Labour will be both “pro-worker and pro-business” if it wins the general election, Rachel Reeves will pledge on Tuesday.
The shadow chancellor will seek to reassure the corporate world of her credentials in her first major speech of the campaign, promising to “lead the most pro-growth Treasury in our country’s history”.
But speaking to an audience of company bosses, she will say their success depends on that of their workforce, claiming only Labour can deliver on both.
It comes after more than 120 business leaders, including chef Tom Kerridge and Wikileaks founder Jimmy Wales, signed an open letter giving their backing to Labour to “achieve the UK’s full economic potential”.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott pointed to attacks on the “French-style union” policies from Asda and Currys, saying they “risk damaging the economy [and] costing jobs”.
She added that “Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a clear plan that businesses can rely on”, while Labour would “tie businesses in red tape and raise taxes”.
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Pointing to the change in direction, the shadow chancellor will say: “Our plans for growth are built on partnership with business. A mission-led government, prepared to take on the big challenges we face and ready to seize the opportunities of the future.”
Referencing decisions taken by the Conservative government of the past 14 years, she will add: “It is clearer than ever that in this election, in the face of Tory chaos, stability is change.
“Stability, so that we never again see a repeat of the mini budget and the damage it did to family finances. Stability, so that families and business can plan for the future.
“Stability of direction, so we can bring together government, business and working people in common purpose, to meet the great challenges of our time.”
Ms Reeves will say that by having business on their side, Labour can bring both investment and hope back to the country.
“If we can change this party to bring it back to the service of working people, if we can return it to the centre ground of politics, if we can bring business back to Labour, then I know we can bring business back to Britain,” Ms Reeves will add.
“To bring investment back to Britain. To bring growth back to Britain. To bring hope back to Britain.
“Because by bringing business back to Britain we can deliver a better future for working people, by creating good jobs that pay a decent wage. Bringing in investment to build strong communities with thriving high streets. Putting more money in people’s pockets. And having pride in the good and services made in Britain, but exported around the world.”
Making her election pitch, she will say the vote on 4 July will be “a chance for the British people to pass judgement on fourteen years of economic chaos and decline under the Conservatives”, adding: “The choice at the next election is simple: five more years of chaos with the Conservatives or stability with a changed Labour Party.
“We will fight this election on the economy. Every day we will expose the damage they have done, and set out Labour’s alternative.”
But the SNP’s Drew Hendry said the upcoming speech “cynically ignores the most fundamental reason for the economic decline of the United Kingdom – Britain is broken and Brexit broke it”.
He added: “If Labour were actually interested in backing business and growing the economy, they wouldn’t have foolishly ruled out a return to the European single market and the customs union.”
Claiming the move will cut people’s taxes by £100 next year, Rishi Sunak will say: “I passionately believe that those who have worked hard all their lives should have peace of mind and security in retirement.
“This bold action demonstrates we are on the side of pensioners. The alternative is Labour dragging everyone in receipt of the full state pension into income tax for the first time in history.”
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats will be focusing on crime, promising a “burglary response guarantee” so all domestic burglaries are “attended by the police and properly investigated”.
Pointing to official government figures showing almost 76% of burglaries went unsolved last year, party leader Sir Ed Davey will say: “Too many families now feel unsafe in their own homes because this Conservative government has decimated frontline policing for too long.
“Victims are being denied justice because Conservative ministers can’t even get the basics right on solving crime. That is why the Liberal Democrats would deliver a burglary response guarantee, to ensure all home burglaries are attended by the police and properly investigated.”
Lisa Nandy has said Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to accept thousands of pounds worth of football tickets was “very sensible”.
The minister for culture, media and sport also said she had never accepted free clothes from a donor.
Speaking to Sky News at the start of the Labour Party conference today, the MP for Wigan said: “The problem that has arisen since [Sir Keir] became leader of the opposition and then prime minister is that for him to sit in the stands would require a huge security detail, would be disruptive for other people and it would cost the taxpayer a lot of money.
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“So I think he’s taken a very sensible decision that’s not the right and appropriate thing to do, and it’s right to accept that he has to go and sit in a different area.
“But I know that he’d much rather be sitting in the stands cheering people on with the usual crowd that he’s been going to the football with for years.”
Ms Nandy also said while she has not accepted free clothes – joking “I think you can probably see that I choose my own clothes sadly” – she doesn’t “make any judgements about what other members of parliament do”.
She said: “The only judgement I would make is if they’re breaking the rules, so they’re trying to hide what they’re doing. That’s when problems arise.
“Because the point of being open and transparent is that people can see where the relationships are, and they can then judge for themselves whether there’s been any undue influence.”
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She asserted there had not been an undue influence in gifts accepted by senior Labour figures, adding: “We don’t want the news and the commentary to be dominated by conversations about clothes.
“We rightly have a system, I think, where the taxpayer doesn’t fund these things. We don’t claim on expenses for them. And so MPs will always take donations, will always take gifts in kind.
“MPs of all political parties have historically done that and that is the system that we have.”
She added: “I don’t think there’s any suggestion here that Keir Starmer has broken any rules. I don’t think there’s any suggestion that he’s done anything wrong.
“We expect our politicians to be well turned out, we expect them to be people who go out and represent us at different events and represent the country at different events and are clothed appropriately.
“But the point is that when we accept donations for that or for anything else, that we declare them and we’re open and transparent about them.”
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The announcement followed criticism of Sir Keir’s gifts from donors, which included clothing worth £16,200 and multiple pairs of glasses worth £2,485, according to the MPs’ register of interests.
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Sir Keir was found to have received substantially more gifts and freebies than any other MP – his total in gifts, benefits, and hospitality topped £100,000 since December 2019.