London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, May 09, 2025

Sunak rolls out ministerial army in bid to charm private sector chiefs

Sunak rolls out ministerial army in bid to charm private sector chiefs

Six Cabinet ministers and 15 of their junior colleagues will attend Business Connect as the PM tries to fend off Labour's private sector charm offensive.

More than 20 ministers will attend a summit with corporate chiefs on Monday as Rishi Sunak attempts to mount a fresh private sector charm offensive.

Sky News has obtained a full list of ministers who are due to attend Business Connect, an event being held at a central London venue to discuss issues such as skills, innovation, and visa reform.

Alongside Mr Sunak, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, other cabinet attendees include Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer and Oliver Dowden, who was named deputy prime minister after Dominic Raab's resignation on Friday.

Among other ministers due to be at the summit are science minister George Freeman; Andrew Griffith, the City minister; and Nusrat Ghani, whose remit includes the Investment Security Unit.

The PM's new special adviser on business and trade, Franck Petitgas, a former senior executive at the Wall Street giant Morgan Stanley, will also attend.

Earlier this month, Sky News reported that the PM had convened the event amid intense efforts by Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, to pitch Labour as the new party of business.

Under Sir Keir, Labour has been trying to reposition itself in the eyes of traditionally Tory-supporting bosses, and has won qualified endorsements from the likes of John Allan, the Tesco chairman, and Paul Drechsler, the former CBI president.

It recently emerged that the party was charging £15,000 for membership of the Labour Business network - an initiative that marks a clear dividing line with his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.

Sir Keir Starmer is pitching Labour as the new party of business


Sources said those attending from the private sector were expected to include Dame Carolyn McCall, the ITV chief executive; Liv Garfield, CEO of Severn Trent; Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy; Adrian Mardell, boss of Jaguar Land Rover; Seb James, who runs Boots the Chemist; Claire Barclay, UK CEO of Microsoft; Gerry Murphy, the Burberry chairman; and Jon Holt, who runs KPMG UK.

The event will take place during a period of shock at the sudden unravelling of the CBI, the business lobby group, which would typically have been represented at events such as Business Connect.

Downing Street has been contacted for comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×