London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 25, 2025

Sunak woos business leaders at summit amid Labour charm offensive

Sunak woos business leaders at summit amid Labour charm offensive

The government's Business Connect event on 24 April will convene cabinet ministers and bosses to discuss "how to provide a competitive pro-business environment".
Rishi Sunak will court hundreds of Britain's leading bosses at a summit this month that will be seen as an attempt to wrest back momentum from Keir Starmer's efforts to present Labour as the new party of business.

Sky News has learnt that the prime minister, the chancellor Jeremy Hunt, and Kemi Badenoch, the business and trade secretary, will appear at an event in London called Business Connect.

According to a copy of the invitation seen by Sky News, the conference will also feature appearances from other Cabinet ministers.

"Business Connect is an invitation-only conference that will focus on our priority to grow the economy," it said.

"Together with business leaders from across the UK, we will discuss how to build a competitive pro-enterprise environment that supports growth through innovation."

Whitehall sources denied the summit had been pulled together at short notice, saying it was the ideal moment, in the aftermath of Mr Hunt's Budget, to gather business leaders and ministers.

The recent unveiling of the Windsor Framework to provide certainty over the UK's post-Brexit trading environment, and recent economic data represented important milestones for the UK economy, they added.

Under Starmer, 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.

Responding to an enquiry from Sky News, a No10 spokesperson said: "One of the prime minister's five priorities is to grow the economy, and the Business Connect conference later this month is just one of a number of ways the government is engaging with key businesses and entrepreneurs across the UK to deliver on that ambition."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Global Events: Key Developments in Culture, Conflict, and Policy
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Bruges Battles Overtourism as Visitors Steal Cobblestones and Historic Cities Struggle to Cope
Facial Recognition Technology Use in New Orleans Jail Escapees Search Under Scrutiny
Crypto Investor Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping and Torture in Manhattan
Labour MPs Divided Over £5 Billion Welfare Cuts
UK Signs £101 Million Annual Deal on Chagos Islands
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Welfare Cuts
Reform UK Gains Control of Lancashire Council
UK Government Introduces Measures to Accelerate Housebuilding
Government Delays Child Poverty Strategy Publication
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Carrie Johnson Announces Birth of Fourth Child
Russian Drone and Missile Strikes Kill 13 in Ukraine
Various Developments in UK Sports, Health, and Security
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Multiple Injuries Reported Following Stabbing Attack in Germany
Escalating Trade Tensions and Market Reactions
Major Global Events: Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Exchange, Nuclear Talks, and Other Developments
US President Threatens Apple with 25% Tariff on iPhones Not Made in America
Escaped Psychiatric Patient Sentenced for Killing Church Warden with Golf Umbrella
Police Scotland 'At Breaking Point' Amid Soaring Mental Health Absences
Asylum Seeker Jailed for Spreading Islamic State Propaganda Online
Billy Joel Cancels All Upcoming Concerts Due to Brain Disorder
British Taxpayers Face £31 Billion Loss from 2008 RBS Bailout
Tottenham Hotspur Clinch European Title Amid Manager's Defiant Message
Starmer's Winter Fuel Cut U-Turn Claim Deemed 'Not Credible'
Keir Starmer's NHS Boast Faces Scrutiny Over Comparisons During Strike Periods
UK Scientists Launch Urgent Study to Save Declining Bee Populations
Gary Neville Banned from Nottingham Forest's Stadium for Premier League Finale
Greenland Awards Mining Rights to Danish-French Consortium
Majority of Germans Want to Leave the Country, Poll Finds
Stabbing Attack in Germany Leaves Multiple Injured
OnlyFans Reportedly in Talks for $8 Billion Sale
Booz Allen Hamilton to Cut 2,500 Jobs Amid Federal Spending Reductions
JBS Gains Shareholder Approval for U.S. Stock Listing
Trump Signs Executive Orders to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Development
Harvard Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration's International Student Ban
Nippon Steel Forms Partnership with U.S. Steel, Headquarters to Remain in Pittsburgh
Trump Expands Tariff Threats to Apple and Samsung Devices
Oracle and OpenAI Plan $40 Billion Nvidia Chip Purchase for AI Data Center
Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on EU Goods, Markets React
Americans Seek British Citizenship in Record Numbers Post-Trump Re-election
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
UK Justice Secretary Advocates for Good Conduct Release Policies to Alleviate Prison Overcrowding
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
UK Transfers Chagos Islands Sovereignty to Mauritius in Strategic Agreement
×