A party without a soul, a purpose, or tolerance for dissent: that’s the lasting impression of Labour from its annual jamboree in Liverpool.
Corporate Britain is stamped over everything. There’s a “hub” sponsored by the lobbying firm Anacta, whose clients range from an Israeli-owned arms company to various airlines. Ministers chatter with suited business types in a “lounge” sponsored by Arden Strategies – the “advisory and communications firm” run by the former Labour cabinet minister Jim Murphy, now a key conduit between boardrooms and government – while the invite-only Politico Pub is underwritten by Uber. Labour’s commitment to a third Heathrow runway is boastfully projected on to a conference wall. Signs of idealism are scarce: the party shop sells posters of Barbara Castle, but given her scalding denunciations of Blairism, one can imagine what she’d make of this one-note tribute act to New Labour.
