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Category: Speeches

  • Steve Reed – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Steve Reed – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 23 September 2024.

    Thank you very much Shabana, and good afternoon Conference.

    Can I start by thanking my fantastic Ministerial team who were arrayed before us at the front of the hall. Emma, Sue, Daniel and Mary who’s not with us. She’s on her way to address the UN General Assembly about our ambitions for nature.

    Conference, so many of our earliest and happiest memories are about exploring the great outdoors.

    As a kid, I loved splashing about in the waves on a beach. Watching the fish and crabs darting around a rockpool. Climbing trees in the woods at the end of our road.

    But parents today worry their kids may not have the same chances. Our rivers and seas are polluted. We see fewer birds and butterflies in the garden.

    Nature is in trouble.

    Ask people what makes them most proud to be British and our beautiful countryside is right up there.

    This ‘green and pleasant land’ celebrated in poetry and song is our shared inheritance and our shared identity.

    But after fourteen years under the Tories, half our bird species and a quarter of our mammal species are at risk of extinction.

    Our once-pristine waterways are overflowing with raw, toxic sewage.

    There are many times in history when Labour’s had to clean up the Tories’ mess.  But never quite as literally as this.

    The Tories boasted about their bonfire of the regulations as they shredded the rules that protect us.  This led to abuses in so many sectors, including water regulation.

    The Conservatives just stood back and watched as raw sewage polluted our rivers and customers’ money was funnelled into multimillion pound bonuses and dividend payments while our sewage system crumbled.

    I’m calling time on all that today.

    This government of service will fix the foundations and clean up our waterways.

    Money ringfenced for investment will be spent on fixing broken water infrastructure and refunded to customers if it’s not.

    We will ban the multimillion pound bonuses water bosses paid themselves for overseeing repeated illegal sewage dumping.

    Bosses who cover up what’s going on will face personal criminal charges – including jail time.

    And we’ll power up the regulator with more staff and give them the teeth they need to prosecute the polluters – and it will be paid for by the polluters themselves.

    The work to fix our broken sewage system starts immediately with tens of billions of pounds of private-sector investment that will create good, well-paid jobs in every single part of our country.

    That’s the biggest-ever investment in our water sector and the second biggest in any part of the economy during the lifetime of this government.

    We’ll back our farmers in the fantastic work they do to feed our nation.  And we’ll work with them to restore nature and stop animal waste, fertiliser and pesticide pollution running into our waterways.

    We will protect bees, butterflies and the pollinators that sustain healthy ecosystems.

    We’ll plant more trees along our riverbanks to help the land hold more water and stop flooding.

    And we’ll plant three new national forests as we restore the woodlands that are the lungs of our planet, inhaling carbon and breathing out clean air.

    As life returns to our waterways, we’ll celebrate with nine new national riverwalks and open up more of our countryside for every family to enjoy.

    We’ll end the throwaway society by creating new jobs reusing and recycling materials as we work towards a circular economy that protects nature and our precious climate.

    Conference, this is where change begins.

    We’ll clean up our rivers, back our farmers, restore habitats for wildlife, and end the throwaway society.

    There’s no foundation we have to fix that’s more important than nature because everything else depends on it.  The next generation must have the same chance we had to look up at the night sky and wonder.

    Our legacy will be to give our children back the natural world that is their birthright.

    Thank you.

  • Ian Murray – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Ian Murray – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Ian Murray, the Secretary of State for Scotland, on 23 September 2024.

    Conference – it is a privilege to be here in Liverpool as just one of Scottish Labour’s 37 Members of Parliament.

    Let me just say that again – 37 Scottish Labour MPs.

    Conference,  they are all fantastic and they will do wonderful things in their communities

    Each of them will do wonderful things in their communities and for Scotland. Thank you to each and every one of them.

    Dare I say I’m as happy as Larry. Although, as some of you may have heard, he isn’t always happy to see me.

    In his final campaign visit to Scotland, the Prime Minister, first time saying that as well reiterated what he first said back in 2020, that “the route to a Labour government runs through Scotland”.

    By voting Labour, Scottish voters kicked out the Tories and put Scotland at the heart of government. It is the privilege of my political life to serve in Keir Starmer’s cabinet, working alongside the brilliant Kirsty McNeil as Scotland Office minister and Melanie Ward as PPS.

    We’ve got Martin McCluskey in the Whips office, Douglas Alexander serving as Trade Minister, and of course Energy Minister Michael Shanks, whose seismic by-election victory in Rutherglen a year ago kick-started our most successful general election campaign in a generation.

    But conference – none of this was inevitable. There is nothing in the political rule book which says a failing government must give way to the opposition.

    We won in Scotland because we planned and executed a winning strategy – which promised what the Scottish people demanded- change. It began with Keir Starmer changing our party to put it back in the service of working people.

    And it was powered by the energy, enthusiasm and maybe a wee bit of dancing of Anas Sarwar. Our campaign was implemented meticulously by a world class team of Scottish Labour staff and activists, led by our fantastic Scottish General Secretary, John Paul. John Paul thank you to you and your team.

    As co-chair of the Scottish campaign, along with that indefatigable legendary Dam of Dumbarton, Jackie Ballie, I was so proud to see that hard work pay off. Jackie   Thank you for everything you did.

    Conference – we should be proud of our success. It took us 14 years to get rid of one of Scotland’s two failing governments but the real hard work started the day after the election to get rid of the other one.

    There are only five hundred and ninety-two days until Scots return to the polls.  Or 591 sleeps as my daughter would say.

    And as wonderful as July’s result was, we can take nothing for granted.

    Those who voted for Labour in Scotland on the 4th of July voted for change because they had been let down badly by their two governments.

    They did not ‘come home’ to Labour.

    They chose us in the hope and expectation that we will deliver for them.

    And that is what we must, and are determined, to do.

    We know it will not be easy but there is a real sense of this Labour purpose to the tough choices that will need to be made to fix the foundations. By fixing those foundations we can build that brighter future for every part of our country.

    And as the Prime Minister, the Chancellor just before lunch and Anas Sarwar have said repeatedly  there will be no return to austerity.  And I want to say that again – there will be no return to austerity.

    My team and I in the Scotland Office will play our part. Supported by the most dedicated and professional team of civil servants, we have reset the relationship with the Scottish Government.

    There are many, many, many things on which Labour and the SNP will never agree, but grown-up politics means two governments working together. It’s what most Scots expect and what we will deliver.

    But Conference, I will also not shy away from calling out the tragic failure of the SNP. 860,000 of our fellow Scots stuck on NHS waiting lists. 10,000 of our children with no home to call their own.

    The worst attainment gap between the richest and the poorest pupils on record. Tax decisions this year that cost more than they raised, with working people paying more but getting less, while the SNP make £500m cuts to services, all to pay for their financial incompetence.

    The Scottish people deserve better – and my department The Scotland Office has a crucial role in changing things now.

    The Scotland Office has four priorities to help deliver our governments’ missions.

    Economic growth. Green energy. Brand Scotland. And of course Tackling Poverty.

    I want to see the Scotland Office working directly with the Scottish government and local governments in Scotland to drive growth in every community.

    Powering that growth will be GB Energy to create jobs, drive down bills and ensure our existing world class energy workforce can lead and benefit from these new industries of the future.

    GB Energy will be owned by the public, and, Conference I can exclusively announce today, headquartered in Scotland.

    We will also drive growth by promoting Brand Scotland. From shipbuilding, science and salmon to scotch, culture and services, we’re the best in the world, and by selling Scotland to the world we can unlock jobs and all of that investment.

    Gordon Brown once spoke of prudence with a purpose.

    And all that work to grow our economy, to go green, and promote our brand, has a purpose too – to tackle the scourge of poverty.

    To raise wages, protect and invest in public services and ensure everyone in life has the security of good work and the opportunity to succeed.

    Conference, lifting people out of poverty is what Labour Governments do. It’s in our DNA. We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.

    The financial inheritance we knew about will be challenging, compounded by the £22 billion black hole we didn’t know about – another act of astonishing economic vandalism from the Tories that they’ve just walked away from with no responsibility.

    But the economic inheritance we face isn’t just fiscal. It is also structural. It is also industrial. The foundations of Scotland’s industrial economy are incredibly fragile. We have seen that in the last month.

    None of this is a coincidence. It is a consequence of more than a decade without an industrial strategy for Scotland.

    Scotland has a strongly industrial past – and it will have a bright industrial future which guarantees jobs and wealth for families for generations and generations to come if we get the transition to net zero right.

    Our plan is a good one. Rooted in Labour values and with a clear purpose.

    It is a plan which will begin to deliver the change Scotland, remember that phrase – and set the conditions for success in 592 days’ time – when the people of Scotland will have the chance to vote for change.

    To elect a Labour government in Scotland which works hand in glove with Keir Starmer’s government; and make my friend Anas Sarwar our next First Minister.

    Conference, change in Scotland began on the 4th of July. The opportunity to deliver lasting change is in all our hands. Let’s take that opportunity and let’s deliver it.

  • Jo Stevens – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Jo Stevens – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, on 23 September 2024.

    Thank you.

    Conference – it’s a huge privilege to address you for the first time as the Secretary of State for Wales.

    And, as the first woman to be Labour Secretary of State for Wales.

    I’m so proud to be working alongside my friends and colleagues, Eluned Morgan and Dame Nia Griffith, in a new era for Welsh Labour and for women’s representation at the top of Welsh politics.

    We earned a resounding mandate at the General Election.

