The Notebook: On the lookout for common sense at Labour Party Conference

As Labour Party Conference kicks off, Matthew Elliott, president of the Jobs Foundation and co-founder of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, lays out what he is on the lookout for (including his favourite Liverpool pub) in today’s Notebook

Labour must tread carefully on oil and gas ban

This week I’m in Liverpool, one of my favourite cities, for the annual Labour Party conference. I’m here to promote the work of my new charity, the Jobs Foundation, and to encourage the new government in their quest to get 2m people from welfare into work. 

One policy area I’ll be watching closely is what is said about the North Sea oil and gas sector, which supports nearly 85,000 jobs in the North East of Scotland.

At the Trades Union Congress in Brighton a fortnight ago, Unite and the GMB expressed concern about the government’s plans to ban new licences for oil and gas production and to extend the Energy Profits Levy, arguing that they risk decimating a sector with a proud history of providing skilled employment. They described Labour’s proposals as “premature and irresponsible” and their slogan was “no ban without a plan”.

Meanwhile, Unison, the largest union representing public sector workers, responded with their own slogan – “no jobs on a dead planet” – and are strongly supporting the government’s proposed ban. 

This contrast between the white-collar and blue-collar unions is emblematic of the wider divide between those in favour of a dogmatic approach to reaching net zero and those who want a more realistic, phased transition. 

Some have compared the decline of the sector to that of the mines in the 1980s, with unions powerlessly trying to save the jobs of the past. Unlike mining, however, the sector is profitable, not dependent on public subsidy and a huge generator of tax revenue for the Exchequer. To me, it seems senseless to forego these benefits when our economy will continue to be reliant on oil and gas for decades to come. 

It’s unlikely that Labour’s Conference in Liverpool this week will resemble the strife of the 1980s, but let’s hope that those celebrating pragmatism and support of British jobs will win out in this particular fight.

Liverpool’s best pub

This isn’t the first time I’ve visited Liverpool in the spirit of cross-party cooperation. In 1997, I was working for my local Tory MP, and the young Liberal Democrats organised a sponsored walk along the Leeds and Liverpool canal to raise money for Shelter. Their chairman was a good friend, so I tagged along. When we reached Liverpool, we collapsed in the Philharmonic Dining Rooms. ‘The Phil’ is a fantastic Victorian pub with mahogany partitions, ornate ceilings, stained glass and – best of all – luxurious rose marble urinals in the gents. I’ll definitely be popping in for a pint of Nicolson’s.  

A haven away from the politics (and politicos)

When some conference delegates slip away to the Beatles Museum, I’ll be popping into Liverpool Anglican Cathedral for Evensong. It’s the largest cathedral in Britain and contains the biggest pipe organ, which I had the privilege of playing when my school choir sang there in the 1990s. Walking into such a vast building never fails to take my breath away. ‘Paddy’s Wigwam’ – the city’s 1960s, concrete and steel Catholic Cathedral – is not to everyone’s taste, but the peaceful interior, the magical colours from the stained glass, and whiff of incense also create a spiritual resonance.   

The news becomes retro

Last week I had the pleasure of listening to the BBC’s former North American editor Jon Sopel address a breakfast, organised by Finito, on his new book, Strangeland. He spoke about how news habits are changing, and recounted how a producer recently commissioned a segment on the resurgence of vinyl. The reporter went to Oxford Street, stopped a teenager, pulled out a record from a plastic bag, and said: “I’m from the BBC Six O’Clock News, do you know what this is?” To which the teenager replied: “Yeah, it’s an LP. But what’s the Six O’Clock News?”

Quote of the week

“Sue Gray is the only pensioner likely to do better under Labour.”

The brutal take of one Labour insider after it was revealed that Keir Starmer’s chief of staff was earning more than the PM.

Recommended reading for the Treasury

Essential reading ahead of October’s Budget is Jon Moynihan’s Return to Growth Volume One: How to Fix the Economy. I hope Rachel Reeves and her team at the Treasury read a copy sooner rather than later, because it explains how they can achieve the central objective of Labour’s election manifesto – economic growth. Spoiler alert: tax hikes won’t enhance the prosperity of households up and down the land. I hope university reading lists include Moynihan’s compelling book (and Volume Two, out in the New Year) alongside Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Both make a detailed and compelling case for their respective positions, but only one is the blueprint for strong economic growth.

Matthew Elliott is president of the Jobs Foundation, co-founder of the Taxpayers’ Alliance and a member of the House of Lords