The Labor Party promises British economic security and tiptoes on Brexit international

One of the first tasks Keir Starmer embarked on when he was elected leader of the UK Labor Party, three and a half years ago, was to eliminate all traces of anti-Semitism that had surfaced in the party during his years in office. Former Jeremy Corbyn. The fact that Israel was subjected to the worst attack in half a century by the Palestinian Hamas militia at the same time as the party conference began in Liverpool has become the ultimate test to check whether Labour, which all opinion polls already point to, has the path to electoral victory and control. Finally on their inner ghosts.

At the gates of Liverpool Stadium and the Conference Centre, where they are holding their annual conference this week – their last before the general election – just 30 people carrying Palestinian flags denounced Palestinian politics. racism This is what, according to their opinion, is being practiced in these areas by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Inside the building, the Israel Business Friends group had a full house in one of the meeting rooms. the It was clear and it was done. No noise or harshness.

Starmer's Labor Party promises economic growth led by business and unions. Increasing public investment without disturbing the balance of the country’s accounts; Or rapprochement with the European Union without getting rid of the specter of Britain’s exit from the European Union.

At the same time as the Labor Conference was taking place, Savanta published the results of a survey in which it consulted 750 small businesses and 250 medium and large companies across the UK. 45% of those consulted preferred a Labor government headed by Starmer, compared to 32% who leaned towards the Conservatives.

“If there is a change in government and Labor takes over, we will see a greater willingness to negotiate and engage with our partners. A change of tone. Less arrogance. Nothing about the UK being seen as an exception in the world.” Best for Britain An organization created to campaign against Brexit and today works on analysis and proposals so that relations with the continent are not broken.

“I think with Starmer we will see the diplomacy of adults, willing to cooperate with, rather than compete with, the other liberal democracies of the world,” Smith adds. His organization occupies one of dozens of sites occupying the entire Liverpool Convention Centre. The British party conferences, with which each year begins the political year, are a showcase that brings together politicians, activists, journalists, business people and a whole host of organizations that organize parallel activities and debates on their own. They are so called marginor ocean, is usually more interesting than the official program.

“When Keir Starmer took the reins of the party, he designed the change he sought in three stages. First, he had to deal with the internal chaos he inherited from Jeremy Corbyn. Second, it had to establish in the public opinion that it could trust Labor as a viable government option. Finally, he had to outline what that government would consist of. “This conference is the obligatory moment to accomplish that third stage,” explains analyst Philip Collins, author of the best Tony Blair speeches and some of Starmer's speeches.

Security economy

The new Labor leader's team has discovered the weakness of most British voters. It is not the anger unleashed by the financial crisis, nor the inequality resulting from years of austerity. It is a fear derived from the uncertainty brought by Brexit, the pandemic, and more than a decade of Conservative governments that have been unable to convey security. That's why the party's second star, economics spokeswoman Rachel Reeves, named her proposal com. securenomicsa play on words that combines security and economics.

Reeves, a former Bank of England analyst, took the center stage in Congress on Monday to present his plan. “It's impossible to dream big if you can't sleep peacefully at night. That peace only comes when you know you have a rainy day fund, and when you also know that if you need it, strong public services will be there for you,” the Labor leader said. And for your family.” Fiscal discipline, responsibility for the budget, but also the right steps for the class struggle, in order to make it clear that the party’s priority is more focused on workers’ salaries and not on cutting taxes on those who already earn too much.

Google, Meta, the major British supermarket chain, Sainsbury's, energy companies and business associations have all bid this year for their own stand near the Labor Party conference. You can smell victory close by, and contradictions, nuances, and even internal battles fade away.

The GMB union, which has promoted the most aggressive strikes in the UK over the past year, on train and bus services – and had its standoff with Starmer when the party leader banned his MPs from joining demonstrations and sit-ins – is the first union to back it. Now he applauds the new leadership efforts from his wing at Liverpool.

The Conservatives have completely destroyed the economy. Salaries have remained at a constant level for many years, and have even declined. “For the first time in history, children earn less than their parents,” Gavin Sibthorpe, a member of the GMB’s national executive committee, explains to the reporter. “The party has a clear industrial strategy, it knows where to invest so that the economy grows. It is up to us to demand a share of this growth and reach workers,” explains the union leader. “Starmer is very committed to convincing Britons that he can usher in a new era of Brexit to get him out.” That is why his rhetoric on Europe is limited to a few kind words about future cooperation and the uncertain promise of renegotiating, for the better, a trade agreement that Brussels does not want to reopen.

From the north bank of the River Mersey you can see a large ferry docked at the other end. Connects Liverpool to Belfast. It extends across the entire Irish Sea to connect two cities in the United Kingdom. Shipping company Stena Line wrote on the side of the ship a slogan that was as contradictory as it was ironic: Connecting Europe for a sustainable future (Connecting Europe for a sustainable future). Some party delegates and activists lean on the fence and watch seagulls landing on piles of sand created by the low tide. The idea of ​​reconnecting with Europe, at the moment, arouses apathy in Labour's ranks. There is a more urgent need to reconnect with British voters.

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