    27 of 32 Members of Parliament in Wales are now Labour MPs.

    And there’s not a single Tory MP left in Wales.

    That result is in large part because of the dedication of members, volunteers, trade union friends and Party staff, in this room and across the country.

    So I want to say, thank you for pounding those pavements, for every door you knocked and every conversation you had.

    You have helped deliver on the once in a generation opportunity to have two Labour governments at both ends of the M4, working together to deliver on the priorities of people across Wales with a mission-driven government.

    But with that special opportunity comes a huge responsibility to deliver, and to do so quickly.

    And that’s what I want to talk about today.

    Because, Conference, the inheritance the Conservatives left us is worse than we could have imagined.

    A £22bn black hole in the public finances just for this financial year.

    Pie in the sky commitments that the Tories made to the people across Wales with no money to pay for them.

    A toxic legacy of distrust between both governments.

    And a Wales Office that had been deliberately led to by-pass Welsh government.

    But even in those difficult circumstances we’ve already found ways to demonstrate the difference two Labour governments can make.

    We’ve fundamentally reset the relationship between the UK government and Welsh government.

    Eluned and I are forging a new partnership based on respect, cooperation and delivery.

    We’re securing a sustainable future for steel in Wales – the lifeblood of so many in our communities.

    In just ten weeks this new Labour government negotiated a better deal with Tata that:

    • secures the immediate future of Port Talbot
    • lays the foundations for future investment
    • and enhances protections for the workforce in Port Talbot, Llanwern, Trostre and Shotton

    But I’m all too aware it remains a difficult time for affected workers, their families and our steel communities.

    Under the Conservative government, not a single penny of the money promised to support our steel communities went out the door.

    Just a month after taking office, I was proud to announce the release of £13.5m in support.

    We’re putting a safety net in place because this Labour government will always back workers and businesses, whatever happens.

    Working with Transport Secretary Ken Skates, we’ve announced we will boost the number of trains running on the North Wales mainline by 50%.

    That will be a key improvement passengers will see on the platforms – not some half-baked promise that never leaves the station.

    We’ve established the publicly owned GB Energy – which will supercharge the strides the Welsh Government has already made.

    Our investment will unleash the potential we have for clean power in Wales. From new nuclear in Ynys Mon, to Floating Offshore Wind in the Celtic Sea and development of ports at Milford Haven, Port Talbot and across south Wales.

    We will seize the golden opportunity of this new industrial revolution for Wales, drive down energy bills for good and place Wales at the forefront of the industries and jobs of the future.

    But we know there’s more to do to deliver the positive change in people’s lives we promised.

    And that’s why, today, I am proud to announce a new partnership between our two Labour governments, to drive down NHS waiting lists on both sides of the border.

    UK government will take inspiration from Wales on dentistry, where reforms have unlocked almost 400,000 appointments in the last two years.

    And the Welsh Government will benefit from best practice shared by NHS England, as my colleague Wes Streeting oversees the roll out of new, more productive ways of working across England to deliver 40,000 extra appointments every week.

    This is the beginning of a new way of working together that will help improve outcomes in both nations, and deliver on our missions.

    And it has only been possible because a changed Wales Office under Labour has a strong voice across government.

    I will always be our fiercest advocate in Westminster, leading a recharged Wales Office and a brilliant team of Welsh Labour MPs.

    From Penarth to Pembrokeshire to Prestatyn. Reaching into every part of Wales and back across Welsh and UK governments to make sure Wales gets what it needs.

    We will deliver on our missions to create wealth from every community for every community.

    Because, conference, this job is personal for me.

    I was born in Wales.

    I grew up in Wales.

    And now, as a privileged member of this new Labour government, I’m ready to deliver for Wales.

    Thank you very much.

  • Anas Sarwar – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Anas Sarwar – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Anas Sarwar, the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, on 23 September 2024.

    Conference, thank you for that wonderful introduction, and what a year it has been!

    In the twelve months since we last met, we no longer have a Tory government.

    We now have the fewest Tory MPs in modern political history.

    We have seen the SNP beaten in Scotland.

    And we now have a UK Labour government that has started the journey for change.

    And we have crucially – for the first time in 14 years – a Labour Prime Minister.

    A Prime Minister that understands Scotland, cares about Scotland and is determined to deliver for Scotland.

    And for the first time ever we have a female Chancellor in Rachel Reeves, who made a fantastic speech earlier today and made it clear: there will be no return to austerity with a Labour government.

    And in Scotland, we delivered a political earthquake.

    With a record swing to Scottish Labour.

    Our share of the vote went up 16 per cent.

    Meaning we now have not one Scottish Labour MP – we now have 37 Scottish Labour MPs – putting Scotland at the heart of a Labour government.

    Thirty seven. Let’s see them. Stand up and take a bow.

    Thirty seven fantastic champions for Scotland.

    And, friends, we have Ian Murray – who for so long was the sole Scottish Labour voice at Westminster – who is now the voice for Scotland around the cabinet table.

    Scotland led the way in delivering a Labour government and delivering a Labour Prime Minister.

    And Scotland led the way in delivering the change the UK needs.

    Because friends, the importance of the election victory cannot be overstated.

    Just think about how the last couple of months would have panned out differently had the Tories stayed in power.

    When far-right thugs took to the streets of the UK, Keir Starmer and his government faced them down and made it clear that the politics of hate has no place in our country.

    When a £22 billion Tory black hole was discovered, Rachel Reeves acted quickly to protect the public finances and to protect working people’s pockets.

    And just think what would have happened if the Tories were still in power.

    Thank goodness we now have a serious Labour government with competence, compassion, and decency at its heart.

    After 14 years of Tory chaos, we have a Labour government standing up for our values. Labour’s values.

    So no more will the politics of division and prejudice rule in our country.

    The time has come for the politics of decency, of compassion and above all, hope.

    This is the change that we have begun together.

    And this is the brighter, better United Kingdom that we are building together too.

    In Scotland we led the way in making this change happen.

    Scotland is part of Labour’s history but we are also part of Labour’s present and, most importantly, Labour’s future.

    As Keir has said during the election – there is no change without Scotland.

    And there is no Labour without Scotland.

    But the truth is that the story of Labour’s revival is only half-written.

    You see Conference – for lots of you, there was only one incompetent government to get rid of.

    But in Scotland we were stuck with two.

    So at the General Election, we got rid of one incompetent government.

    And in 2026 we finish the job and get rid of the other one.

    That’s the next stage of change for Scotland.

    Because as we speak, nearly one in six Scots are on an NHS waiting list.

    Thousands have been driven into private healthcare.

    Drugs and alcohol deaths remain stubbornly high.

    Rough sleeping persists and homelessness is at record levels.

    The education attainment gap remains.

    And the economic flatlining has damaged businesses.

    How does the SNP government react?

    It hikes taxes on working people and doubles down on the politics of blame and division.

    Working Scots left to pay the price of nearly two decades of SNP failure.

    Working Scots left to struggle to get medical care because of two decades of SNP failure.

    And working Scots having to watch public services crumble before their eyes because of two decades of SNP failure.

    Because when Scotland most needs change, when it needs fresh leadership and new ideas, all the SNP offer is internal division and outward incompetence.

    The same tired people in power peddling the same old excuses.

    But frankly, the time is up for the SNP.

    Because they are a party that has lost their vision and lost their way.

    And above all, they have lost their ambition for Scotland.

    Because, Conference, Scotland is a country of enormous potential and is brimming with talent.

    But we are still held back by an SNP government that is failing Scots on a daily basis and has nothing but decline and division to offer to the people.

    But for me, and for Scottish Labour, Scotland is the best country in the world.

    Our potential is limitless – just like the ambition and vision of our people.

    We have the expertise, we have the skills, we have the natural resources, we have the work force and we have the entrepreneurs that we need to deliver a decade of renewal.

    But this requires a government at Holyrood that is ready and willing to work with others to make this happen.

    That’s why the new UK Labour government is already acting now to deliver the change Scotland needs.

    A UK Labour government with Scotland at its heart has got straight to work.

    Delivering the energy transition with GB Energy.

    A publicly owned energy generation company headquartered in Scotland.

    And from looking at Michael Shanks’ face, he can’t wait to get on with the job of delivering GB Energy and transforming people’s lives.

    Creating thousands of jobs and making sure Scotland leads the world in clean energy.

    We have started action to transform the world of work with Angela Rayner’s game-changing New Deal for Working People.

    And we have made the Scotland Office Scotland’s window to the world, not selling Scotland to the Scots, but selling Brand Scotland to the world.

    Delivering investment for our country, boosting exports and creating more jobs.

    Because Scotland is tired of being held back.

    It’s time to turn the page on division and decline.

    And this – Conference – is the change Scotland needs.

    At the general election, as I say, we did half the job.

    But in 2026, it is our chance to finish the job by electing a Scottish Labour government that works for everyone in Scotland.

    And as we look towards the 2026 Scottish Parliament election I want to be clear.

    Others might want to talk Scotland down, but I and all of Scottish Labour are relentlessly positive for the future of our country.

    Because Scotland’s best days lie ahead of us.

    Things can and they will get better.

    We will make Scotland the best country in the world to live, to learn, to work and to do business in.

    We will unlock the potential of our workers and natural resources by making Scotland a world-leader in green technology.

    We will save our NHS by transferring power away from the managers and the bureaucrats and towards doctors and nurses.

    And we will get our economy back on track by supporting businesses and workers to thrive.

    This is what is on offer – a fairer and healthier future with Scottish Labour.

