Outside a café on the outskirts of Reading, Rachel Reeves is listening to the concerns of small-business owners. ‘Something that has affected us over the past couple of years is our relationship with Europe,’ says an attendee to nods from the others. ‘We end up not trading because it’s not worth it.’
Reeves sticks to the script that there will be no rejoining the EU (‘We’re not going to go back in, that ship has sailed’) but says that relations can be improved. The shadow chancellor is here to support the Labour candidate Yuan Yang, a former FT journalist. It’s one of the final stops on her campaign tour of the UK, which has ranged from Doncaster and Morecambe to Reading and Chipping Norton.
Reeves promises to behave, but Labour has been accused of a conspiracy of silence on spending decisions
Reeves has spent much of her time meeting as many business leaders as possible and reassuring them that Labour can be trusted on spending.
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