HENRY FOWLER, assistant general secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), reports on Day 2 from the GFTU’s residential Summer School at the Workers’ Retreat, Quorn Grange Hotel
INSTEAD of increasing public funding or promoting public ownership of key industries or identifying responsible investors, that prioritise peace and people over war and violence, Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently put out a gushing post on X about his meeting with Larry Fink, the chief executive of asset management firm BlackRock, and an even more gushing post on career firm Linkedin.
“I’m determined to deliver growth, create wealth and put more money in people’s pockets. This can only be achieved by working in partnership with leading businesses, like BlackRock, to capitalise on the UK’s position as a world leading hub for investment,” Starmer wrote.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said that Labour looks forward to working with BlackRock to “change the face of our UK.”
Only an ambitious programme of state-led investment can restore growth and improve living standards, argues MICHAEL BURKE
Your Party can become an antidote to Reform UK – but only by rooting itself in communities up and down the country, says CLAUDIA WEBBE
CLAUDIA WEBBE argues that Labour gains nothing from its adoption of right-wing stances on immigration, and seems instead to be deliberately paving the way for the far right to become an established force in British politics, as it has already in Europe
Climate justice and workers’ rights movements are uniting to make the rich pay for our transition to a green economy, writes assistant general secretary of PCS JOHN MOLONEY, ahead of a major demonstration on September 20