    I believe a different future is possible.

    A future that I am determined to see delivered for the people of Scotland.

    A brighter and more prosperous Scotland.

    And a Scotland where everyone is helped to thrive.

    This is what we offer.

    That is the change we need and that is the change we will deliver.

    Scottish Labour – the party of change and hope.

    Conference – that is the future we will deliver together.

    Thank you.

  • Wes Streeting – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Wes Streeting – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 25 September 2024.

    Dave has worked in the ambulance service for nearly thirty years.

    But nothing could have prepared him for what he faced on Monday the 29th of July.

    He arrived on the scene in Southport to find children who had gone to dance to Taylor Swift, and the adults whose sole purpose was to bring joy to their young lives, lying bleeding, some tragically dying.

    The result of an unimaginable, senseless, mindless attack.

    I listened to Dave describe the split-second decisions he had to make, of who to treat, in what order, to give them the best chance of survival.

    And I heard how the whole NHS team came together: security rushing children through busy hospital corridors; technicians mobilising blood supplies; reception fielding calls from panic-stricken parents; and surgical teams fighting to save those young lives.

    Those heroes represent the very best of the NHS, and we owe them a debt of gratitude we can never repay.

    Conference, I can’t tell you the weight of responsibility I feel to make sure that the National Health Service that has been there for us since 1948, is there for the next century and beyond.

    And I tell you, I will not let you down.

    But the truth is, Conference, right now the NHS is letting people down.

    Let me tell you about Claire, who messaged me on Instagram.

    She is a stage four cancer patient.

    When she felt pain two years ago, she struggled to get diagnosed.

    Her employer provides private health insurance, and for the first time in her life, Claire used it.

    Had she stayed with the NHS, Claire is certain she’d be dead.

    Instead, she’s been able to live her life to the full, including getting married in Ibiza.

    Every cancer patient deserves world-class care.

    But for every person like Claire, who was able to go private, there are thousands more who can’t.

    That cruel lottery is the legacy of 14 years of Conservative neglect.

    That is the two-tier system of healthcare that Labour will end.

    And that is why we must reform our NHS.

    It starts with honesty.

    So I asked Lord Darzi – a cancer surgeon with 30 years’ experience – to lead an independent investigation into our National Health Service.

    The results are grim.

    100,000 toddlers and babies left waiting for six hours in A&E last year.

    Cancer – more likely to be a death sentence here than in other countries.

    Nearly three million people off work sick.

    Waiting lists at record highs.

    Patient satisfaction at a record low.

    And the fundamental promise of the NHS, that it will be there for us when we need it, has been broken.

    Broken by a decade of underinvestment; by a disastrous Tory top-down reorganisation; and by ditching the reforms made by the last Labour Government.

    All of this meant that when the pandemic hit – our NHS was on its knees, and hit harder than any other comparable healthcare system.

    It’s not that the Tories didn’t fix the roof while the sun was shining, they doused the house in petrol, left the gas on, and Covid just lit the match.

    That’s why millions are stuck on waiting lists.

    That’s why ambulances don’t arrive on time.

    That’s why you can’t see your GP.

    Never forgive, never forget, never let the Tories do it again.

    I know the doctor’s diagnosis can sometimes be hard to hear. But if you don’t have an accurate diagnosis, you won’t provide the correct prescription.

    And when you put protecting the reputation of the NHS above protecting patients, you’re not helping the NHS – you’re killing it with kindness.

    So I say respectfully, but unequivocally, I won’t back down.

    The NHS is broken but not beaten, and together we will turn it around.

    Make no mistake, the Tories had a plan for the NHS: mismanaged decline; a status quo so poor, people are forced to raid their savings to go private; a crisis so bad that seven in ten people now expect charges for NHS care to be introduced.

    I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.

    Over my dead body.

    We will always defend our NHS as a public service, free at the point of use, so whenever you fall ill, you never have to worry about the bill.

    We can only deliver recovery through reform.

    Without action on prevention, the NHS will be overwhelmed.

    Without reform to services, we’ll end up putting in more cash for poorer results.

    That’s the choice.

    Reform or die. We choose reform.

    Since the general election we’ve hit the ground running.

    We inherited the farce of newly qualified GPs facing unemployment.

    Patients can’t get a GP appointment, while GPs couldn’t get a job.

    We cut red tape, found the funding, and we’ll have 1,000 more GPs treating patients.

    That’s the difference a Labour government makes.

    We are banning junk food ads targeted at children.

    The first step towards making our country’s children the healthiest generation that has ever lived.

    That’s the difference a Labour government makes.

    Strikes have crippled the NHS, cost taxpayers billions and saw 1.5 million appointments cancelled.

    My predecessor, the previous Conservative Health Secretary hadn’t even bothered to meet the junior doctors since March.

    I called them on day one, met them in week on, and in just three weeks we negotiated a deal to end the strikes.

    That’s the difference a Labour Government makes.

    Ending the junior doctor strikes was central to our commitment to deliver 40,000 more appointments a week.

    But as well as getting staff back to work, we need to get them working at the top of their game.

    We’re sending crack teams of top clinicians to hospitals across the country to roll out reforms – developed by surgeons – to treat more patients and cut waiting lists.

    And I can announce today that the first twenty hospitals targeted by these teams will be in areas with the highest numbers of people off work sick.

    Because our reforms are focused not only on delivering our health mission but also moving the dial on our growth mission too.

    We will take the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS, get sick Brits back to health and back to work.

    That’s the difference a Labour government makes.

    But Conference we can’t fix the NHS without fixing the crisis in social care.

    And we can’t fix social care without the people who work in it.

    I loved what Keir said yesterday about his sister, a care worker.

    About his determination to make sure that when she walks into a room and tells people what she does for a living, that she receives the same respect as the Prime Minister.

    As the Secretary of State for Social Care, I won’t let Keir down or fail more than a million care professionals like his sister.

    Angela and I will deliver a New Deal for Care Professionals: a Fair Pay Agreement, to improve pay and conditions and give staff the status and respect they deserve – our first step towards building a National Care Service.

    Every day in this job I see the scale of the challenge. But I also see something else: the potential of our NHS.

    The Tories’ biggest betrayal wasn’t that they left the NHS unable to care for us today.

    It’s that they left it totally unprepared for tomorrow.

    Advances in genomics and data mean the healthcare of the future will be more predictive, more preventative and more personalised than ever before.

    Detecting from birth a child’s risk of disease so we can act to keep them well; spotting cancer earlier, saving countless lives; treating patients with targeted medicines.

    To make these advances a reality for the many not the few, we need a universal health service, free at the point of need – able to share data, partner with innovators, and adopt new technologies at scale.

    Such a service would be unique in the world.

    Conference, the good news is, that service already exists – it’s called the National Health Service.

    And our job is not just to get the NHS back on its feet, we must make it fit for the future.  And that is what our ten-year plan will achieve.

    Conference, if we get this this right, we will end two-tier healthcare in our country for good.

    So that preventative care, precision medicine, personalised treatment are no longer just for the few, but for the many.

    That fairer future is possible. But only if we act today.

    An NHS running on fax machines can’t seize these opportunities.

    But a reformed NHS can.

    From analogue to digital, from hospital to community, from sickness to prevention

    Reform is not just possible, it is happening.

    From AI detecting skin cancer and cutting waiting times to weight loss jabs slashing the risk of heart attacks for diabetes patients.

    But Conference, to seize that potential we have to reform the NHS to make it fairer.

    When the wealthy receive a diagnosis, they already know the best surgeons and can push to get the best care. But working people can’t.

    If the wealthy are told to wait months for treatment, they can shop around. But working people can’t.

    And if they pay top dollar, the wealthy can be treated with cutting-edge equipment and technology. But working people can’t.

    Our ten-year plan will give all patients – rich and poor alike – the same information, the same choice, the same control.

    Now I know there are some on the left who cringe at this. Who view choice as somehow akin to marketisation.

    But our party has always believed that power should be in the hands of the many, not the few.

    That public services exist to serve the interests of the pupil, the passenger, the patient above all else.

    That world class services shouldn’t just be the preserve of the wealthy.

    So starting in the most disadvantaged areas, we will ensure patients’ right to choose where they are treated, and we will build up local health services so it’s a genuine choice.

    And where there’s capacity in the private sector, patients should be able to choose to go there too, free at the point of use, paid for by the NHS.

    Because working people deserve to be treated on time, just as much as the wealthy.

    Conference, when we look around our country today, it’s easy to be pessimistic. But the public have turned to us to give them hope. So here it is: we are in the foothills of a decade of national renewal.

    10 years in which our country and our health and care services will change enormously.

    The NHS transformed into a Neighbourhood Health Service.

    A digital health service powered by cutting-edge technology.

    A preventative health service that helps us stay healthy and out of hospital.

    And a new National Care Service, ensuring people can live dignified and fulfilling lives

    That’s the change that lies before us.

    It will take time and it won’t be easy.

    We will have to fight loud opposition, cynicism, and vested interests.

    But Conference, bring it on.

    It is up to us to prove that politics can be a force for good again.

    So let me to say to every one of you in this hall and to the millions of dedicated staff in health and social care across our country.

    We are the generation that will take the NHS from the worst crisis in its history to build an NHS fit for the future.

    We are the generation that will build a National Care Service worthy of the name.

    The NHS there for us when we need it.

    With world class care for the many, not just the few.

    That’s the change Britain voted for.

    That’s the change we’ll deliver together.

    And Conference, that change has already begun.

