What happened when we went to the Labour Party Conference?
We went on a day trip to Brighton yesterday to check out what really goes on at the Labour Party conference. It could be their last one in Government so we were keen to hear how Gordon Brown would rally the troops to fight the next election. Filing in to the huge Brighton Centre we were ushered into the reserved media seats and spotted Jeremy Paxman looking unimpressed at the end of our row (his expression stayed the same throughout the hour and a bit speech - no wonder people find him terrifying!).
Sarah Brown introduced her husband saying how much she loved him even though he was messy (boys, eh?) and it was because she knew how much he cared for this country. We also couldn't help but covet her nude patent Jimmy Choo shoes. Then Gordon bounded on stage grinning (we've met him a number of times at No 10) and gave one of the best speeches of his career. He outlined some of Labour's achievements so far (crime down by a third, civil partnerships, maternity pay, paternity leave, the first Climate Change Act) and then made a number of promises which will no doubt form part of the Labour Party Manifesto at the next election. Company readers will be interested in the plans to curb 24-hour drinking in trouble spots to help make the streets safer for us late at night. He also promised to keep raising the minimum wage, create 250,000 'green jobs' and 10,000 work placements for those struggling to find a job.
What really impressed us were the number of young Labour party supporters at conference - looking around there wasn't just a sea of old, grey men in suits. We met three hugely inspiring Prospective Parliamentary Candidates who will stand for Labour at the next election - Rachel Reeves (Leeds West), Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) and the rather gorgeous Chuka Umuna (Streatham). We hope the new generation of politicians will listen and respond to the needs of Company readers - issues we have been campaigning about for years. Watch this space!
NEXT WEEK: We check out what the Conservative Party has to say as we listen to David Cameron's speech in Manchester
