Fresh from a thumping election victory in the summer, the Labour Party Conference was expected to be the highlight of the autumn conference season. While the atmosphere was undoubtedly positive and brimming with excitement, as noted by our Chief Executive, the event was relatively light on new policy.
The Chancellor’s speech referenced the life sciences industry, an acknowledgement of how Labour views our industry as a key area of growth. Ms Reeves announced that the new Industrial Strategy is set to be launched next month, which will identify high growth sectors which should receive priority investment. The Prime Minister himself highlighted the importance of driving growth in a more general speech.
The most interesting development came in Wes Streeting and Peter Kyle’s appearances. It was revealed that the now Health and Social Care Secretary and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology once shared a Parliamentary office together, remaining close friends and allies. This relationship is set to benefit cross-departmental working, with Mr Kyle claiming they are ‘joined at the hip’.
BIVDA welcomes greater connectivity and collaboration between these two departments to ensure the life sciences industry is at the forefront of tackling the NHS’s problems.
In other appearances, the Health Secretary further advanced his belief that DHSC should be viewed as an economic department given the potential of good health to boost growth and productivity. He also reiterated the key learnings gained by both the Darzi report and the recent IPPR report and how the NHS required investment, but more importantly, reform.