    Thank you.

  • Keir Starmer – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Keir Starmer – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 24 September 2024.

    Thank you, Conference. And I do mean that from the bottom of my heart.

    Thank you Conference for everything you have done to fulfil the basic duty of this party – our Clause One – so we can return this great nation to the service of working people.  Thank you Conference.

    People said we couldn’t do it, but we did. And we did it together.

    And look at this now, a record-breaking conference. The biggest attendance ever in our history.

    And such a far cry from my first conference speech to a live audience of one – the camera man. Socially distanced, in an arts centre in Doncaster. Remember that? Don’t worry, most people don’t. Not even the camera man.

    But I bet you do remember the year after, Conference.

    In Brighton – three years ago. The turning of the tide. A fight for the heart and soul of this party.

    People said – we were going too far.

    People said – we were going too fast.

    They didn’t want to face the country.

    They wanted to go back to a comfort zone, take the easier road to nowhere, duck the challenge of change. But we stood firm, Conference. We stood together, Conference, and we won.

    So take pride in your victory.

    Take pride that Labour won in every single region of England.

    Take pride that Labour won in Wales.

    Take pride that Labour won in Scotland.

    But never forget that this opportunity is only here because we changed the party.

    Country first, party second – that isn’t a slogan. It’s the foundation of this project.

    A pact with working people we must fulfil to retain the privilege of serving their interests.

    On economic stability, national security, wealth creation, protecting our borders, rooting out Antisemitism, standing with NATO and Ukraine.

    The changes we made are permanent. Irreversible.

    And the work of service never stops. Country first, party second.

    But Conference, for many people in this city the speech they may remember was the one here two years ago. Because that’s when I promised, on this stage, that if I ever had the privilege to serve our country as Prime Minister one of my first acts would be to bring in a Hillsborough law – a duty of candour.

    A law for Liverpool.

    A law for the 97.

    A law that people should never have needed to fight so hard to get, but that will be delivered by this Labour Government.

    It’s also a law for the sub-postmasters in the Horizon scandal.

    The victims of infected blood. Windrush. Grenfell Tower.

    And all the countless injustices over the years, suffered by working people at the hands of those who were supposed to serve them.

    Truth and justice concealed behind the closed ranks of the state.

    And Conference, this is the meaning of Clause One. Because today I can confirm that the duty of candour will apply to public authorities and public servants, the Bill will include criminal sanctions, and that the Hillsborough law will be introduced to Parliament before the next anniversary in April.

    It’s work that shows how a government of service must act in everything it does.

    Our driving purpose. To show to the working people of this country that politics can be a force for good. Politics can be on the side of truth and justice. Politics can secure a better life for your family through the steady but uncompromising work of service.

    Because service is the responsibility and opportunity of power.

    The pre-condition for hope. The bond of respect that can unite a country, bind us to the politics of national renewal. Service doesn’t mean we’ll get everything right.

    It doesn’t mean everyone will agree. But it does mean we understand that every decision we take, we take together.

    And that it is our duty to the British people to face up to necessary decisions in their interest. And I mean Conference, you know me by now, so you know all those shouts and bellows, the bad faith advice from people who still hanker for the politics of noisy performance, the weak and cowardly fantasy of populism – it’s water off a duck’s back. Mere glitter on a shirt cuff. It’s never distracted me before, and it won’t distract me now.

    This is a long-term project. I never said otherwise, not even in the campaign.

    But Conference, make no mistake, the work of change has begun. The patient, calm, determined era of politics as service has begun.

    Planning – reformed.

    Doctors – back in theatre.

    New solar projects.

    New offshore wind projects.

    The onshore ban – lifted.

    Great British Energy – launched.

    One-word Ofsted judgements – ended.

    A Border Security Command.

    A National Wealth Fund – getting Britain building again.

    The Renters Reform Bill – stopping no fault evictions.

    And the Railway Services Bill – bringing railways back into public ownership.

    And we’re only just getting started.

    A crackdown on knife crime.

    A real living wage.

    A modern industrial strategy.

    A 10-year plan for our NHS.

    Devolution to our nations, regions and cities.

    The biggest levelling-up of workers’ rights in a generation.

    More teachers.

    More neighbourhood police.

    More operations.

    Rebuilding our public services.

    Change has begun.

    And every single one a necessary step on a longer journey. Five national missions that will deliver the higher growth, the safer streets, the cleaner energy, the greater opportunities, the healthier society that I know the British people want and need. The mandate that we won.

    But also something even more precious.

    Our economy – stabilised.

    The foundations of this country – fixed.

    Tory rot – cleared away.

    So brick by brick, we can build a new home.

    A better home.

    Built to last.

    Built with pride.

    But above all built together.

    A nation rebalanced so it once again serves the interests of working people.

    And through the power unleashed by that process, a renewal of who we are.

    A country that gives equal voice to every person.

    A country that won’t expect you to change who you are just to get on.

    A country that doesn’t just work for you and your family but one that recognises you, sees you, respects you as part of our story.

    A Britain that belongs to you.

    Because make no mistake that is the Britain we are building.

    ‘Change’ isn’t a few extra lines on a graph moving in the right direction.

    ‘Change’ isn’t a good Labour policy or two delivered while the broader settlement remains untouched.

    No, change must mean nothing less than national renewal.

    Not a return to old ways, nor a new path entirely.

    But a rediscovery, in the full glare of the future, of who we are.

    The trouble is, Conference, just as we found with the Labour Party four years ago, Britain is no longer sure of itself.

    Our story is uncertain.

    The hope – beaten out of us.

    There is pride – of course there is.

    Pride in our communities especially.

    And there is respect too, all around the world.

    Trust me nobody anywhere doubts that this is a great nation.

    A nation known for our creativity.

    Our artistic skill.

    Our scientific genius.

    And of course, our pragmatism.

    Qualities that, combined with the industry and pride of working people, have not just rewritten our own story but also that of the world.

    We could do that again.

    In fact, we must.

    Technology.

    Climate change.

    The ageing population.

    The movement of people.

    This is a time when great forces demand a decisive government prepared to face the future. We can see that again in the Middle East today. So I call again for restraint and de-escalation at the border between Lebanon and Israel. I call again for all parties to pull back from the brink. I call again or an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the hostages and a recommitment to the two state solution: a recognised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.

    And that’s the message I will take to the UN General Assembly when I travel there later today. Alongside our steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. And in this uncertain world, I also pay tribute to our armed forces for all they do to keep Britain safe.

    But Conference, strength in this dangerous world depends on strength at home.

    And yet look at our country. Look at our country. Do you see a Britain where people feel, with the certainty that they deserve, that the future will be better for their children? Because when I was growing up, that’s what we believed.

    People of a completely ordinary working-class background like mine, we took it for granted. We built our lives around it. But that is not the country we inherited in July. That confidence, that certainty, it’s brittle and fragile. And so we have to restore it. That is the mandate we won. The meaning of change.

    And it all comes back to that question. Can politics be a force for good in peoples’ lives? There’s no time to waste wondering why people think politics has failed.

    We have to show what it can do for their lives. Restore, after fourteen years of chaos, faith in the values that have always guided this nation.

    The stability, the moderation, the common sense. Keeping a cool head. Staying the course. Facing the future. The defiance of ambition. The determination of service.

    And above all, our faith, no matter the challenge, in practical solutions that work.

    Not the easy answers that may well move a crowd but do not move a nation forward.

    No, Conference. We know that way lies ruin. We have seen it in our party and we changed it. And for fourteen years, against our country’s best traditions, we have seen it in Britain. And now we must change that too.

    We must build a new Britain. Built from that age-old spirit of creativity and enterprise. The pride and ambition of working people. That, when matched by a government of service – a decisive government, a government prepared to use its power for justice, opportunity and equal respect – can deliver a Britan that belongs to you.

    A Britain that belongs to you.

    Because politics sees public service as a privilege. Not privilege as an entitlement to public service.

    A Britain that belongs to you.

    Because government is mission-driven and serious. Clear, measurable targets.

    Progress displayed publicly. So every single person in this country can judge our performance on actions not words.

    A Britain that belongs to you.

    Because we maintain our focus, at all times, on fixing those foundations for working people. Those five national missions – providing the security and control they need.

    But also protecting us from the whims of Westminster, making sure that we don’t get blown off course.

    And a Britain that belongs to you.

    Because we came together. And together we built it. Because this has to be a partnership. We won’t achieve our missions alone.

    I understand the power and responsibility of government. The way it can make or break a life. When you are Chief Prosecutor, when you look into the eyes of victims who have lost everything – parents whose daughter was raped and murdered, as I did with Penny and John – trust me, you learn about what government can and must do.

    But I also know from the campaigners who have inspired me.

    Pooja and Nikita Kanda. Figen Murray. People who fight tirelessly against murder and terrorism so no other family will suffer their awful pain.

    Nathaniel Dye. Who fights for a better NHS so no other person will suffer his fatal late cancer diagnosis.

    The families and survivors of Grenfell Tower.

    Whose dignity, for seven years, held up a mirror to this nation and asked us – do we really give everyone an equal voice?

    They have all shown that the difference between service and government – true service – is that service must listen to people far beyond the walls of the state and empower them to make our country better. Because trust me, that is without question the quickest way to clear away the Tory rot and build that Britain that belongs to you.

    And so change begins. Because there is another injustice hiding in plain sight in our streets. In every town and city in this country. People who were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Who put their lives on the line to protect all of us, but who will not have a safe place to sleep tonight.

