Is It Too Late For The Tories To Win Back The Business Vote?

Sean O'Grady asks if it really matters what companies think

- Sean O'Grady

A former CBI president, Paul Drechsler, tells The Independent that Labour is "winning the argument" over business, while Iain Anderson, founder of the public relations firm Cicero, said he was switching to Labour in part because of the Conservatives' plan to stoke a culture war against vulnerable groups. The business barometer seems to be pointing Labour's way.

Who is winning the battle for business?

Labour has been making much progress - partly because Keir Starmer has been busy removing the remaining socialist tenets of Labour policy, even dropping his own leadership pledge: "Public services should be in public hands, not making profits for shareholders. Support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water; end outsourcing in our NHS, local government and justice system." That promise has been finessed out of existence.

Even though business favoured parts of the Corbyn-McDonnell manifesto in 2017, and was repelled by the protectionism of the Tory hard right, Starmer's party is much more to their taste.