PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Andy Burnham has now been formally elected as Leader of the Labour Party and will take office on Monday. His appointment, alongside the expected cabinet reshuffle, presents a key opportunity to engage with the new leadership and shape their priorities at an early stage. At this point, Jonathan Reynolds is expected to return to Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, with the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport less certain, although there are rumours that Lisa Nandy will stay on. When previously in the role, Reynolds was noted for building strong relationships with businesses – something we’ll look to take advantage of.

We are working towards building on the momentum generated by the CMS Committee’s report into business events and are currently drafting a joint letter with officials from DBT to the incoming Secretary of State, setting out how the report’s recommendations can be taken forward. We are also coordinating support from across the business events sector, with the aim of securing a strong, representative list of signatories.

In parallel, we are looking to make the most of potential ministerial and official attendance at next week’s Farnborough Airshow. Briefings are being prepared for attendees - including, potentially, the incoming Prime Minister (despite some unhelpful headlines earlier this week) - highlighting the sector’s importance and identifying opportunities for follow-up engagement.

Following last week’s CEO Summit and ESSA AGM, we have begun developing a targeted MP outreach campaign on behalf of ESSA members. This will spotlight the role of suppliers within the events industry while reinforcing the key findings of the CMS report. The campaign will focus on MPs representing ESSA members’ local constituencies, building on an approach that has already proven effective in engaging Parliament.

Work has also progressed on the Industrial Strategy 8 (IS8) project, which remains central to the Alliance’s long-term positioning. Recent efforts have focused on shaping an international events calendar, refining case studies, and ensuring the publication clearly demonstrates the contribution of UK organisers to national growth, both domestically and internationally.

Finally, as we have now entered Parliamentary recess, we are beginning to plan how upcoming moments, particularly party conference season, can be leveraged to further elevate the sector’s profile and reinforce its contribution to the wider economy.

Tuesday 14th July

• Rachel Reeves delivered her third, and likely final, Mansion House speech. She listed giving mayors the power to introduce an overnight visitor levy among the Government's devolution achievements to date and restated the direction set in her Mais lecture of giving regional leaders control over a share of national taxes including business rates, without attaching a new commitment or timetable. She also stressed the need to secure ties with the bloc as “Britain’s future is inescapably bound with that of Europe” and called for the next UK-EU summit to be "rescheduled as soon as possible".

Friday 17th July

• Andy Burnham was confirmed as Leader of the Labour Party, unopposed, at a special conference. He secured 379 of 403 nominations from Labour MPs before nominations closed on Wednesday, and takes office as Prime Minister on Monday 20th July.

Thursday 16th July

• During a Business of the House debate, Damian Hinds (Con, East Hampshire) asked for a debate in Government time on international inbound tourism, saying the UK has "lost cost competitiveness, and the introduction of an overnight visitor levy would make that worse."
  • Sir Alan Campbell (Leader of the House of Commons) replied that "a new administration will want to look across some of the commitments that have been made to see whether they want to take them forward. The overseas visitor levy is welcomed by many, but it has caused some concern." He said the House would have an opportunity to debate the matter after recess, "because we will be discussing it in the autumn."

Thursday 16th July

• Sir Ashley Fox (Con, Bridgwater) asked the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether an assessment has been produced of the potential impact of an Overnight Visitor Levy on visitor attendance at major events across England.
  • Alison McGovern (Minister for Local Government) said the precise design and scope of any Overnight Visitor Levy are still under consideration following a public consultation. The Government will publish its formal response to the consultation in due course. She also confirmed that decisions on whether to introduce a levy will be for mayors and local leaders, and that the detailed scope, "including any exemptions", will be set out in future legislation.

Tuesday 14th July

• Liverpool City Council published a ‘UKREiiF Update’ report ahead of a Culture and Economy Scrutiny Panel. The paper argues that "MIPIM and UKREiiF should not be viewed solely as promotional events. They are increasingly acting as entry points into longer-term investor relationships" and lists the strategic engagement around investment that took place at both conferences. The paper also records 886 unique visitors to the conference’s ‘Liverpool pavilion’, 64 media stories generated, and 231,000 social media impressions.

