‘A serious disappointment’: Labour has to regain business sector’s confidence at conference

After being promised last year they could partner' with party on policy, many executives are asking what happened

Last year Keir Starmer had an invitation for bosses at Labour's first party conference in power in 15 years: You can have your finger prints on our policy ... you can shape it." Fresh from love-bombing corporate Britain before his election landslide, the prime minister told a sold-out business day" audience at its Liverpool get-together that he wanted his new government to partner" with industry.

You have the right to badger us ... Our decisions will be better if we are talking to you and taking into account what you say," Starmer said.