Careful what you wish for... top firms cosy up to Corbyn

BUSINESSES are cosying up to Labour again after Jeremy Corbyn’s betterthan-expected general election result.

The number of business delegates attending this month’s party conference is up 50 per cent on last year, when Labour appeared to be in crisis under the hard-Left leader.

Among the companies exhibiting at the event for the first time in two years are technology giants Microsoft and Google.

Other major firms such as train-maker Hitachi and Centrica, the owner of British Gas, are also sponsoring fringe events.

Labour said the renewed interest from businesses showed the party is now seen as a government in waiting.

A spokesman added that tickets for Labour’s business forum – where firms pay to meet members of the shadow cabinet – sold out at the end of August.

Figures show that last year there were 1,832 business delegates at Labour’s conference. So far this year, 2,757 have signed up for the event in Brighton.

The party said that due to demand, additional stands have been added, and that 25 per cent of stands at next year’s conference have already been booked.

A Labour spokesman said: ‘ Many more businesses are attending party conference this year because they know that Labour is a government in waiting.’

Other firms attending the conference for the first time include the hotel group Signature Living, energy firm Ecotricity, environmental company Tangent, Transport for the North and Co-operative Councils.

The new interest from corporations follows Mr Corbyn’s unexpectedly strong performance at the general election. It also reflects Labour’s potential to influence the Government on Brexit. Many firms oppose new limits on migration after Britain leaves the EU because they want to maintain a supply of cheap labour from overseas.

In many cases companies initially avoided engagement with Labour as it was dragged to the Left by Mr Corbyn.

The party’s manifesto promised to increase corporation tax on business, as well as income tax on the rich. It pledged to bring energy, rail and water companies back into public ownership, and introduce a maximum pay ratio of 20:1 between the highest and lowest-paid staff in the public sector.

Last month a party source said there were ‘not enough hours in the day to meet all the people who are requesting to meet Labour from the business community’.

The source added: ‘Old contacts and new are proactively contacting us to request… greater engagement with Labour.’

Shaken by Jeremy Corbyn’s showing in the polls, business leaders are scrambling to send delegates to this month’s Labour conference, with more than 2,750 signed up.

do they seriously think they can persuade this unreconstructed Marxist to heed their concerns? Good luck with that!

Indeed, they should listen to Mr Corbyn’s henchman, John Mcdonnell, who lists ‘ overthrowing capitalism’ among his recreations in who’s who.

Yesterday, he vowed solidarity with militant unions’ demands for a general strike to bring down the Government.

as they crawl to Labour’s conference, company bosses can forget any hope of a hearing from a party committed to steep increases in business taxes, mass nationalisation and an end to curbs on union power.

If they want a future for themselves and their employees, they should rally to Theresa May – instead of undermining her by constantly moaning about Brexit.