    We cannot stand by and let this happen anymore.

    And so today, I can announce that this government will respect that service.

    We will repay those who served us. And house all veterans in housing need.

    Homes will be there for heroes.

    And because we have started the hard yards of planning reform. Because we are facing up to decisions ignored for years. Because we are introducing new planning passports that will turbo-charge housebuilding in our inner cities.

    We can make the very same promise to other people at risk of homelessness.

    Young care leavers.

    Victims of domestic abuse.

    They will have the security they deserve.

    They will have a roof over their head.

    Because Britain belongs to them.

    And another thing Conference. Another promise kept.

    We said GB Energy – our publicly-owned national champion, the vehicle that will drive forward our mission on clean energy – we said it belonged in Scotland.

    And it does. But the truth is, it could only really ever be based in one place in Scotland.

    So today I can confirm that the future of British energy will be powered, as it has been for decades by the talent and skills of the working people in the Granite City with GB Energy based in Aberdeen.

    This is how the work of change happens. A decisive mission-led government, moving our country forward, step by step. Focused on a long-term plan.

    That first, we stabilise our economy. Second, we fix the foundation.

    And third, we build, with pride and determination, a Britain that belongs to you.

    But it will be hard. That’s not rhetoric – it’s reality.

    It’s not just that financial black hole. The £22bn of unfunded spending commitments, concealed from our country by the Tories.

    It’s not just the societal black hole.

    Our public services – decimated.

    Communities held together with little more than good will.

    It’s also the political black hole.

    Because the politics of national renewal, they’re collective.

    They involve a shared struggle.

    A project that says to everyone – this will be tough in the short-term, but in the long-term it’s the right thing to do for our country.

    And we all benefit from that.

    To coin a phrase: “We’re all in it together”.

    But that’s just it, isn’t it? People have heard it all before.

    And they listened. I ran a public service in the early days of austerity.

    People did everything asked of them to find a way forward.

    They did it in the pandemic, as well.

    Saved the lives of people they will never meet.

    All while their Government broke the very rules that they followed.

    And so people ask us now, as we seek patience in pursuit of national renewal: “What we will we get to show for it?”

    I understand that. After all, what they are used to is a lie. An act, a charade, a performance.

    You can call it populism – many people do. But I prefer to call it the politics of easy answers. Because at its core that’s what it is. A deliberate refusal to countenance tough decisions because the political pain is just too much to bear. Party first, country second.

    Take Rwanda – a policy they knew, from the beginning, would never work, was never supposed to work. £700m of your money, frittered away on something that was never a credible option because politically it was an easier answer.

    And just look at the difference you can make if you bring the curtain down on the show. A 23% increase in returns of people who have no right to be here, compared with last summer.

    But it’s not just Rwanda. It was the same story on everything.

    Energy security. The housing crisis. Telling people they’re tough on crime, without building enough prison places. Fourteen years of performance. Fourteen years of exploiting problems not solving them. Mining the pits of division. Searching them for conflict. Fixing your attention on those issues.

    Not on growth.

    Technology.

    Climate change.

    Public services.

    The ageing population.

    The cost of living crisis.

    Or any of the challenges that this country desperately needed to face up to.

    Well, those challenges are still here Conference. And we are facing up to them.

    But do not forget what they did and do not let them attempt to shift the blame because the state of our country is on them.

    Why must we release prisoners early? Because the Tories served themselves.

    Why are our public services on their knees? Because the Tories served themselves.

    Why is crime routinely unpunished? Our rivers polluted. Borders insecure. School roofs crumbling.

    Child poverty rampant. Nothing seems to work.

    Our public finances broken.

    Because for fourteen years the Tories performed the politics of easy answers rather than use the power of government to serve our country.

    Yet still those wounds of trust must be healed.

    Still that question calls to us, “What will we get to show for it?”

    So let me answer that directly and address anyone nervous about the difficult road ahead, because I know this country is exhausted by and with politics.

    I know that the cost-of-living crisis drew a veil over the joy and wonder in our lives, and that people want respite and relief. May even have voted Labour for that reason.

    So first, let me be clear.

    Our project has not and never will change.

    I changed the Labour Party to restore it to the service of working people and that is exactly what we will do for Britain.

    But I will not do it with easy answers.

    I will not do it with false hope.

    Not now, not ever.

    That is how we got here in the first place.

    So I know, after everything you’ve been through, how hard it is to hear a politician ask for more.

    But deep-down, I think you also know that our country does need a long-term plan and that we can’t turn back.

    The state of our country is real.

    However, I would also say this. This is a Government of Service. And that means, whether we agree or not, I will always treat you with the respect of candour, not the distraction of bluster.

    And the truth is that if we take tough long-term decisions now, if we stick to the driving purpose behind everything we do – higher economic growth so living standards rise in every community; our NHS facing the future – waiting lists at your hospital down; safer streets in your community; stronger borders; more opportunities for your children; clean British energy powering your home – then that light at the end of this tunnel, that Britain that belongs to you, we get there much more quickly.

    And look – I understand many of the decisions we must take will be unpopular.

    If they were popular – they’d be easy. But the cost of filling that black hole in our public finances, that will be shared fairly.

    We will get the welfare bill down because we will tackle long-term sickness and support people back to work. We will make every penny work for you because we will root out waste and go after tax avoiders.

    There will be no stone left unturned. No innovation ignored.

    And no return to Tory austerity. We will rebuild our public services, protect working people, and do this in a Labour way.

    And that is a promise.

    And if you can’t take that on faith, perhaps because you’re concerned about the winter fuel allowance, then I get that. As I say, if this path were popular or easy we would have walked it already.

    But the risk of showing to the world – as the Tories did – that this country does not fund its policies properly, that is a risk we can never take again.

    Stabilising our economy is the first step of this long-term plan.

    The only way we keep prices low, cut NHS waiting lists, and secure the triple lock so that every pensioner in this country – every pensioner – will be better off with Labour.

    But more broadly, I also say this. That as we take on those massive challenges the Tories ignored, the time is long overdue for politicians to level with you about the trade-offs this country faces.

    Because if the last few years have shown us anything, it’s that if you bury your head because things are difficult, your country goes backwards.

    So if we want justice to be served some communities must live close to new prisons.

    If we want to maintain support for the welfare state, then we will legislate to stop benefit fraud. Do everything we can to tackle worklessness.

    If we want cheaper electricity, we need new pylons overground otherwise the burden on taxpayers is too much.

    If we want home ownership to be a credible aspiration for our children, then every community has a duty to contribute to that purpose.

    If we want to tackle illegal migration seriously, we can’t pretend there’s a magical process that allows you to return people here unlawfully without accepting that process will also grant some people asylum.

    If we want to be serious about levelling-up, then we must be proud to be the party of wealth creation. Unashamed to partner with the private sector.

    And perhaps most importantly of all, that just because we all want low taxes and good public services that does not mean that the iron law of properly funding policies can be ignored, because it can’t. We have seen the damage that that does and I will not let that happen again. I will not let Tory economic recklessness hold back the working people of this country.

    And let me tell you something else I won’t let happen. I will never let a minority of violent, racist, thugs terrorise our communities.

    Look – I have always accepted concerns about immigration are legitimate.

    It is – as point of fact – the policy of this Government to reduce both net migration and our economic dependency upon it.

    I have never thought we should be relaxed about some sectors importing labour when there are millions of young people, ambitious and highly talented, who are desperate to work and contribute to their community.

    And trust me, there are plenty of examples of apprenticeship starts going down at the very same time that visa applications for the same skills are going up, and so we will get tough on this.

    But at the same time, we’ll also get our skills system right.

    We’ve got to give businesses more flexibility to adapt to real training needs and also unlock the pride, the ambition, the pull of the badge of the shirt that young people feel when building a future, not just for themselves but for their community.

    So we will introduce new foundation apprenticeships.

    Rebalance funding in our training system back to young people.

    Align that with what businesses really need.

    The first step to a youth guarantee that will eradicate inactivity and unemployment for our young people – once and for all.

    But Conference, whatever anyone thinks about immigration, I will never accept the argument made not just by the usual suspects, but by people who should have known better, who said that millions of people concerned about immigration are one and the same thing as the people who smashed up businesses.

    Who targeted mosques.

    Attempted to burn refugees.

    Scrawled racist graffiti over walls.

    Nazi salutes at the cenotaph.

    Attacked NHS nurses.

    And told people, with different coloured skin, people who contribute here, people who grew up here, that they should “go home”.

    No Conference – people concerned about immigration were not doing that because they understand that this country, this democratic country, is built on the rule of law.

    The ballot box.

    The common understanding that we debate our differences.

    We do not settle them with violent thuggery.

    And racism is vile.

    And Conference, so to those who equivocate about this, I simply say – the country sees you and it rejects you.

    And to those who say that the only way to love your country is to hate your neighbour because they look different, I say not only do we reject you, we know that you will never win. Because the British values we stand for, not just the rule of law, but a love for this country and our neighbours, the respect for difference under the same flag, that is stronger than bricks and you know it.

    It’s what you cannot stand about our country – our reasonable, tolerant country – but it is absolutely who we are.

    No – the debate is not about the worth of migrants. That is toxic and we must move beyond it. It’s about control of migration. It’s always been about control.

    That is what people have voted for time and again.

    And look – they weren’t just ignored after Brexit.

    The Tories gave them the exact opposite.

    An immigration system deliberately reformed to reduce control.

    Because, in the end, they are the party of the uncontrolled market.

