Business beats a path to Labour's green door

Labour is turning away business leaders who want to attend events at its party conference in Liverpool next month because too many have applied in the belief that Keir Starmer will form the next government.

- Toby Helm

Party insiders say a full complement of 200 senior business people have paid £2,520 ($3,100) each to attend a business forum with Starmer, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds. Another 180 are on a waiting list. Last year, 130 attended.

In a rush of interest that has taken officials by surprise, 300 chief executives and chairs of big UK companies will attend the conference - more than did so during the first term of Tony Blair's prime ministership. Business sponsorship had risen from £200,000 last year to £500,000, officials said.