Labour ‘likelier to back M&S flagship plans’

A TOP Marks & Spencer director has said Labour would be more likely to support the multimillion-pound revamp of its flagship Marble Arch store after it was blocked by Michael Gove.

Sacha Berendji, operations director, said early indications from the Labour Party were that it would view major investment by retailers “more positively” than the Conservatives.

The Housing Secretary first called in the redevelopment of the flagship store on Oxford Street in early 2022 and decided to block the project last summer. He has since been forced to reconsider after a High Court judge ruled his decision was unlawful.

Mr Berendji said: “We’ve been engaged with not only the Government, but also with the Opposition, and certainly the early indications we’ve had is that things will be viewed more positively from an investment perspective under a different government.”

He said Labour could not agree to approve any project if successful in an election and that it would still need to go through the proper planning process. “It would be wrong to suggest that they’ve said they’ll let it happen, but what they have indicated is that they have an attitude where they’re going to encourage investment on a large scale.”

It has poured millions of pounds into the redevelopment plan after warning it would be unable to continue in the store without an overhaul. Footfall is still down around a third in the location from pre-pandemic levels.

A Department for Housing spokesman said: “We have started the process of redetermining this application. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

The Labour Party did not respond to requests for comment.