    Now don’t get me wrong – markets are dynamic.

    Competition is a vital life force in our economy.

    This is a Labour Party proud to say that.

    We work hand-in-hand with business.

    But markets don’t give you control – that is almost literally their point.

    So if you want a country with more control.

    If you want the great forces that affect your community to be better managed.

    Whether that’s migration, climate change, law and order, or security at work.

    Then that does need more decisive government, and that is a Labour government.

    Taking back control is a Labour argument.

    It’s why I say we are rebalancing our country to serve working people.

    Because this is a question of balance.

    We can’t afford any more polluted rivers.

    We can’t afford any more Covid contracts.

    We can’t afford any more Grenfell Towers.

    We have to become serious and mission-led.

    Have to put respect and service deep in the bones of our institutions.

    That’s not a debate about investment or reform.

    It’s always been both.

    But again I have to warn you.

    Working people do want more decisive government.

    They do want us to rebuild our public services.

    And they do want that to lead to more control in their lives.

    But their pockets are not deep – not at all.

    So we have to be a great reforming government.

    Our NHS reformed so patients have more control over their health.

    Our energy system reformed so our country has more control over its security.

    Police and justice reformed, so communities have more control of their streets.

    Education reformed, so children have more control of their future.

    And our economy reformed with the unique force that is economic growth.

    Giving every community the breathing space, the calm, the control to focus on the little things they love in life, not the anxiety and insecurity we have now.

    Because we do need joy. We do need that in our lives.

    And one place that has always done that for me, Conference – I told you about it last year – it’s the Lake District. A place my Mum loved, not just because of what it meant to her – her determination to show she could walk in a place like that – but because of the beauty, everywhere.

    Last year I took my family to the old cottage where we used to stay in as children.

    So we walked up to the cottage and stood outside.

    It must have looked a little odd.

    And so the couple who now live there came out and they were lovely.

    And when we told them why we were there, they said come inside, go upstairs, take a walk down memory lane.

    So we did and we’re back outside, chatting.

    Then she stopped, suddenly, and said someone’s nicking your car. I said no – that’s the police moving the car.

    And that, that really confused her.

    Anyway – at this point her husband comes in.

    He said: “You haven’t clocked have you?”

    “He’s the Leader of the Opposition, a politician”.

    And she stops.

    She smiles.

    Laughs.

    And says politely – “oh, if I’d known that you were a politician, I’d have pushed you down the stairs when I had the chance!”

    The beauty of the Lake District and the heart of the British people, in a nutshell.

    But seriously, when you’re there walking around a place like Langdale Valley. When you can see the grass there every bit as green as it was fourteen years ago, it’s a reminder and an inspiration that yes things change and some things need to change.

    But some things do not.

    And the joy and wonder of our nation, the spirit of its people – the cleaners, drivers, small business owners, teachers, teaching assistants.

    The people who came out and cleaned the streets

    The brickies who rebuilt the broken walls in Southport.

    The backbone of this country.

    They are just as resilient as they were fourteen years ago.

    And no matter what loudmouths say on social media, their values are the same.

    So we will turn our collar up and face the storm.

    We will rise above the challenges that we’ve inherited.

    Because this is a country with fairness in the water, that believes in justice, and that wants working people to be respected.

    And also – for opportunities to be there for your children.

    Because Conference, one of the other things that gave me great joy as a kid – as well as the football, obviously – was the flute. Don’t think you were expecting that, were you.

    But seriously – the flute gave me so many opportunities. My first ever trip abroad was to Malta with the Croydon Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.

    And I’m sure everyone here will know the feeling of being drawn in by music.

    Getting lost in something bigger than yourself. Or being moved by a book, a painting, a play. Even now I turn to Beethoven or Brahms in those moments when, how to put it, the reviews aren’t so good. I’ve got some Shostakovich lined up for tomorrow.

    But these early encounters with art and culture, they change us forever, and we are brilliant at them in this country. Brilliant.

    But those opportunities don’t go to every child, do they?

    My brother – who had difficulties learning – he didn’t get those opportunities.

    Every time I achieved something in my life, my dad used to say: “Your brother has achieved just as much as you, Keir”.

    And he was right. I still believe that.

    But this is what we do in this country now, isn’t it?

    We elevate the stories of the individuals who go to the Guild Hall School of Music.

    The Prime Minister from a pebble-dashed semi.

    The working class few who do break through the class ceiling.

    I don’t blame anyone for that – I’m guilty of it.

    It gives people hope. It’s important to tell those stories.

    But it’s not everyone, is it?

    And we must remember everyone, Conference.

    Because everyone deserves the chance to be touched by art.

    Everyone deserves access to moments that light up their lives.

    And every child deserves the chance to study the creative subjects that widen their horizons, provide skills employers do value, and prepares them for the future, the jobs and the world that they will inherit.

    But more than that.

    Every child, every person, deserves to be respected for the contribution they make.

    My sister was a care worker in the pandemic. She’s still a care worker.

    Work that surely we know by now is so important for the future of this country.

    So Conference, wouldn’t it be great if this was also a country, where because of that contribution, that vital, life-affirming work, she could walk into any room and instantly command the same respect as the Prime Minister?

    Because those are my values.

    That is what I believe.

    And those are the values of the Britain that we will build.

    What will people get to show for it?

    They’ll get a country with its future back.

    Renewed by respect and service.

    Rebalanced towards the interests of working people.

    Confident in its values and story.

    Because together – we took action.

    Millions who feel better off, without just being told they’re better off by politicians.

    Going to the supermarket without a calculator, because the nation’s numbers now add up.

    More money in their pocket to do the things they love.

    And more faith in their public services because once again Labour rebuilt them.

    An NHS facing the future.

    More security and dignity at work.

    Town centres – thriving.

    Streets – safe.

    Borders – controlled at last.

    Clean energy – harnessed for national renewal.

    New homes, new towns, new hospitals, roads and schools.

    A new future for our children.

    That is what people will get, and mark my words – we will deliver it.

    People said we couldn’t change the party – but we did.

    People said we wouldn’t win across Britain – but we have.

    People say we can’t deliver national renewal – but we can and we will.

    We will stabilise our economy.

    Clear out the Tory rot.

    Fix the foundations.

    And deliver the mandate of change.

    A Britain built to last.

    Built with respect.

    And built with pride.

    Because together, we have shown.

    That Britain belongs to you.

    Thank you Conference.

  • Peter Kyle – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Peter Kyle – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on 23 September 2024.

    Let me start by introducing the team: Chris Bryant, Maggie Jones, Feryal Clark, Callum Anderson, and for his first Labour Party Conference – Patrick Vallance.

    For 14 years, our country paid the price of a ConservativeGovernment.

    Growth stalled; opportunities shrank; public services atrophied; inequalities deepened.

    Of course, the Tories talked a good game about growth, but it was all mouth and no trousers.

    Well, it was in Boris’s case – in Rishi’s it was all mouth and shorttrousers!

    All across government we are clearing up their mess – in my department I’ve found projects worth millions announced by my predecessors, without a single penny put behind them.

    Talk is cheap. And it was a cheap Tory trick.

    But empty promises cost – they waste everyone’s time and effort, sap people’s energy and enthusiasm, and squander the opportunities for Britain to get ahead.

    The Conservatives liked to wrap themselves up in our country’s flag, but time and time again, one failed Prime Minister after another, they never lived up to the values it represents.

    That’s why Britain was crying out for change.

    Once again, it falls to Labour in government, to repair the damage done under the Conservatives.

    Just like Attlee and Wilson, Blair and Brown before them, Keir, Angela and Rachel are tasked with putting our divided, damaged, disunited Kingdom back together.

    So, change begins.

    Change requires us to put wealth creation and economic growth, at the core of our national endeavour.

    Because growing the economy is the route to better lives and life chances for working people.

    My predecessor, when she wasn’t libelling people and passing on the legal bills to the taxpayer, said that her number one priority was driving woke out of science.

    Well, conference, our number one mission is to be the partner scientists need to tackle disease, climate change and economic growth.

    It’s a massive task:

    From Artificial Intelligence to human life sciences;

    From addressing digital exclusion to widening full fibre internet connectivity;

    From promoting the employment opportunities, from new data-driven technologies to protecting children against potential online harms;

    From creating the digital centre of government, to spreading digital technologies across the NHS and public services.

    We have even got responsibility for Britain’s space programme – so for us it really is to infinity and beyond!

    But the scope of these responsibilities is dwarfed by the pace of technological change.

    Think about it, a little girl born today in Liverpool Women’s Hospital will live longer and healthier because of medicines discovered and developed, using Artificial Intelligence.

    Her life story will be told through a new generation of smartphone technology.

    Her memories will be made and recorded on new platforms, as she grows from teenager to adulthood.

    She is part of the new digital generation, and this latest revolution began before she was even born and will continue throughout and beyond her life.

    Her education and career prospects, her life’s journey, will be created and curated by a series of discoveries, as yet unknown.

    But there is nothing inevitable about her story; about who benefits, how, and by how much, from this revolution.

    That is a choice.

    For progressives, our choice is to drive this change, whilst harnessing its immense power for the good of all.

    Failing to prepare for this change, is simply preparing to fail.

    Britain’s businesses and British workers cannot be left to sink or swim in the technological tsunami that is engulfing the world.

    I totally understand the concerns people have about the impact of these changes on their jobs, children, communities, and the whole of society.

    Our task is to recognise these concerns: mitigate where possible; upskill where necessary; reskill where appropriate; and regulate when essential.

