Blog
Tracy Brabin at the Co-operative Party stall

1. A major success for our #FoodJustice campaign

Sue Hayman MP, Shadow Food and Environment Secretary, announced on Tuesday that a Labour Government will pass a Fair Food Act to give everyone in the UK a right to food. She committed to halving the amount of foodbank usage within three years.

https://twitter.com/CoopParty/status/1176416120317906944

Read more in the Big Issue’s article on a Right to Food here.

2. Doubling the size of the sector is still at the top of Labour’s agenda

John McDonnell reaffirmed Labour’s commitment to at least doubling the size of the co-operative sector – adding that under the next Labour government, “wherever you work you will have a stake and a say”.

3. Announcement in support of a co-operative university

Sunday at conference saw the announcement from Angela Rayner, Shadow Education Secretary, pledging to “establish a comprehensive, and co-operative, university… common ownership of the production, distribution and exchange of knowledge itself.

This is great news – we have been calling on the Labour Party to support the efforts of the Co-operative College in their work to develop plans for a co-operative university and it’s exciting to see recognition of this from Angela.

https://twitter.com/CoopParty/status/1175717858233466880?s=20

4. Our stall was a hub of social justice campaigning and action

This year, as part of our food justice campaign, we hosted a foodbank collection at our stall and invited politicians, members and visitors to join our campaign. We met MPs, candidates, councillors and members from across the country and were able to take their donations of food, nappies and sanitary products to the Purple People’s Kitchen foodbank in Brighton at the end of Conference.

It was also the first Labour Conference outing for our new brand! We think the bee looks great on the stall – and lots of you who came to visit us said the same.

5. We hosted debates on everything from community safety to the leasehold scandal

Hundreds of Conference goers attended our wide range of fringe events, including a discussion on leasehold with Sarah Jones MP; a debate on widening ownership with Social Enterprise UK; a workshop to support safer shopworkers and communities with the Co-op Group and Alex Norris MP; a conversation with Community the union and IPSE looking at the barriers facing disabled people in self-employment, and a rally on food justice with Sue Hayman MP and a host of campaigners and food charities.