N.B The House of Commons has now risen for Summer Parliamentary Recess, it will return on 1st September.

Tuesday 21st July

• The Lords will debate a Parliamentary Question on the ‘impact of introducing a visitor levy on the cost of domestic travel and holidays’ put forward by Lord Sharpe (Con).

Wednesday 22nd

• The Lords will debate a Parliamentary Question on ‘securing better access to the EU for performing artists and musicians’ put forward by Lord Berkey (CB).

Thursday 23rd July

• The House of Lords will rise for Summer Parliamentary Recess, also returning 1st September.

Farnborough International Airshow opening ceremony coverage

Recent media coverage has claimed that the Farnborough International Airshow cancelled its opening ceremony following a perceived “snub” by Andy Burnham. However, it should be noted that the decision was taken more than a week ago, before the leadership outcome was known and in recognition that the incoming Prime Minister may not yet have completed key constitutional duties, including meeting the King. As it stands, Burnham has not yet confirmed his attendance, or publicly commented on whether he intends to attend.

Events lead marketing budget growth in latest Bellwether

The latest IPA Bellwether Report highlights continued growth in marketing investment, with events recording the strongest increase in budgets among all categories in Q2 2026. A net balance of +11.0% of companies reported increased spending on events, despite wider economic uncertainty and weaker business confidence. The findings suggest that businesses continue to view events as a valuable channel for customer engagement and brand growth, with investment in face-to-face experiences remaining resilient.

JMIC positions business events as strategic economic assets

The Joint Meetings Industry Council published the third edition of its Global Manifesto, setting out 15 ways business events create strategic advantage and drawing on the Events Industry Council's 2026 Global Economic Significance Study. As well as containing an expansive list of case studies, the report also sets out ten practical steps for delivering the industry’s message locally.

Edinburgh International Conference Centre’s £50 million economic boost

Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) has secured 91 new events in the past six months, generating nearly £50 million in future economic impact and expected to attract around 54,000 delegates to the city. Medical conferences led bookings, contributing over £17 million, alongside strong activity in finance, education, charity, and technology sectors. Since opening, the EICC has delivered over £1 billion in economic impact, reinforcing Edinburgh’s position as a leading global destination for business events.

Recent media coverage has claimed that the Farnborough International Airshow cancelled its opening ceremony following a perceived “snub” by Andy Burnham. However, it should be noted that the decision was taken more than a week ago, before the leadership outcome was known and in recognition that the incoming Prime Minister may not yet have completed key constitutional duties, including meeting the King. As it stands, Burnham has not yet confirmed his attendance, or publicly commented on whether he intends to attend.

Events lead marketing budget growth in latest Bellwether

The latest IPA Bellwether Report highlights continued growth in marketing investment, with events recording the strongest increase in budgets among all categories in Q2 2026. A net balance of +11.0% of companies reported increased spending on events, despite wider economic uncertainty and weaker business confidence. The findings suggest that businesses continue to view events as a valuable channel for customer engagement and brand growth, with investment in face-to-face experiences remaining resilient.

JMIC positions business events as strategic economic assets

The Joint Meetings Industry Council published the third edition of its Global Manifesto, setting out 15 ways business events create strategic advantage and drawing on the Events Industry Council's 2026 Global Economic Significance Study. As well as containing an expansive list of case studies, the report also sets out ten practical steps for delivering the industry’s message locally.

Edinburgh International Conference Centre’s £50 million economic boost

Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) has secured 91 new events in the past six months, generating nearly £50 million in future economic impact and expected to attract around 54,000 delegates to the city. Medical conferences led bookings, contributing over £17 million, alongside strong activity in finance, education, charity, and technology sectors. Since opening, the EICC has delivered over £1 billion in economic impact, reinforcing Edinburgh’s position as a leading global destination for business events.

If you have any questions regarding this update, please contact the Henham Strategy team

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