Starmer condemns Diane Abbott comments, saying they were antisemitic and ‘hierarchy of racism’ never acceptable – as it happened

Good morning. The Conservative party used to be seen as the party of business, but over the past nine years, because of Brexit, Boris Johnson (who at times could not conceal his dislike for big business) and Liz Truss (who almost crashed the economy), that link has been tested to breaking point. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have been wooing business assiduously.

This morning Sunak will seek to address this by launching Business Connect, which No 10 describes as “a new platform for businesses to engage with prime minister Rishi Sunak’s pro-growth, pro-enterprise government”. It is the first time we will have heard from him since he lost his deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, on Friday.

In a statement released before the event, Sunak said:

Since taking office, I’ve spoken to over 1,000 businesspeople – because they are the innovators and change-makers at the heart of our economy, supporting jobs, attracting investment and driving growth.

The UK can be proud of its business credentials. Through the creation of 162 tech unicorns, smarter regulation and world-leading universities – we’ve got the right ingredients to double down on growing the economy.

Here is the agenda for the day.

8.30am: Rishi Sunak speaks at a Business Connect event on LinkedIn.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

Morning: Keir Starmer does a visit in London, where he will speak to journalists.

After 3.30pm: James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, is expected to make a statement to MPs about Sudan.

Afternoon: Sunak meets Humza Yousaf, the new Scottish first minister, in London.

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