    Every Industrial Revolution challenges the traditional structures of the society it impacts.

    In the 1860s and 70s, MPs’ concerns about the speed of locomotives, meant they introduced a 2 mile an hour speed limit, and someone to walk in front waving a red flag;

    In 1896 the National Anti-Vaccination League opposed the introduction of vaccines for public health;

    In the early 20th Century, the Horse Association of America opposed the introduction of the tractor.

    Some opposed the development of nuclear energy in the 1960s, as they do with solar and wind power today.

    Some of these concerns might seem silly now but, they were real and substantial then.

    If those generations had decided that the price of progress was too high, society would have remained poorer, slower, dirtier and sicker.

    Today we need to harness these opportunities, they need not be a threat, any more than the train or the tractor.

    From vaccines to clean power, resisting the opportunity cost of conservatism is the real price of progress.

    The challenge is to harness technology for good, to make change work for the good of all. That’s why we are fully implementing the Online Safety Act, to improve online safety for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.

    It’s why we are making the AI Safety Institute a statutory body, alongside identifying and realising the massive opportunities of AI for pupils and teachers, workers and students, scientists and researchers, NHS staff and patients too.

    It’s why we are working to make Britain the most attractive place to invest, start-up and grow businesses in science and technology.

    Because that’s the most sustainable route to wealth creation, opportunity generation, secure employment and economic growth.

    And it’s why we are determined to tackle digital exclusion.

    The opportunities of this technological revolution must be available to everyone.

    It must be more fairly shared between men and women, regardless of age, ethnicity, ability and social class, and across all regions and nations of our country.

    Securing these advances for all, is a modern progressive project that can, over time, make our communities cleaner, greener, safer and fairer too.

    Our task is to lay the foundations for the security, prosperity and opportunity of the digital generation.

    To make Britain the best place to live and work, for people to build their homes and families, the very best that Britain can be;

    Where no-one goes to bed hungry because our economy grows too slowly;

    Where no-one is denied the treatment and care they need, because the technology they rely on is outdated or inadequate;

    Where our country’s reputation is no longer shaped by the shame of food banks, but by the potential of state-of-the-art databanks, AI and supercomputer technologies.

    That is the modern Britain of hope and optimism, of ambition and fulfilment, of discovery and diversity, of opportunity and security that we seek to build.

    For that little girl in that Liverpool maternity unit, and for all of Britain’s digital generation, that change starts right now, right here, with this Labour government.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Jonathan Reynolds, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on 23 September 2024.

    Conference,

    I stand here before you today,

    proud to be your Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

    Proud to be a part of the most working class Cabinet in British history.

    And proud of the pro-business, pro worker platform that was fundamental to our success at the election but which will be even more fundamental to our success in Government.

    No-one should be in any doubt, we campaigned as a pro-business party and we will govern as a pro-business party.

    Because we know that we cannot deliver for the British people, unless we turn around the low investment, low productivity, low growth economy which we have inherited.

    And we cannot do that, unless we work in partnership with business to bring about the change we need.

    And my ask of all of you, is not just to support that agenda, but to actively stand with me and this Labour Government, as we work day and night, to again give people the work, and the wages and the prosperity, and the living standards that everyone in Britain needs, and everyone in Britain deserves.

    Because Conference, the task is urgent.

    What I found, when I walked through the door of my Department on the 5 July was a mess left by Conservative ministers – who had simply ceased to govern.

    Just like the Downing Street parties they threw, they expected someone else to come in and clear up after them

    The Conservative overspending – that £22bn black hole in the Treasury reserve – put at risk things that could not be more important to the British people: money for the steel industry, compensation for postmasters.

    And vital decisions, on everything from shipbuilding to automotive, simply not taken.

    They were deferred, they were left for us to deal with.

    If people ask me for an example, of what a pro-worker, and pro-business agenda looks like:

    I point out to them that over the last decade the unions in this room have actually fought harder for British industry, than the Conservative Party did!

    Nowhere have we seen that more, than in steel.

    I’d like to thank Community, and GMB, and Unite, for working with me to improve the deal for the workforce at Port Talbot.

    I’ll always be the first to say, I wish we could have done even more.

    But I can tell you working together with the unions we have done more for steel in two months, than the Conservative Party did in 14 years.

    I am always aware, of just how consequential the decisions I make are,

    That they touch the lives of a great many people.

    And understanding that, is what being a Government of service is all about.

    And we have already begun the work to deliver that change.

    Implementing our plan for small business: where previous governments talked about ending late payments – we have taken the action needed to ensure companies pay on time

    And we aren’t just tackling issues like business rates, but removing the wider barriers that speak to the heart of local economies.

    Making our high streets safe and vibrant once again including new measures to stop violence against shop workers and turning around derelict town centres.

    It means delivering on our Industrial Strategy, so we win a great share of investment in the UK of the industries that will contribute the most to our future growth.

    It means having a trade strategy, that resets our relationship with the EU whilst also building new trade opportunities around the world.

    And conference, alongside those things, we cannot deliver change without delivering our New Deal for Working People.

    Now Conference, you may have seen, the Conservative Party, they don’t like our plan to make work pay.

    And while it is ironic to hear the same people who have been asleep on the job for the last 14 years complain about other people’s working patterns.

    Didn’t we hear the same arguments against the Minimum Wage?

    So when they stand up in a few years’ time trying to claim credit for the work the Labour movement did to advance the rights of working people: don’t you let them forget what side of history they were on.

    Because we know when it comes to the Conservative Party the British public have already availed themselves of the right to switch off.

    Conference, I will always make the case that many businesses in Britain model fantastic best practice, and they invest in their workforce, whether it’s offering shared parental leave, or support for carers.

    And we are going to make Britain more competitive and more investible.

    But our mission is not just for growth, but for growth that everybody benefits from.

    So Conference, I put it to you:

    Where a person has worked, a regular number of hours for some time, they should have the right to a contract that reflects those hours.

    And where a person has worked somewhere for two years, they do deserve protection from being unfairly dismissed.

    And that most of all, where a person goes out to work, not only do they deserve to be fairly paid for that work. But what every business also needs, are customers who have some money in their pocket, some spending power, and that means, over time, moving towards a Britain where everyone earns a real living wage.

    Conference, the task ahead of us is a big one.

    It will be difficult at times.

    No one else can change this country.

    So I say let’s accept the challenge and get on with the job.

    And if you feel, the same drive, the same passion, the same energy, and most of all, the same hope, that I feel, everyday, as your Secretary of State I am telling you we can build a Britain, not just of good work and good wages, but of dignity, respect, and opportunity.

    The Britain that we have always believed in, the Britain we have always strived to build,

    Conference, together, for the first time in years, our pro-business, pro worker government gives us the chance to do exactly that.

    And I promise, as your Secretary of State, I will work every single moment I have.

    to make that happen.

    Thank you Conference.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Rachel Reeves – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 23 September 2024.

    Conference, thank you.

    This time last year, I stood on this stage and I made a commitment.

    I promised that we would get Britain building again.

    Repair our NHS.

    And power growth in every part of Britain.

    Today, after fourteen wasted years, I stand here as your Chancellor of the Exchequer, ready to deliver on that commitment.

    At this conference, we welcome more than 200 new Labour MPs – members of the most diverse Parliament in our country’s history.

    Labour winning for the very first time, in sears like South-East Cornwall, the Isle of Wight, Aldershot, Banbury and Basingstoke; in Hexham, Altrincham, and the Ribble Valley.

    And Labour is back, in the service of communities that we never should have lost.

    In our port, coal, steel and mill towns. From Bolsover, Bassetlaw and Grimsby to Hartlepool, Rother Valley, Newton Aycliffe, and Bridgend.

    And Conference, in Edinburgh, in Glasgow, across the central belt and out in the Western Isles, Labour is back in Scotland too.

    So let me pay tribute to the people in this hall who made that difference.

    Those who stayed and fought through the hard years.

    Those who came back to our party under Keir’s leadership.

    And those who joined us for the first time.

    You helped change our party and you gave us this priceless chance to change our country for the better.

    To all of you – a huge thank you.

    In this hall one year ago, I stated my intention.

    That the next time I addressed you, I would do so as the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    Today, Conference, you can consider that a promise fulfilled.

    Eight hundred years of the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer has existed.

    Every one, a man.

    On the fifth of July this year, we made history.

    Every woman watching this will know no matter how high you climb, how hard you work, how qualified you are, there will always be moments when you are reminded some people still do not believe a woman can get the job done.

    But millions of women in our party, in our trade unions and in every walk of life, beat back those doubts.

    I’m here today because I worked hard, yes.

    But most of all, I’m here because of the efforts of those who went before me.

    Trailblazing women like Jennie Lee, Barbara Castle, and our friend, our inspiration, Harriet Harman.

    And I’m here because of thousands of women, many of you in the hall today, who broke down barriers and defeated low expectations to pave the way for the rest of us.

    I am a Labour Chancellor because of that collective endeavour.

    I am the first woman Chancellor because of that collective endeavour.

    And that collective endeavour does not stop here.

    It falls to me, and to our generation of Labour women, to follow in the footsteps of those who went before us. To write the work of all women back into our economic story. To show to our daughters and our granddaughters that they need place no ceiling on their ambitions.

    That is the Britain we’re building.

    That is the Britain that I believe in.

    But Conference, why is it that the British people put their trust in us for the first time in five general elections?

    It is because, thanks to Keir’s leadership, we left no stone unturned to show that Labour is the party of economic responsibility and the party of working people.

