Apart from a bright spark of hope in the victory of the Gaza motion, this year’s conference lacked vision and purpose — we need to urgently reconnect Labour with its roots rather than weakly aping the flag-waving right, argues KIM JOHNSON MP

LABOUR is showing off its latest recruit, Iain Anderson. The party is so excited this “business leader” who “used to vote Tory” is now backing Labour that shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds got him to write a report of recommendations for Labour’s business policy.
If you read what Anderson wrote, if you read his report, and look at the “business” he “leads,” it becomes pretty clear that he hasn’t shifted his views much. But he is helping shift labour towards deregulation, which may well help the clients of his lobbying firm.
Anderson wrote a piece for the Times talking about his conversion to Labour. Anderson joined the Tories in 1984 and says:

The new angle from private firms shmoozing their way into public contracts was the much-trumpeted arrival of ‘artificial intelligence’ — and no-one seemed to have heard the numerous criticisms of this unproven miracle cure, reports SOLOMON HUGHES

It is rather strange that Labour continues to give prestigious roles to inappropriate, controversy-mired businessmen who are also major Tory donors. What could Labour possibly be hoping to get out of it, asks SOLOMON HUGHES

Keir Starmer’s hiring Tim Allan from Tory-led Strand Partners is another illustration of Labour’s corporate-influence world where party differences matter less than business connections, writes SOLOMON HUGHES

MBDA’s Alabama factory makes components for Boeing’s GBU-39 bombs used to kill civilians in Gaza. Its profits flow through Stevenage to Paris — and it is one of the British government’s favourite firms, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES