This week it was the turn of Labour to hold their Party Conference.
Jeremy Corbyn had to bring forward his speech following the Supreme Court's judgement that the Prime Minister's suspension of parliament was unlawful. Corbyn led on that and the risks of a no-deal Brexit, but his speech was wide in breadth, including policies that would impact entrepreneurs:
On Workers Rights: "We’ll bring about the biggest extension of rights for workers our country has ever seen. We’ll scrap zero-hours contracts; introduce a £10 living wage – including for young people from the age of 16; give all workers equal rights from their first day in the job; take action on the gender, disability and ethnicity pay gaps; and introduce flexible working time for workers experiencing the menopause."
On Spending: "Labour will get our economy working in every town city and region with a record investment blitz, and we’ll boost the devolved budgets in Wales and Scotland. We’ll upgrade our transport energy and broadband infrastructure with 250 billion pounds of investment. And breathe new life into every community, with a further 250 billion of capital for businesses and co-ops. Investment on a scale our country has never known, bringing good new jobs and fresh growth to where you live."
Rebecca Long Bailey MP, Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, gave more detail in her speech:
On Gig Workers: "Workers under Labour will get full legal rights – such as sick pay, holiday and parental leave and protection from dismissal from day one, even those working in the gig economy."
On High Streets: "Some of that action will be long-term changes, such as addressing the imbalance of tax treatment between traditional retailers and online sellers. That is why my colleague Bill Esterson is convening a cross-departmental taskforce to look into these complex issues."
On Business Rates: "On one of the most pressing issues, business rates we will introduce annual revaluations of rates, exempt new plant and machinery from revaluations, ensure a fair appeals system and fundamentally review the business rates system to bring it into the 21st century."
Next up it's the much reduced Conservative Party Conference. It's been been cut short after opposition MPs voted to punish the Government for proroguing parliament by not allowing the MPs time off to party in Manchester.
However, a lot of MPs still seem to be going, including Gillian Keegan MP and Dr Caroline Johnson MP for our event with Barclays and the Female Founders Forum. Our event is outside the secure zone, so no need to a pesky Conference pass. We also have Lou Cordwell OBE, Lisa Tse MBE and Juliet Rogan from Barclays on the panel. Sign up for free here.
On Your Marks
The Government has produced an 8-page booklet on how leaving the EU could impact your business. Read it here. Also, HMRC has launched an EU Exit Import and Export Trader Helpline for traders and hauliers importing from / exporting to the EU after October 31. The number is 0300 3301 331. Lines will be open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.
The Government is also working with the British Library to produce a series of webinars to help prepare businesses for Brexit. The first webinar will be next Monday 30th September at 2pm covering the regulation of manufactured goods covered by the “New Approach” (i.e. mostly CE marked goods) in the event of no deal. Topics covered will include CE and UKCA Marking, Notified Bodies, conformity assessment, importer duties and declarations of conformity, and there will be the opportunity to ask questions. Find out more here.
As we head towards the cliff edge / Elysian Fields (delete as appropriate), or not, I'll update you on a few specific things you might want to think about / ignore (delete as appropriate). This week: Trade marks.
Trade marks are a form of intellectual property right, commonly taking the form of words, logos, or a mixture of both. Currently, you can apply at the UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) for a right that covers the UK, or at the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for a EU Trade Mark (EUTM) which covers the whole of the EU. If and when we leave the UK, any existing EUTMs will only cover the remaining EU Member States, and so will not provide protection in the UK. However, to ensure that UK protection is preserved, the government will provide holders of existing EUTMs with a comparable UK trade mark on exit day. Find out more here.
Read the whole thing here, and sign up for the e-bulletin here.