This week is about the future of the UK and Japan, as the Labour Party holds its first conference since the July election and the Japanese ruling party picks its new leader. It's also a big week for world leaders in general, as the UN holds what is described as the ‘Superbowl’ of international diplomacy.
Labour Conference
The week after the Liberal Democrats ended their annual political party conference, it’s the Labour Party’s turn to host its own in Liverpool.
This is its first party conference since the July election, when Sir Keir Starmer led Labour to victory for the first time in 14 years. Deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, and foreign secretary, David Lammy, already spoke on Sunday (22 September), with chancellor Rachel Reeves set to give her address today (23 September).
Although Reeves is not expected to give any major goodies away to the party faithful, we might see hints of what to expect from the first Labour budget on 30 October.
Starmer is due to speak tomorrow (24 September), as he looks to reset the agenda after a rocky few weeks in office.
The Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade will be hosting its own event at Labour’s conference in partnership with the New Statesman. Director general, Marco Forgione, and other leading trade figures - including Lord McNicol, Labour’s former trade spokesman in the House of Lords, and Victoria Barlow, co-director for consultancy Agenda - will be discussing 'how to make trade a catalyst for growth'.
UN General Assembly
In the world of foreign affairs, New York hosts a week-long meeting of the UN General Assembly, when world leaders and foreign ministers deliver their speeches in the General Debate.
Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Joe Biden of the US, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran are among those expected to set out their positions on world politics, in a series of 15-minute speeches.
Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks on Wednesday, while Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is slated for Thursday. Given the ongoing impact of the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine on international trade, both of these leaders’ speeches are worth noting.
The UN Security Council will also meet to discuss the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East on the same days as their respective the leaders are speaking (Ukraine on Wednesday, Middle East on Thursday).
Finally, Starmer is taking to the New York stage on Friday (27 September), which will be his first time since taking office.
Japan
One of Asia’s largest economies, Japan will be picking its leader this week. Last month, PM Fumio Kishida announced he would step down, resulting in a race among the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) factions to succeed him.
The LDP has been governing Japan for most of the post-Second World War era and has largely been an example of stability. However, with nine candidates in the running and the LDP’s approval rating dipping, this is a rare sign of instability for the Japanese government.
Possible winners include former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi, former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba.
If successful, both Takaichi, who is a self-described fan of Magaret Thatcher, and foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa, would become Japan’s first ever female PM, while Koizumi would be the country’s youngest PM.
The first round of the contest wraps up Friday, with a second round planned if no clear leader emerges. Given Japan’s ongoing economic issues and its status as a key ally for the US and Europe against China, the next leader could help to set the Indo-Pacific agenda for the next few years.
Other dates for the diary
- Monday – Commonwealth foreign ministers gather ahead of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting next month
- Tuesday – National Punctuation Day
- Wednesday – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Interim Economic Outlook Report
- Thursday – World Maritime Day
- Friday – Scottish Conservatives announce winner of their leadership contest to replace former leader Douglas Ross
- Saturday – Expected closure of second blast furnace at Port Talbot steelworks
- Sunday – Austrian parliamentary elections
