Georgia Horsfall

Millions had the chance to vote for co-operation and they did, returning a record number of over 1200 Co-operative Councillors to office. This was especially true in Scotland and Wales where we saw the number of Co-op Councillors double, following on from record parliamentary co-operative groups elected last year.

This Queen’s Speech perhaps more than any in recent memory is critical in providing the framework for how we will tackle the many difficulties the ongoing crises provide. It’s imperative the Government builds on the values and solutions of co-operation within it to meet that challenge.

The Shadow Levelling Up team has worked with people from across the Labour and Co-operative movements to develop five tests for the Levelling-Up White Paper which would deliver meaningful levelling up and empower people.

Next week’s local elections provide a chance for us all to continue this work as an active, campaigning Party that priorities making a real difference where it matters most, and to do so with more co-operators than ever championing our cause as elected Co-operative Party representatives.

Being active in and working co-operatively with the community ensures value and success for everyone.

Over the weekend, we ran a Young Labour and Young Co-operative campaign day in Derby and Amber Valley, supporting two excellent young candidates. Both Joel and Phillip have been working hard to prove that young people can have an outsized say in elections: both are among the hardest working campaigners in these sets of local elections.

Six years after it was first promised by Government, an Economic Crime Act was finally passed to increase transparency over who owns and controls property . But more needs to be done to break Britain’s unhealthy relationship with illicit finance, and build a more democratic property ownership system that works for everyone.

As one of the richest countries on earth, the UK has a duty to those who arrive on our shores having fled war, violence, and other forms of persecution.