Labour’s nationalisation drive has found its next victim already. Lord Khan unveiled ‘Buses for London’ this morning, a shiny new publicly owned operator – cooked up in partnership with Unite. Bit awkward for TfL..
City Hall already controls London’s buses of course. TfL sets every route and fare, while eight private operators compete for the contracts. The model works so well that Andy Burnham nicked it to build his much-lauded Bee Network in Manchester. If it ain’t broke…
So Lord Khan is now inexplicably splashing taxpayer’s cash to replace a system the Prime Minister has built his whole transport policy agenda on. All this while TfL’s bus subsidy has swollen past £1.2bn a year and the organisation carries around £14bn of debt. Probably would have been better to address that rather than come up with yet another publicly-owned operator…
Guido recounted the dire fate of recent Labour nationalisations. Khan’s ‘Buses for London’ could destroy the city’s global competitive lead on bus travel…
‘Our Andy’s’ first conference as leader. Buckle up…
MAIN SPEECHES
Sunday
12:30pm. Deputy Leader Lucy Powell’s speech.
2pm. Policy plenary.
4:45pm. Votes.
Monday
12pm. John Healey’s speech. The grim reality check amidst all the beaming Burnham puppyish optimism…
2pm. Policy plenary.
Tuesday
2pm. Burnham’s speech.
Wednesday
9:45am. Policy plenary.
12:30pm. Close of conference. A relief to all…
WHERE TO GET DRINKS
Saturday
4:30pm is the delegate welcome reception.
7pm. Regional receptions.
9pm is the LGBT+ Labour and YouTube party. The first proper one of the week.
Sunday
4:30pm is the Mayors Reception.
4:30pm is the Socialist Society Reception.
5pm. Young Labour Reception and, separately, the Labour to Win Rally. The two wings, same hour.
5pm is the Annual Trade Union Reception, with Sir John Curtice.
5pm. Prospect Editor’s drinks.
5pm is Northern Night.
5:30pm. Labour Movement for Europe Rally, chaired by Stella Creasy. Speakers to be announced, which tells you something.
6pm is The Rural Reception.
6pm. The Quiz in the North.
6:30pm is The Big Housing Reception… and the New Statesman’s Opening Reception in the Museum of Liverpool.
7pm is Welsh Night. Expect a wake.
7pm. Charity Bingo Reception.
7:30pm is Scots Night. See above.
8pm. IPPR and ThinkLabour drinks.
8:30pm is the Coastal PLP Reception.
9.30pm. The Spectator’s bash. Invites required.
Monday
5:30pm is The Great North Reception.
5:45pm. End the Siege on Cuba: Rally & Social, with the Cuban Ambassador.
6pm. The Labour First Rally.
6pm. The GB News Celebrate Britain Party. Invite only…
6:30pm is the Labour Tech Party.
6:30pm. New Economics Foundation drinks.
7pm is the Annual Palestine Reception.
7pm. Ocean & Coastal Reception.
7:15pm. Amey drinks.
7:30pm is Mainstream’s conference rally.
7.30pm. New Statesman Editor’s drinks. Invite only…
8pm is LabourList Karaoke & DJ Night. Earplugs essential…
8pm. Party with the Co-operative Party.
8:45pm. Humanists UK drinks.
9:30pm. Education Policy Drinks.
9.30pm. LBC’s bash. Invites required.
Tuesday
4:15pm is the Youth Zone Reception.
5pm. Socialist Campaign Group.
6pm is the Labour Business Reception.
7:15pm is the Total Politics Reception.
8pm. Green Groups Reception.
8pm. TikTok and UK Music present the Labour Students disco at Camp and Furnace.
10pm. The Mirror party. The big one, invites needed…
The rest of the information can be read below:
Continue reading “Guido Guide: Who to Meet, Where to Drink – Labour Conference 2026”
HMRC is spending up to £1.52 million a year on salaries for its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, according to documents seen by Guido’s FOI Unit. The taxman’s EDI operation now has 24.71 full-time equivalent staff…
The team is made up of 3 Assistant Directors on up to £87,612, 7 Senior EDI Consultants on up to £72,711, 9.12 EDI Consultants, 4.59 EDI Advisers and 1 EDI Officer. Guido’s calculations based on HMRC’s pay bands put the basic salary bill at between £1.24 million and £1.52 million. That is before gold-plated pension and National Insurance contributions…
HMRC refused to reveal the exact salary of the team’s highest earner and defended the team, saying: “By getting equality, diversity and inclusion right, we retain and recruit people with the skills we need and deliver effectively for our customers.” Yippee, the tax snooper in your home will be wearing a rainbow lanyard…
UK energy prices, net zero and Britain’s electricity system are examined by Rupert Darwall on The Guido Fawkes Show. Click the video above to watch…
Darwall discusses renewable energy costs, gas-fired power, nuclear energy, North Sea oil and gas, fracking and the pressures facing Britain’s electricity grid. He also sets out his criticism of UK decarbonisation policy and considers how energy security, geopolitics and economic growth could shape the future of net zero.
The discussion also covers his new book, The Age of Error and the West’s Undoing, and its argument about climate policy and the changing geopolitical order.
Watch the full episode here:
Entries in the comments…
Bookmark this from Andy Burnham:
2029: “that’s when the next election will be.”
May 2027: “Absolutely not.”
“No election any time soon.”
“All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead.”