Party conferences 24: Labour

You could describe the weather and atmosphere at the recent Labour Party conference with the same word – damp. The conference was preceded by a gruelling election period, pressure over the removal of pensioner winter fuel payments, rows over adviser pay and a series of scandals around gifts to senior Labour figures. All this meant that Liverpool did not have the party atmosphere many expected.

The CLA, however, had a very successful time. We were represented in two fringe events, with Senior Public Affairs Manager Eleanor Wood taking the early morning Monday slot in a roundtable focusing on land use with key rural stakeholders, MPs and peers.

On Tuesday, CLA President Victoria Vyvyan spoke on a panel organised by the Rivers Trust with Water and Flooding Minister Emma Hardy. Victoria stressed that although policy and discussion are important, landowners are already acting on the threat of flooding. The panel agreed that more needs to be done to support the work already being taken by landowners and that a catchment-based approach will be the most effective way to deal with flooding in the coming years.

On the floor, Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner was at the forefront of the brunt of the questions on rural affairs. The key points he made during the conference were:

• Labour supports Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, but it is looking to make it work better for farmers.
• Labour is looking to reform the planning system to ensure it works effectively for the countryside.
• The party is trying to facilitate a stronger trading relationship with the EU, while not signing trade deals that undercut British food producers.
• Labour is in favour of environmental legislation, such as nutrient neutrality and Biodiversity Net Gain, which Daniel argued can be transformational.

Daniel was also questioned on ensuring that the agricultural budget underspend is spent on farming - a policy the CLA supports and one he was reminded he fought for in opposition. He was, however, unwilling to commit to this.

Although he was not present at any fringe events, Environment Secretary Steve Reed gave a speech at the main conference hall. He committed Labour to support farmers and work with them to restore nature and stop runoff into waterways. However, farmers and other rural concerns were not the focus of his speech and it is clear that for now, dealing with water pollution is Steve’s clear focus.

Planning and housing were also the focus of many discussions. Ministers, parliamentarians and industry representatives all stressed the importance of reforming the planning system to ensure sustainable housebuilding and economic growth.

The CLA will finish the conference circuit strong next week in Birmingham with the Conservatives.