As Shadow Business Secretary, I have the privilege of meeting businesses across the country, and this month I spent a day in beautifully sunny Hull.

I was genuinely blown away by C4DI, a tech incubator. The team’s work – building relationships between local entrepreneurs and large corporations – is genuinely impressive, and demonstrates the real potential of Rachel Reeves’ review, ‘Start-up, Scale-up’.

Alongside Emma Hardy MP, I spoke to representatives from local businesses, as well as students from Hull University Business School. There’s so much great stuff going on in Hull – many thanks to Emma for arranging the visit.

I stopped in Selby on the way home where the resignation of Boris crony Nigel Adams has caused one of several by-elections. Lots of residents I spoke to were fed up of the merry-go-round of Tory scandal, and eager for an alternative government which understands the challenges people are faces and has serious solutions.

Then it was wonderful to visit to Virtual Plastics in Hyde. Virtual Plastics is a local family business going from strength to strength, trading plastic roof tiles, fascias, tools and other key products. I always love to visit the little gems we have creating jobs on our industrial estates, often underneath the radar. Find out more about them here.

I spent some time judging the Tameside Business Awards, too. Some incredible calibre entries reflecting the very best of Tameside innovation and enterprise. Good luck all!

It was also a privilege to address UK Hospitality’s Summer Conference as a keynote speaker. Like many, my first job was in hospitality – a vital sector in our economy. That’s why a Labour government would work in partnership with businesses to face shared challenges together, and provide certainty and stability. You can read the coverage here and the full speech here.

And I spoke to Politics Live about the inconsistency of the Green Party and how only Labour has a radical but sensible plan for greening the economy.