I FELT I was inhabiting a sort of alternate reality at the Labour Party conference last week.
As soon as I walked past the clamouring protesters, through the airport-style security and into the sprawling ACC in Liverpool, the freebies row wasn’t that big of an issue.
Scrutiny over the more than £100,000-worth of gifts the Prime Minister has accepted was described to me by an attendee as a bit “overblown” – rather than a source of serious public anger.
Cutting the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners would “pave the way for a more optimistic economic future” suggested Rachel Reeves in her speech on Monday (below). It was regrettable but essential – rather than an entirely preventable policy decision drawing huge condemnation and impacting some of the most vulnerable in the country.
Oh, and a totally acceptable response to a protester shouting “what about the children of Gaza” during Starmer’s big speech on Tuesday was apparently for him to then make a joke about his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn (and receive a standing ovation for it). Definitely not tone deaf and downright insulting to the Palestinian people.
But it doesn’t take long to find dissent
That's not to say that all was well and positive for Labour within the walls of ACC Liverpool.
I spoke with a number of members who were less than impressed with the new Government, including one who told me that the whole freebies row has proven what many – especially on the left of the party – have worried about with Starmer.
“Which is that he’s really no different to the Tories,” he added.
“He promised change and went on about how Tory gifts were signs of sleaze and corruption – he’s turned on a dime the moment he’s got into power which is just another example of his dishonesty.”
By far the most packed fringe event I went to – I’m talking queues at the door and sitting on the floor – was one on Tuesday night with several of the rebel Labour MPs who had the whip taken away in July for voting against the King’s Speech and the Winter Fuel Payment cut.
Party veteran John McDonnell (below) talked about the speeches he had just heard from both Starmer and Reeves – who both claimed they were “ending austerity”.
“You can't say you're ending austerity when you’re depriving pensioners of a way to keep warm this winter,” he said.
“You can't say you're ending austerity when you're leaving so many children in child poverty.
“And, you know, the issue when I hear the words ‘it's gonna be painful’ or ‘they're tough choices’ – they're not tough choices for any of us as MPs. We're on £90,000, ministers are on over £100,000 and £150,000.”
Could it be that Starmer and Labour ministers are listening too much to corporate executives?
One conference attendee told the Sunday National that while the row over freebies was mentioned from time to time, what dominated discussions between Labour members was just how much the mood of conference had changed and become “much more business heavy”.
On Monday, this included the party’s so-called “business day” when CEOs paid £3000 for exclusive events and talks with Labour ministers and the PM.
The links with business could be seen in many of the sponsors as well, with big brands plastered across the main conference hall.
Meanwhile, the LabourList karaoke party on Monday night was sponsored by Trainline and Uber. And the Labour Students disco on Tuesday night – in which I saw Anas Sarwar DJ and dance with senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry – was even sponsored by TikTok.
“The conference is now a business conference with a Labour Party element attached,” he said.
“I went to the APPG Net Zero Breakfast on Monday morning expecting it to be about net zero and energy policy, but it was full of private investment and business heads and the chair only took questions from business – none from members or delegates. Effectively a two-hour PFI circle.”
Do Labour understand the gravity of the situation?
Of course, Starmer and the rest of the Labour top brass have been very upfront that “unpopular decisions” have and will be made in the coming months.
And if you accept that idea, making them as early on as possible, rather than anytime close to a General Election, makes sense from a strategic standpoint*.
But it’s not only the decisions being made that are proving incredibly unpopular with the UK public. It’s also how they have been communicated.
Take the row over freebies. You can’t promise change to working people while accepting freebies worth more than three times the median annual salary in the UK – and then not expect any criticism.
But that appears exactly the reaction from Starmer – who has repeatedly refused to apologise, insisting he "didn't do anything wrong" as there was no breach of the rules.
A General Election may be years away but public perception is key and this new Labour Government is burrowing ever deeper.
