Labour Party Takes a Page from Blair’s Playbook with Pitch to Business Leaders

In recent months, the Labour Party has been actively courting business leaders in an effort to boost their appeal under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer. During a day of networking at the Oval cricket ground in London, a representative from Skanska, a construction company, raised concerns about Britain’s attractiveness due to issues with big infrastructure projects. She wondered what she could tell her board in Sweden to convince them to reevaluate the situation. In response, Jonathan Reynolds, the party’s shadow business secretary, promised to personally visit Stockholm to make his pitch.

This interaction underscored the Labour Party’s commitment to engaging with the business community and demonstrating their dedication to addressing major infrastructure challenges. Along with Mr Reynolds and Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, Sir Keir and his team have made a concerted effort to meet with almost all of the FTSE 350 companies – the largest listed firms in Britain – as part of a series of strategic breakfast meetings. This approach is reminiscent of Tony Blair’s “prawn cocktail offensive” that helped him establish relationships with key players in the City before his successful election in 1997.