Rishi Sunak went on his final mad dash electioneering supermarket sweep this week, stacking shelves at a Morrisons in Witney. I’m not sure what sort of optics he was looking for – he was at least sufficiently well briefed/observant to know the price of the tiger bloomer loaves he was replenishing (£1.35) – but the link he made to tax cuts was tenuous, to say the least.

Tenuous is a good word, in fact, to describe all the electioneering in the past six weeks. The food and drink industry’s various issues and related policy are mostly not election winners. And even where they are (immigration), the result was such a certainty that the new Labour government has understandably played its cards close to its chest.

So what should be the priorities for Keir Starmer’s government food and drink wise? Here’s six asks:

1. To put the UK food system, food security and resilience at the heart of its industrial strategy.

2. To reform the Apprenticeship Levy, which is simply not fit for purpose, but which presents such a huge opportunity.

3. To reform the business rates system, which places an unfair burden on retail in general and shops in particular.

4. To properly enforce a standalone offence for assault against retail workers at a UK level, to bring the law in England and Wales into line with Scotland.

5. To engage, consult with and listen to the industry in shaping policy.

6. To provide clarity and certainty for farmers, manufacturers and retailers with the change it promises.

There is no doubt some of Labour’s proposals – such as its New Deal for Working People – will have significant implications. The same is true of potential health and environmental policy changes. 

So one has to hope the new government conducts itself with conscience and competence, returning politics, as the new prime minister says, to public service. 

In private discussions with industry bosses ahead of the election, Labour has certainly made the right noises, vowing it would be the “most pro business government we will have ever seen”. Even if it is only partly true to its word, it has to be a significant improvement on what we have had in the past decade or so.

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