When I quit the Conservative party last October, I did not commit myself to supporting anyone else. I wanted to be sure that the party I backed at the next election had a credible programme to bring about real improvements in the lives of my Iceland customers and colleagues, a better environment and a stronger economy. I also needed to see a leader capable of delivering on those promises.
After a lot of soul-searching, I am now clear in my own mind that Labour is the right choice for the communities across the country where Iceland operates – and the right choice for everyone in business who wants to see this country grow and prosper.
I say this not because I have had a radical change of heart. I say it because Labour under Keir Starmer has progressively moved towards the ground on which I have always stood, at the same time as the Conservatives have moved away from it. Indeed, the Tories’ abandonment of what I have always regarded as basic Conservative principles has not only fuelled my personal disenchantment, it is also reflected in the total collapse of public confidence we can see in every opinion poll.
Yet the pollsters also tell us that this is much more of an anti-Conservative swing than a pro-Labour one, and that the public don’t yet know Keir Starmer well enough to understand that he has what it takes to cut it as prime minister.
Having met the man, I am sure that Starmer has exactly what it takes to be a great leader. Indeed, he has already demonstrated this in the way in which he has transformed his own party by ruthlessly excising the Corbynite extremism that made Labour unelectable in 2019.
At the same time, he demonstrates a compassion and concern for the less fortunate that contrasts very favourably with the attitude of most of his opponents. He absolutely gets it when I talk to him about the way that the cost of living crisis has put unbearable strain on the finances of so many of my customers and their families, and the urgent need for a government that does everything in its power to ease their burden.
This includes a change to regulations to make it easier for families who need infant formula to get it – something Iceland has been campaigning on. The clear missions Labour has set out for government – stability, security, safe streets, green energy and an NHS back on its feet – are exactly what the country needs now, combined with its focus on opportunity for all.
The country is crying out for a period of sound leadership after the years of Tory infighting and chaos, with its apparently endless churn of prime ministers, chancellors and secretaries of state.
Is it any wonder that we can’t solve the country’s housing crisis when there have been no fewer than 13 housing ministers in the past eight years?
On the economy, Labour has in Rachel Reeves a chancellor in waiting who understands the critical importance of wealth creation that lifts the economy for all in society, and who knows that we must revive our manufacturing and services by tackling the UK’s longstanding problems of chronically low investment and high levels of regional inequality.
Driving impetus into our planning system will be a great place to start, removing the barriers that underresourced planning departments and perverse rules currently put in our way both in opening more job-creating stores and in converting surplus commercial property to much-needed housing. This is one way Labour can breathe new life into our wearied high streets and enhance the quality of all our lives.
I also welcome the party’s commitments to tackle the growing crisis of school non-attendance and to focus on the early years of education where good habits of learning and behaviour are formed, and to help all of us to lead healthier lives.
While the Tories continue to pay lip service to the need to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, their recent actions in rowing back on various environmental commitments show that they don’t appreciate the critical need to tackle the climate emergency head-on.
Labour’s green prosperity plan, and particularly the party’s commitment to turbocharge the shift to greener power, demonstrates that it gets the need to transition fast and fairly, and that it will take the urgent action we require.
I don’t agree with everything single thing that Labour proposes, and I am not becoming a party member. That’s because I want to retain my ability to speak out without fear or favour about the issues that matter to me and the people my business employs and serves.
But I think Labour today has a strong leader backed by a very capable team and a clear vision for the future. It understands business, sustainable and green growth, and the power of partnerships between the state and the market. In whatever way I weigh it up, it is clear that the values and principles I have long cherished are now aligned with Labour rather than the Tories.
How my customers and colleagues vote is their choice and Iceland is apolitical. Personally, I look forward to supporting Keir Starmer and Labour in the forthcoming general election. I hope it delivers the majority they will need to begin delivering their recovery programme for the UK.
