By Anca Voinea
The Co-operative Party’s 2022 annual conference will be held at the Queens Hotel in Leeds on 8-9 October 2022.
Themed From crisis to co-operation, the event is the organisation’s first in-person annual conference in two years.
Day one of the conference will feature a series of speakers, panels, workshops and fringe events, as well as an annual conference evening reception where co-operators will be able to network.
Day two will include policy debates on two policy areas: health and international development.
Speakers include Rachel Reeves MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer; Lisa Nandy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire; Jim McMahon MP, chair of the Co-operative Party and Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK; Preet Kaur Gill, Chair of the Co-operative Party Parliamentary Group and Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development; and Wes Streeting MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
The conference is expected to bring together hundreds of members and supporters from across the co-operative and labour movements.
Joe Fortune, general secretary of the Co-operative Party, said: “From the cost-of-living crisis to the climate crisis, our country is facing a challenging future. But I know our movement has the answers and the ambition to face this moment.
“Our Annual Conference will be an opportunity for our members and supporters to meet in-person for the first time in two years, and work together to set an ambitious agenda for our campaigns, policies and priorities for the next 12 months.”
Those wishing to register for only one day can purchase a day pass to the conference (£45 for standard visitors and £35 for youth visitors), which they can use on either day one or day two. A full weekend pass costs £49 for standard visitors and £39 for youth visitors.
While the conference is open to anyone wishing to register, Co-op Party members will have first-preference during Q&As, and only delegates will be able to vote on motions and on our policy debates.
Those who have already registered to attend the conference as a delegate or as an ex-officio member, do not need to register for a separate visitor pass.
The full programme of events and speakers will be published closer to the event. More information on the event is available on the Party’s website. Questions related to the conference can also be sent via email to events@party.coop. Registration will open at 9am on Saturday 8th, for an 11am start. Sunday’s programme will begin at 10am.