LONDON — Businesses who want to go all-out on schmoozing Britain’s Labour ministers can do it over lunch. The price tag? A cool £55,000.

The figure (plus VAT) has been put on attending, introducing and sponsoring a lunch at the ruling party’s annual conference in September, according to a pitch to lobbyists seen by POLITICO.

It forms part of the “Business Leaders’ Summit,” the general attendance fee for which rose from £3,000 in 2024 to £5,000 this year. The day includes a breakfast, lunch and drinks for CEOs to network with ministers, as well as panel events, access to a lounge and a full conference pass.

The extra £50,000 for the “lunch slot” buys the opportunity to introduce the session, as well as “priority seating,” imagery rights, and branding on roundtables, screens and the summit program, according to the pitch.

It comes after a steep rise in fees for businesses attending this year’s conference, despite Labour slipping in opinion polls since last autumn.

‘Crazy prices’

One lobbyist, granted anonymity to speak frankly like others quoted in this story, described it as an “insane figure” to sponsor a lunch, arguing that evening drinks at the same business day would be sponsored separately. 

A second lobbyist complained: “Those are crazy prices. Labour has been very confident in its pricing for the past couple of years — and fair enough, people have been paying. But businesses have become far more sophisticated in their realization that this is all flash cash — no real access, certainly no major opportunity to lobby on important issues.”

A third lobbyist said the figure “sounds about right,” given sponsorship for each of Labour’s regional receptions at the party conference is also being sold for around £50,000.

They said: “I think if you can’t make a case to your client that £50k is worth it to get profiled in front of thousands of political and business stakeholders, as well as likely face time with the PM, chancellor and basically any other minister you want then so be it.”

One Labour insider described the general fee rises as a reflection of falling membership as the government takes decisions unpopular with some of its grassroots, at the same time as struggling to attract high-value donors after tax rises in the 2024 budget. 

“They want to make more money out of conference,” the person said, joking: “They’ll be contributing to inflation.”

Labour postponed a £5,000 conference for executives and lobbyists this month, with business advisers telling the Financial Times there had been a lack of interest.

Some attendees demanded refunds after last year’s conference business day, complaining they had minimal time with ministers.

Labour has reduced the capacity and extended the agenda for this year’s business day, rebranding it to the Business Leaders’ Summit. The party’s website says it has sold out and “the waiting list is full.”

A Labour Party official said pricing at the conference was decided on a strictly commercial basis, and that interest for commercial opportunities there was strong. The party declined to comment on costs.

John Johnston contributed reporting.