Seahorse Environmental’s go-to green events for Labour Party conference

This weekend marks the final of this year’s party conferences as everyone gears up to assemble in Liverpool for Labour. As we head into the final conference before a general election, all eyes are on Keir Starmer to set out the party’s priorities for the next few months.

Given the Prime Minister’s recent reversal on several net zero commitments, Labour is expected to seize this opportunity to position itself as the party for the environment as we saw recently with Labour’s opposition to the nutrient neutrality amendments.  

Seahorse has pulled together our suggested guide of go-to green events for this year’s conference. A full list of the events can be found on the Labour Conference App.

Seahorse will be attending the Labour Party Conference this year, so if you’re attending and would like to arrange a meeting, please get in touch with Constanza Poggi at cpoggi@seahorseenvironmental.co.uk, Lizzy Roberts at lroberts@seahorseenvironmental.co.uk or Ellen Bassam at ebassam@seahorseenvironmental.co.uk

Sunday 8th October

10:30-11:30: Labour Conference kicks off with an event hosted by Zero Hour on ‘Tackling the Climate-Nature Crisis: Achieving Labour’s Joined-up Plan.’ The discussion will highlight the vital link between the climate and nature crises, emphasising the need to protect ecosystems, restore habitats, and safeguard species to address the climate crisis effectively.

Chair: Olivia Blake MP (Sponsor of the Climate and Ecology Bill)

Speakers: Kerry McCarthy MP (Shadow Minister for Climate Change), Ruth Jones MP (Shadow Minister for the Environment), Dr George McGavin (Zoological Society of London), Professor Nathalie Pettorelli (Zoological Society of London), Tori Tsui (Climate Activists, invited) and Cllr Georgia Gould (Leader of Camden Council, invited)

Venue: Meeting Room 11A, The ACC, ACC Liverpool, Kings Dock Street, Liverpool, England, L3 4FP, Secure Zone

11:25-11:35: The Deputy Leader, Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, is scheduled to speak at the Conference Hall.

16:00-17:00 Following this, SME4Labour are holding an event with Mootral titled ‘Can Labour Help British Farming Reach Net Zero Through Science and Innovation’. The Panel will focus on the critical role of science and innovation in enabling British farming to achieve the ambitious targets of net-zero emissions.

Chair: Fiona Harvey (Environment Editor at The Guardian)

Speakers: Ruth Anderson (Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent), David Exwood (Vice President, National Farmers Union), Paul McNamee (Director, Labour Climate and Environment Forum), Thomas Hafner (Founder and CEO, Mootral) and Ed Towers (Farmer, Brades Farm)

Venue: Meeting Room 22, ACC Liverpool, Kings Dock Street, Liverpool, England, L3 4FP, Secure site

Tickets are free but booking is required via Eventbrite.

Monday 9th October

10:30-11:30: Day two begins with a panel organised by the University of Manchester and Policy@Manchester titled ‘Up Sh*t Creek: How Do We Clean Up Our Rivers’. The event will examine strategies for a potential Labour Government to resolve the ongoing pollution crisis.

Chair: Sarah Fowler (CEO of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust).

Speakers: Allison Ogden-Newton OBE (Chief Executive, Keep Britain Tidy), Toby Perkins MP (Shadow Minister for Nature and Rural Affairs and Professor Jamie Woodward (University of Manchester)

Venue: Meeting Room 1, Leonardo’s Hotel, 31 Keel Wharf, Liverpool L3 4FN

12:00-12:35: Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to make her speech a Conference Hall, setting out how Labour would manage the country’s finances.

15:00- 15:50: In the afternoon, The New Statesman and Ovo Energy are running an event examining ‘How Can the UK Maximise the Economic Opportunities of the Net Zero Transition’.

Chair: Annosh Chakelian (Britain Editor, The New Statesman)

Speakers: Jonathan Reynolds MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade), Polly Billington (Labour, PPC for South Thanet), Luke Murphy (Head of the Environmental Justice Commission and Associate Director, IPPR) and Raman Bhatia (CEO, OVO)

Venue: Meeting Room 11B, the ACC, Kings Dock Street, Liverpool, England, L3 4FP, Secure Site

18:00-19:00: If you are looking for event focused on the economics of net zero, the Resolution Foundation and Energy Systems Operator (ESO) are hosting ‘The Big Economy Debate: Can Britain Get Growth Up and Emissions Down?’. The event will discuss the challenges, conflicts, and opportunities between Labour’s strategies for economic growth and a net zero transition.

Chair: Torsten Bell (CEO, The Resolution Foundation)

Speakers: Ed Miliband MP (Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero), Beth Rigby (Sky News), Professor Marianna Mazzucato (UCL and Jake Rigg (National Grid ESO)

Venue: Auditorium 1C, the ACC, Kings Dock Street, Liverpool, England, L3 4FP, Secure Site

18:15-19:15: Finally, to round off the day the Socialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA) are hosting an event on ‘The Future of North Sea Energy- How to Achieve a Fair and Just Transition Away from Oil and Gas’.

Chair: Cllr Jo Backman (SERA, Executive member)

Speakers: Alan Whitehead MP (Shadow Minister for Energy Security), Richard Hardy (National Secretary of Scotland, Prospect), Rosemary Harris (Co-Author of Our Power report) and Tessa Khan (Uplift).

Venue: Labour Environment Hub Marquee, Kings Dock, King Dock St, L3 4FP

Tuesday 10th October

10:00-11:00: On the last full day of the conference, A Plastic Planet and Reposit will host an event on 'Labour's Role in a Post-Plastics Economy.' This event will explore how a 2024 Labour Government can introduce a fresh policy agenda for the UK, promoting reusable packaging and envisioning a future without single-use plastics.

Chair: Tom Rayner (digital Politics Editor Sky News)

Speakers: Steve Reed MP (Shadow Environment Secretary, Invited), Jemma Wong (Chief Marketing Officer, A Plastic Planet), Jo Chidley (Co-Founder, Reposit), Victoria Brownlie (Chief Policy Officer, British Beauty Council), Barry Gardiner MP (EFRA Committee member) and Cat Drew (Chief Design Officer, Design Council).

Venue: Meeting Room 9, Leonardo Hotel Liverpool, 31 Keel Wharf Liverpool L3 4FN

Tickets are free but booking is required via Eventbrite.

14:00-16:00: Labour Leader, Sir Keir Starmer, will be delivering his speech at the conference hall, providing an opportunity for him to outline his vision for a Labour Government.

17:00-18:00: Following on from this Oceana will be hosting an event on ‘Our Ocean Nation: Protecting UK Seas and Building a Thriving Blue Economy’. The panel will delve into the Oceans Manifesto for UK Seas and explore how a Labour government can ensure the protection of UK seas while promoting a thriving blue economy.

Chair: Hugo Tagholm (Oceana UK)

Speakers: Emma Hardy MP (Shadow Minister for Flooding, Oceans and Coastal Communities’) and Gwen Buck (Uplift)

Following Oceana’s event is an evening of networking and drinks for all things climate and nature. From 20:30 to 21:30, the Networking for Nature event will bring together the UK's leading environmental organisations in anticipation of the most critical election for nature. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from new PPCs (Prospective Parliamentary Candidates) who are advocating for the natural world.

Venue: The Lounge, M&S Bank Arena Concourse, Secure Zone.