The Labour Party Annual Conference 2023
SME4Labour Reception
🗓 Date: Sunday, 8 October 2023
⏳ Time: 20:30
📍Location: SME4Labour POD (Meeting Room 22), ACC Liverpool, Kings Dock Street, Liverpool, England, L3 4FP
SME4Labour Reception with Lucy Powell MP, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons; Dan Norris, Mayor of the West of England; Hilary Benn MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Stephen Kinnock MP, Shadow Minister for Immigration; Bill Esterson MP, Shadow Minister for Roads; Fleur Anderson MP, Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland and Rushanara Ali, Shadow Minister for Investment and Small Business. This panel discussion was chaired by Fatima Kamara, Secretary for SME4Labour.
The SME4Labour reception was a great opportunity to celebrate the work of the organisation in building close relationships between the Labour Party and local community businesses. Senior shadow cabinet figures spoke in the reception and expressed those relationships could be further enhanced and strengthened.
There was emphasis on turning around the economy, with small businesses and medium-sized businesses deemed crucial for this. The speakers at the conference mentioned there was a lot to do in turning around the economic situation of the country, with issues such as the cost-of-living crisis all happening during the tenure of the governing Conservative Party. Thus, the importance of the Labour Party winning the next general election was spoken of in serving the country’s business industries.
SMEs were deemed the heart of the local community and therefore deemed important within the country’s local businesses, with Shadow Ministers stressing this both from a national and political party point of view. The speakers also spoke about the money SMEs donate in the country on a larger scale, in comparison to some companies that do not pay tax. They stressed that this was a reason why the Labour Party wanted to have a working relationship with them, particularly during the party’s last annual conference before the next General Election.
