It’s highly ironic that by far the most detailed proposals of any party so far on the issues that matter to the food and drink industry should come from one whose chances have been widely dismissed until now – and, for that matter, in a none-too-discreet mass leak.
By last night Labour’s plans were a few clicks away on a smartphone for all to dissect, so perhaps Jeremy Corbyn has secretly declared war on spin doctors and leaks in selected Sunday papers, as well as industry fat cats.
Yet, wading through the draft manifesto - it won’t officially be confirmed until next week - it is clear that on many of those key issues Labour is promising exactly the sort of measures trade bodies have been screaming for in the run up to next month’s poll, even as they have been busy writing off Corbyn’s chances of coming to power.
Indeed, with Brexit dominating the campaign, much of the manifesto’s language could almost have been written by the FDF or the BRC.
Labour speaks of ripping up the Brexit White Paper and having a fresh negotiating stance based on retaining the benefits of the single market. It would also immediately guarantee the rights of the EU workforce, saying it is “shameful” workers have been treated as bargaining chips by the Tories.
These are two of the key planks of manifesto demands presented by a who’s who of industry bodies, which are desperate for more clarity on how the departure from the EU can be handled without disastrous new trading barriers, and access to labour falling off a cliff.
On the domestic front, the manifesto promises to rip up the existing business rates system, which will also be widely greeted by those many businesses fed up with previous empty promises from the government.
However, there’s also plenty of ammunition for those who argue voting in a Labour administration would effectively be an attack on business, putting unrealistic policies to help the poor and boost workers’ rights ahead of policies needed to secure economic stability and growth.
Indeed, there are potentially explosive promises aplenty in the draft, without even going near the big plans to re-nationalise rail and energy companies, which will give companies great cause for disquiet.
Proposals to maintain and beef up the Apprenticeship Levy, to roll out plastic bottle deposit return schemes across the UK, or to extend the powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to cover indirect suppliers are just three of the less headline-grabbing plans, which would nevertheless have big consequences for the food and drink industry and are deeply unpopular in many quarters.
So, too, are Labour’s plans for a new obesity strategy in the first 100 days of a Labour government, which would not only ban HFSS ads on TV but is likely to include plans to extend the soft drinks sugar ley to cover other sectors, as it suggested in the Budget debate.
Yet perhaps the ultimate challenge faced by Labour, aside from questions over Corbyn’s credibility, is going to be his ability to convince companies more broadly that Labour is, at it says in the manifesto, “pro-business” and that its domestic policies aimed at maintaining workers’ rights brought in under the EU, and going much further in some cases, are not a recipe for added cost and extra taxation.
The Institute of Economic Affairs wasted little time this morning predicting the manifesto would be a “disaster” for the economy, adding at least £40bn to public spending.
“Enormous tax hikes on business and the so-called rich,” it said, would signal an attack on innovation and investment, harming much-needed economic growth.
Whether that is through increases to the national minimum wage or a ban on zero hours working, it seems inevitable that Labour’s plans will alienate large sections of business, whose eyes are not just on preventing the industry falling off the Brexit cliff face but also keeping the lid on costs and taxation.
However, the leaked manifesto poses questions for the industry itself. It is going to be equally challenging for it not to be portrayed as the enemy of the poor and opposing basic workers’ rights – a proposal which, while ringing alarm bells for many business leaders, is likely to prove popular with those at grass roots and shop floor level, who may yet rally behind Corbyn’s left wing ideas.
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