Parliament returns from recess this week following party conference season, with Conservative MPs also set to cast votes to reduce the party’s leadership contenders down to two.
There’s also a public webinar from the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, which will include insights from Alibaba Group on how SMEs can use e-commerce to boost export figures.
Parliament returns
After party conference season, Parliament returns from recess this week. Amid notable events taking place is the marking of Starmer’s first 100 days as prime minister on Saturday (12 October), with this week’s prime minister’s questions (PMQs) likely to see him grilled on pledges to overhaul worker rights within this timeframe.
Post-recess updates are likely to include outcomes from Starmer’s trip to Brussels last week, where meetings with European Commissioner Von der Leyen were held, as well as discussion of foreign secretary David Lammy’s calls with US counterpart Antony Blinken, which covered the escalating conflict in the Middle East and war in Ukraine.
Conservative leadership race
After last week’s party conference in Birmingham, when the four leaderships contender addressed delegates, voting will take place on Wednesday and Thursday to deliver the final two candidates.
Polling from Conservative Home suggests that shadow foreign secretary James Cleverly is now second favourite among Conservative Party members, overtaking shadow immigration minister Robert Jenrick.
A strong conference speech, pitching a vision of Conservative government he described as “enthusiastic, relatable, positive [and] optimistic”, won over party delegates and entrenched his position as a moderate, unity candidate.
His odds of winning the contest have fallen to 6/4, with only former business and trade secretary Kemi Badenoch tipped to beat him. While controversial statements criticising the generosity of maternity pay attracted negative headlines ahead of the conference, Badenoch still polls a leading 32% among members.
Tom Tugendhat, another moderate candidate, is currently slated to exit at this stage with odds of only 33/1.
MPs will vote to whittle the remaining candidate down to two, with members casting votes in November’s final round.
Biden on Ukraine
US president Joe Biden is set to head to Germany this week (10 October) to begin bilateral talks with chancellor Olaf Scholz. During the visit he’s expected to thank the country for its support of Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion by Russia.
This follows German elections in which the chancellor’s Social Democratic Party struggled to hold off ascendant far-right parties that have voiced increasing scepticism around European support for Ukraine.
On Saturday, Biden will then host 50 leaders at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Force Base. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend and to continue to advocate for military support from the international community.
This follows talks between Starmer and Biden in September on authorising Ukraine’s use of UK-produced, long-range missiles against Russia. Despite labelling the talks “productive”, no authorisation was granted.
Kyiv has continued to petition for use of long-range weapons, claiming they’re a necessity to hit Russian bases from which attacks on its civilian population have been launched.
The meeting also comes ahead of the US election on 5 November. Former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump has been critical of the Ukrainian leader, stoking fears of diminished support were he to win another term in office.
ASEAN summit
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be holding its biannual summit in Laos this week.
Ahead of the meeting, Thailand prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra urged greater intervention in Myanmar from the 10-strong bloc.
Speaking to reporters at a Bangkok event last week she said:
“ASEAN must play an important role in bringing peace back to Myanmar as soon as possible.”
Myanmar has been ruled by a military junta since overthrowing the democratically elected government in 2021. The country has been locked in civil war ever since, with a rebel alliance of ethnic minority forces trying to oust the military
The junta has petitioned to join ASEAN but has been refused membership.
The region’s Star publication warned that conflict within the region and further afield could pose a threat economically, with commodity prices, including oil, likely to fluctuate.
It called for regional leaders to work collaboratively to find strategies to navigate the period of heightened political tension.
Chartered Institute news
This week the Chartered Institute will hold a public webinar on e-commerce: How to get more UK SMEs trading internationally online.
The webinar will be hosted in partnership with Alibaba Group, who explain the obstacles faced by SMEs trading internationally online and how they can grow their overseas sales.
This follows a report by the Social Market Foundation which highlighted the barriers small businesses face when exporting as well as the trade-tech led solutions which could support them.
The webinar will be held at 2pm on Wednesday (9 October). To attend please register your interest here.
There will also the next monthly online welcome and networking event for Chartered Institute members, Connect and Grow, at 2pm on Thursday. Members can sign up for that here.
Other dates for the diary
Monday – World Day for Decent Work
Tuesday – European Parliament debate on the Middle East
Wednesday – General election in Mozambique
Thursday – Nobel Literature Prize winner announced
Friday – Monthly GDP estimate
Saturday – National Hate Crime Awareness Week
Sunday – China consumer price index