I’m writing this column en route to Labour Party Conference which will this year be held in Liverpool. If you’ve never visited a major party political conference before, imagine a mashup between a corporate AGM, the Edinburgh Festival, and a family wedding.

It’s a chance for party members to come together and build ideas, but it’s also an opportunity to lay out our agenda to the country, and interact with literally thousands of visiting businesses and charities.

The first time I ever attended Labour Party Conference was in my second year of Manchester University. I got the train down to Bournemouth which at the time felt like the other side of the world, and remember being excited to bump into my then MP Tony Lloyd on the way.

A few years later I got to speak for the first time, then a young dad to my eldest Jack, sharing firsthand experiences about the importance of SureStart centres.

These days I get to address Labour Party Conference as Shadow Business Secretary, and this week I am excited to unveil my plans for a robust industrial strategy for the UK.

By contrast to a Conservative Government that is gambling recklessly with the British economy, I have spent a year carefully working on better solutions to our terrible growth.

My plans are built on discussions with businesses and workers across the country, from steel plants in Wales, to chemical manufacturers in Sunderland, to logistics companies here in Greater Manchester.

The strategy will lay out clear missions to boost growth, deliver clean power, protect worker’s rights, and build a resilient economy. It will detail how Labour would protect Britain’s supply chains from shocks, transform skills, and make Brexit work.

This government lurches from crisis to crisis on the hoof, but businesses can’t operate like that. I’m proud to be working on a sounder alternative.

I will also be helping to lead the Christians on the Left conference church service, and appearing as a guest speaker at many fringe events, rallies and receptions.

The ultimate highlight of any party conference is of course the Leader’s speech, watched by millions. This can be an amazing platform to reach the country, but it can also go badly wrong. I’m sure everyone remembers with heartfelt sympathy Theresa May’s nightmare experience five years ago, when she was plagued by a nasty cough, hecklers passing her a P45 slip, and even the letters of the slogan behind her falling off midway through.

I know that this year, Keir Starmer will deliver an inspiring message about the fresh start Labour can offer Britain. I hope you tune in.