Space South Central at the Labour Party Conference 2026
Strategic Partnerships Manager, Dr Elizabeth Clutton
This year’s Labour Party Conference took place in Liverpool from 27-30 September, and Space South Central’s Strategic Partnerships Manager, Dr Elizabeth Clutton, was there to represent the cluster.
Space4Labour drinks reception at the Labour Party Conference 2026.
This was my first Labour Party Conference, and I had the pleasure of joining the UKspace delegation, expertly organised by Stephanie Ayres and Gemma Wilson. It was a fantastic few days of conversations about the future of the UK space sector and, importantly, how we turn our world-class innovation into sustainable growth.
Space South Central was proud to co-sponsor the opening fringe event on the Sunday evening. We were joined by Calvin Bailey MP, Minister for Veterans and People and I had the opportunity to highlight the important role that regional space clusters play in connecting businesses, universities, government and investors, and strengthening the UK’s wider space ecosystem.
Left to right: Dr Elizabeth Clutton, Strategic Partnership Manager at Space South Central, Calvin Bailey , Minister of Veterans and People and Sara Alao, CEO of Stars Edge.
Left to right: Chris Isaac, CEO & Founder of SpaceAM, Andrew Gill, Public Affairs Manager at the University of Surrey and Dr Elizabeth Clutton, Strategic Partnership Manager at Space South Central.
Sara Alao, CEO of Stars Edge a Space South Central company was also in attendance.
The following day, I joined the UKspace and Access Partnership roundtable, Britain’s Space Economy: Building Momentum for the UK Ecosystem, featuring Dame Chi Onwurah MP, Chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
I also joined the discussion with Chris McDonald MP, Minister of State for Science, Innovation and Investment, on Rewiring Regions: Frontier Tech and Place-Based Growth. I asked about the role universities can play in driving place-based growth for the space sector, and raised the importance of FP10 in supporting early TRL (Technology Readiness Level) collaboration between the UK and European partners.
The conference also reinforced some key themes for the sector:
Resilience across the supply chain
Investment in SMEs and high-growth businesses
Skills and talent
Agile partnerships
The role of government as both a customer and convenor.
I finished the conference at the Space4Labour drinks reception, hearing from Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, and others about the importance of a thriving UK space ecosystem to our national security and resilience.
Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Procurement and Elizabeth Clutton.
And, of course, it wasn’t all policy and strategy! It was brilliant to catch up with old friends, meet new ones and – I’m delighted to say – meet my first unicorn!
A huge thank you to the UKspace team and everyone who made the conference such a valuable few days. Lots to take forward for Space South Central!
