JLM announces northern conference packed with top Labour names

The Jewish Labour Movement has confirmed details for one of the most ambitious communal political events to take place in the north west of England for years.

Senior Labour frontbenchers, including Yvette Cooper, Lucy Powell, Lisa Nandy and Alison McGovern have all been announced among the lengthy list of participants in the organisation’s first ever one-day northern conference, taking place in Manchester on October 22nd.

The event, which will also feature speeches from peers Baroness Anderson and Lord John Mann, alongside appearances also from MPs such as Alex Sobel, Christian Wakeford, Charlotte Nicols and Bill Esterton, aims to build on the success of JLM’s London one-day conferences at JW3.

It will also see Israeli Knesset member Rabbi Gilad Kariv attend to deliver a talk on the tense situation in the Jewish state as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive judicial overhaul.

The impressive line-up also features Dame Louise Ellman, Luciana Berger and Dave Rich, from the Community Security Trust, as well as the Manchester Jewish Rep Council’s Mark Adlestone and mayor of south Yorkshire Oliver Coppard.

The attendance of so many senior Labour politicians is a sign of the party’s determination to win back as much of the community as possible ahead of the general election, next year.

As in London, Keir Starmer’s advisers are convinced that Jewish votes, lost under Jeremy Corbyn, hold the key to victory for Labour in numerous seats in the north and north west of the country.

Labour sources say relations between the Starmer-led party and JLM have “never been better” ahead of the October event, which takes place weeks after the party’s annual conference in Liverpool.

Dena Ryness, chair of JLM north west region told Jewish News: “We’re incredibly proud to be organising this conference with Labour Together to stimulate progressive political discussion amongst the Jewish community in the north.

“The event is certainly timely, given the Mayoral elections in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Tyneside next May, as well as an imminent general election.

“The programme we have put together shows the demand for political discussion amongst our members, activists and supporters and demonstrates our national reach. Judging from the interest and enthusiasm this has generated already, we expect it to be a sell-out, just like our national Conference in January.”

Tickets for the JLM event, taking place in central Manchester, can be booked at jewishlabour.uk/northernconference23