on Scotland remain – will they flesh out some policies, particularly around GB Energy (the big Scotland bet)? Will they manage to get on the front foot of any criticism? Can they balance persuading parts of the Scottish energy sector that a Labour Government is committed to a well-planned and structured transition with a bold climate and energy agenda???

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No seats to spare. Having amassed larger crowds at last year’s conference, Scottish Labour will be looking to build on the increased interest there’s been from business in the past year. Thanks to a dedicated full-day programme, expect this year’s business conference to bring some buzz, with lots of Scottish firms attending. It will be interesting to see how many senior Scottish executives and business leaders are in the room – after all the really big conversations between business and Labour are taking place behind closed doors. Engagement at conference will probably remain focused on the big picture.??

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At the end of the day, it’s all about votes. The conference opens off the back of two overnight by-election victories for Labour south of the border – good results, albeit with some very specific local dynamics – and there will be much talk in the conference corridors about how many Scottish seats Labour might be able to gain in the next General Election. But you can expect the leadership to play down expectations. This conference will give us a good insight into how well prepared the party is in Scotland for the coming election. The next generation of (potential) Scottish Labour MPs will be on show with many watching to see who from the new generation is the most impactful.?