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On the opening day of Labour’s first conference since Sir Keir Starmer picked up the keys to No 10 Downing Street, the prime minister sent his top team out to bat for him with TV and newspapers to set out Labour’s vision for the country.
His party is hoping to shake off allegations of cronyism and sleaze over senior figures repeatedly accepting freebies and gifts from donors, including thousands of pounds worth of clothing.
The PM is also desperate to assure the public he is in control, despite growing evidence of a rift between his chief of staff Sue Gray and other senior No10 figures.
But after a 30-minute drive from the conference centre in Liverpool, several of Sir Keir’s top MPs were engaged in a very different kind of battle with the media - the annual Lobby XI v Labour football match.
At the major political party conferences, a handful of MPs and staffers take on a team of political journalists. A week after Lobby XI thrashed the Liberal Democrats eight nil, the team was hoping to continue its winning streak against a strong Labour side.
Hosted by the FA at Everton’s Finch Farm Training Complex, Labour sent an assortment of backbench MPs and key ministers.Key players included employment rights minister Justin Madders and care minister Stephen Kinnock.
Other notable names included Fred Thomas, who unseated outspoken former veterans minister Johnny Mercer at the general election, and long-serving Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins, whose 6ft 6 inch height made him a dangerous presence in the Lobby XI box.
Big names who ducked the match included Sir Keir, despite often touting himself as a keen footballer, and Andy Burnham, who has played in previous instances of the annual fixture.
The Lobby XI opened the scoring in six seconds, with Ruan Tremayne, a director at lobbying firm Brunswick Group, finding the back of the opposition net.
It took another 20 minutes of the rain-sodden first half for The Independent’s political correspondent Archie Mitchell to put another past Brian Leishman, the Alloa and Grangemouth MP who is also a professional golfer.
The journalists dominated much of the rest of the first half, but were unable to extend their lead before conceding a goal to Ipswich MP Jack Abbott on the counterattack.
Madders, the MP for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, was then given the chance to equalise when the Lobby XI gave away a penalty, but sent the ball over the bar.
After a half time conflab, the Lobby XI came out playing attacking football, with special adviser Tom Hughes causing trouble for the MPs on the left wing and ex-Lisa Nandy adviser Matt Lavender looking dangerous up front.
But a period of intense pressure saw the Labour team equalise. With a little under 20 minutes to play, Lavender made a sumptuous run behind the Labour lot’s back line, coolly slotting the ball past Leishman to make it 3-2. But, in a devastating twist for a knackered Lobby team, Madders made up for his earlier mistake with a late equaliser.
The new Labour MP for Rother Valley was awarded player of the match for the MPs, while The House magazine and PoliticsHome’s Tom Scotson was nominated player of the match for the Lobby.
The game offers an insight into the closeness at major events between journalists, lobbyists and MPs, who made the journey to and from the match venue together. It is an opportunity for attendees to spend time together without talking about Labour’s plans for government.
