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Labour announces security deal to rescue party conference Labour announces security deal to rescue party conference
(35 minutes later)
Labour has announced that OCS Group will provide security at its party conference next month, allaying concerns the event could be cancelled. Labour’s annual conference will go ahead next month after the party announced it had finally found a company to provide security for the venue.
A question mark had been hanging over the annual gathering after the security firm G4S on Thursday ruled out a last-minute deal to guard it, leaving the party without security just weeks before the event is due to open. There had been concerns that the conference, beginning on 2 September at the Arena and Convention Centre (ACC) in Liverpool, might not happen when G4S ruled out a last-minute deal to secure the event.
G4S, which had been subject to a Labour boycott, said it was now too late for it to step in and organise protection arrangements the conference in Liverpool. But Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, released a statement saying the party had reached another arrangement.
But Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, said OCS Group would now provide security at the conference venue. “I am happy to announce we have agreed that OCS Group, the existing provider of security services at ACC Liverpool, will deliver security for the Labour party conference,” he said.
“I am happy to announce we have agreed that OCS Group, the existing provider of security services at ACC Liverpool, will deliver security for the Labour party conference,” he said. “We look forward to working together on what will be an excellent event.” G4S had been the regular contractor for Labour conferences, but last year the party’s national executive committee (NEC) voted to boycott the company. The only other company to bid for the contract, Showsec, does not recognise trade unions and the GMB union threatened to stage a picket if Labour used it.
Last year the party’s national executive committee (NEC) voted to boycott G4S but the GMB union threatened to stage a picket if Labour contracted an alternative provider, Showsec, which does not recognise trade unions. Showsec was the only provider to have bid for the contract. In an effort to avoid this, Labour approached G4S, but on Thursday, the firm said it would not step in to provide the security, even if the party’s executive dropped the boycott.
More details soon … Eric Alexander, managing director for G4S events, said the company would usually start planning for such a large and complex event up to a year in advance. “Safety for delegates and our staff is our priority and at this late stage and with our teams committed elsewhere, we are not in a position to step in and provide security for the conference,” he said.
The final apparent option appeared to be to pay police officers to secure the event. Merseyside police said it was “not an option at the moment”, but said that was because they had not yet been approached by the party.
Showsec withdrew its bid for the event on Friday, saying in a statement: “We no longer consider the operating environment for our security delivery to be conducive to a positive experience for our staff, especially given the tone of some of the comments made by the GMB union.”
The announcement of the new security provider came after the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, had insisted that the issues would be resolved and the conference would go ahead.
Asked if he accepted the situation looked messy, Corbyn said: “Many things are complicated in life. We’ll sort this out. Don’t worry about it, conference will take place.”
The result of Corbyn’s leadership battle with Owen Smith will be announced in Liverpool on the eve of the formal start of the conference.