Labour to charge £25k to sponsor conference as party declares it's 'back in business'

Labour is set to charge firms up to £25,000 to sponsor their London conference as the party declares it is “back in business”.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the conference will be a "fantastic opportunity" for firms to be "seen and heard" - as the party soars in the polls.

A price list seen by the Mirror reveals the ‘Platinum’ tier of sponsorship will set companies back £25,000 - with 'partners' promoted by speakers throughout the weekend and video content played to delegates.

Gold tier sponsors host a business roundtable and get to meet a member of the Shadow Cabinet, which costs £20,000.

And Silver tier sponsors, at £15,000 get an advert in the conference brochure and a premium table at the conference dinner.

Firms can also sponsor a roundtable for £10,000, with basic business passes billed at £299.

The bumper payday comes after new figures showed Labour neck-and-neck with the Tories on political donations, raking in £2.8 million in the three months to September.

Platinum level sponsorship at Labour's London conference will cost £25,000 (PA)

Meanwhile, it emerged the Tories had hiked their membership fees by more than 50%, after a fall in donations.

The Conservative Party's roughly 170,000 members currently pay an annual fee of £25 - but that will rise to £39 for new members - though it will be frozen for existing members next year.

The Tories raised just £2.9 million in the last quarter - the lowest level since 2020.

Ms Reeves will tomorrow set out Labour’s plan to make Britain the “start-up hub of the world”.

The shadow chancellor will pledge to get the country off its current path of Tory economic decline by encouraging more people to start their own business.

Kicking off Labour’s business conference, Miss Reeves will say: “These are challenging economic times.

“But I know the spirit of enterprise, of creativity, of endeavour are as present in Britain today as they ever have been. We are at a post-Brexit crossroads.

“We can go down the road of managed decline, falling behind our competitors, or we can draw on bold thinking to propel us forward.”

The Labour frontbencher will add: “One of the guiding ambitions of the next Labour government [is] to make Britain the best place to start, and to grow, a business. And it sends a powerful message: that Labour is back in business.”