We need a more co-operative approach to governance in our country to deliver a better outcome for the whole of the United Kingdom. As leader of the Scottish Labour Party, I will be publishing a series of papers on how Scottish Labour working alongside our UK colleagues can deliver a stronger Scotland in a modernising United Kingdom.

Last week saw the start of our 2022 Summer School – a series of sessions for new members to learn and get involved with the Party. It’s an exciting time to be a member of the Co-op Party as we continue to grow in members, election candidates and co-operators at every level of government.

When the Co-op Party highlighted that the Government was consulting on an Online Sales Tax as a way of levelling the playing field between Internet-only businesses and those retailers that need a shop front presence, our branch was keen to help.

Hard work will be what it takes for us to move our Party forward in the way we want. The good news is our Party is becoming a fantastic team prepared to go above and beyond. 

Co-op Fortnight, the annual celebration of co-ops, runs this year from 20 June to 3 July and Co-ops UK are asking people involved in co-ops to celebrate why they love co-operatives so much.

We have spoken to branches, party councils and the wider Co-operative community all across the country to build a more well rounded document.

Last week, I was proud to announce a £300,000 community energy fund - supporting Hackney’s journey to net zero and forming part of the Council’s plan to tackle the climate crisis as well as helping residents with their rising energy bills.

We are clear in our aim and clear in our approaches to achieve co-operative communities right across the country – and as a movement, I've outlined what we must do.

I was absolutely delighted that Hazel Grove Constituency Labour Party unanimously passed the Co-operative Party’s model motion in support of an Online Sales Tax last week.

While it is a missed opportunity by the Government to create a fairer, more co-operative society – there are several pieces of legislation which we believe can be made more co-operative and progressive.

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.

Bringing together 100 people from leading retailers, manufacturers, distributors and the whole food supply chain, the Food Resilience Industry Forum proved to be effective at raising issues.

A mutual business, owned by the viewing public, creatives, employees, and under-represented voices, would be a model that serves the British public and promotes the independence of Channel 4.