    We were elected because, for the first time in almost two decades, people looked at us – looked at me – and decided that Labour could be trusted with their money.

    That is more than a political choice, or a single line in any manifesto.

    It is about our values.

    Because we saw what happened two years ago what happens when governments play fast and loose with the public finances: when the prices of food, energy and housing soar, it is working people with mortgages, rent and bills to pay who suffer the consequences.

    I will not take that risk.

    I will repay the trust that people put in us.

    Trust is hard earned – and is easily squandered.

    Just ask the Conservatives.

    They paid the price for their incompetence, their dishonesty, their rule breaking.

    We’ve had years of division and decline that left working people worse off, not just in the heaviest defeat in their party’s history, but the heaviest defeat for any governing party in British history.

    And Conference I can tell you – today I am so proud that our women’s Parliamentary Labour Party is bigger than the entire Conservative parliamentary party.

    And so, where will the Conservative Party go next?

    What a clash of the titans their leadership contest has become.

    The former Home Secretary who called the Rwanda scheme “batshit” and, of course, is now pledging to bring it back.

    The former Immigration Minister, who found himself too right-wing to work with Suella Braverman.

    The “moderate” candidate, the former Security Minister, who says he “acts on his principles” – previously demonstrated by backing Liz Truss to be Prime Minister.

    And then there’s the former Business Secretary who claims she “became working class” at the age of sixteen.

    But Conference, the Tories’ failure was not just because they were incompetent or deluded.

    Not just because they put party before country – though, of course, both of those are true.

    It is because they do not understand the world as it is today.

    They do not understand the premium on economic stability, in an uncertain world.

    They do not understand that, in our new age of insecurity, government cannot just get out of the way and leave markets to their own devices.

    Instead, the Tories cling to the discredited trickle-down and trickle-out dogma that a strong economy can be built through the contribution of just a few people, a few parts of the country, or a few industries.

    Their ideas choked off investment, opened wide gaps between different parts of the country, and it suffocated growth and living standards.

    We will not make those mistakes.

    Yet, when their ideas were found wanting, what did they do? They doubled down.

    Never forget what the Conservatives did: two years ago today, in their clamour to cut taxes for the richest, they crashed the economy, sent mortgages spiraling, and put pensions in peril.

    You will hear many things at their conference next week.

    But you won’t hear an apology.

    No apology for the cost of your mortgage.

    No apology for crumbling classrooms and rising waiting lists.

    No apology for mismanaging our public finances, degrading our institutions, and crashing our global standing.

    They do not care.

    And they have learned nothing.

    So be in no doubt, given the chance, they will try and do it all over again.

    Only we, only the Labour Party, can stop them.

    So we must have no complacency.

    A relentless focus on the priorities of the British people.

    And iron discipline.

    We cannot give them that chance.

    So let’s resolve together today that we will not give them that chance.

    Now, I know that you are impatient for change. I am too.

    But Conference, because of that legacy left by the Conservatives, the road ahead is steeper and harder than we expected.

    You don’t need to take my word for it.

    Figures released only on Friday showed another month of record borrowing.

    Debt at one hundred percent of GDP.

    That is the inheritance that they left, in black and white.

    In my first weeks at the Treasury, the true extent of the Tories’ irresponsibility was revealed to me: £22 billion of spending plans, this year, that the previous government did not disclose.

    Which they had no plan to pay for and which they had covered up from Parliament and from the British people.

    Departments had been allocated money which they were spending, but which did not exist.

    The money was not there.

    A £22 billion black hole – which, if not tackled now, will pose risks for years to come.

    That included more than £6 billion overspend on the asylum system – including their failed Rwanda policy.

    Almost £3 billion on rail projects.

    The nation’s reserve – intended for genuine emergencies – set to be spent three times over only three months into the financial year.

    They were reckless.

    They were irresponsible.

    And they acted in that way, not because they believed it was right for our country – but because they believed it might rescue their party from defeat.

    They promised solutions that they knew could never be paid for.

    Roads that would never be built.

    Public transport that would never arrive.

    And hospitals that would never treat a single patient.

    They showed no regard for ordinary, working people.

    And they did not care about the consequences.

    It was made clear to me that failure to act swiftly could undermine the UK’s fiscal position – with implications for public debt, mortgages and prices.

    And so, I took action to make the in-year savings necessary.

    We are reviewing plans for new hospitals, promised by the Conservatives, but which they did not budget for.

    We cancelled road and rail projects, promised by the Conservatives, but which they did not budget for.

    And I made the choice to means test the winter fuel payment, so that it is only targetted at those most in need.

    I know that not everyone – in this hall, or in the country – will agree with every decision I make.

    But I will not duck those decisions. Not for political expediency. Not for personal advantage.

    Faced with that £22 billion black hole that the Conservatives left this year and with the triple lock ensuring that the state pension will rise by an estimated £1,700 over the course of this Parliament, I judged it the right decision in the circumstances we inherited.

    I did not take those decisions lightly.

    I will never take the responsibilities of this office lightly.

    And I will never take lightly the trust of voters who have been burned too often by politicians who put ideology, party and self-interest over the interests of the British people.

    And so, we must deal with another Tory legacy.

    Conference, I know how hard people work for their money.

    Taxpayers’ money should be spent with the same care with which working people spend their own money.

    And so, one year ago, I promised you that this Labour government would wage a war on Tory waste.

    It has begun.

    I pledged that we would aim to halve government consultancy spend – and we have already announced savings this year.

    I pledged that we would cut down on the excesses of Tory ministers’ private air travel – and we have already cancelled the £40m contract for Rishi Sunak’s VIP helicopter.

    And I pledged that we would act on the carnival of waste and fraud that took place during the COVID pandemic.

    Billions of pounds of public money handed out to friends and donors of the Conservative Party.

    Billions more defrauded from the taxpayer.

    More than a billion pounds spent on PPE that either did not arrive or was not fit for purpose.

    All under the cover of the greatest crisis of my lifetime.

    On entering government, we found £674 million of contracts in dispute, where we inherited a recommendation from the previous government that any attempt to reclaim that money should be abandoned.

    The Tories simply did not care.

    But Labour will not stand for it.

    I will not stand for it.

    So: as I promised, we are appointing a Covid Corruption Commissioner.

    It could not be more urgent.

    And I have put a block on any contract being abandoned or waived until it has been independently assessed by that Commissioner.

    I won’t turn a blind eye to rip-off artists and fraudsters.

    I won’t turn a blind eye to those who used a national emergency to line their own pockets.

    I won’t let them get away with it.

    That money belongs in our police, it belongs in our health service, and it belongs in our schools.

    And Conference, we want that money back.

    Next month, I will deliver the first budget of this Labour government.

    The first Labour budget in fourteen years.

    And because I know how much damage has been done in those fourteen years, let me say one thing straight up: there will be no return to austerity.

    Conservative austerity was a destructive choice for our public services – and for investment and growth too.

    Yes, we must deal with the Tory legacy – and that means tough decisions.

    But I won’t let that dim our ambition for Britain.

    So, it will be a budget with real ambition.

    A budget to fix the foundations.

    A budget to deliver the change that we promised.

    A budget to rebuild Britain.

    And my budget will keep our manifesto commitments.

    Every choice we make will be within a framework of economic and fiscal stability.  You’d expect nothing less.

    We said we would not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax, national insurance, or VAT.

    And we will cap corporation tax at its current level for the duration of this Parliament.

    Conference, as promised, we will extend the Energy and Profits Levy on oil and gas producers to invest in homegrown energy here in Britain.

    We will end the non-dom tax loopholes.

    And we will crack down on tax avoidance and tax evasion.

    That is the difference that a Labour government will make.

    We are already delivering on that last promise to cut down on tax avoidance and tax evasion.

    Strengthening the powers of HMRC, under the leadership of the Exchequer Secretary James Murray and recruiting 5,000 new tax compliance officers.

    Because this government will not sit back and indulge the minority who avoid paying the taxes that they owe.

    And Conference, we will enact another manifesto commitment.

    Because I know every parent has aspiration for their children. And I know the strain that our state schools have been under.

    This government will introduce VAT on private school fees, to invest in our state schools.

    It is the fair choice, the responsible choice, the Labour choice, to support the 94 percent of children in state schools.

    That is the Britain we’re building.

    That is the Britain that I believe in.

    This budget will be a budget for economic growth.

    It will be a budget for investment.

    Because today we find ourselves at the very bottom of the G7 league table for economy-wide investment as a share of our GDP.

    And we must change that.

    Conference, I believe in a better Britain.

    A Britain of opportunity, fairness, and enterprise.

    I know that country has sometimes felt far off in recent years.

    As our growth, our productivity and family finances fall behind.

    But it doesn’t have to be that way.

    The British capacity for inventiveness, enterprise and old-fashioned hard work has not gone away.

    So believe me when I say – my optimism for Britain burns brighter than ever.

    My ambition knows no limits.

    Because I can see the prize on offer, if we make the right choices now.

    Stability is the crucial foundation on which all our ambitions will be built.

    The essential precondition for business to invest with confidence and for families to plan for the future.

    The Liz Truss experiment showed us that any plan for growth without stability leads to ruin.

    So we will make the choices necessary to secure our public finances and fix the foundations for lasting growth.

    Stability, paired with reform, will forge the conditions for businesses to invest and for consumers to spend with confidence.

    Growth is the challenge.

    And investment is the solution.

    Investment in new industries, new technologies, and new infrastructure.

    Let me put what we are doing into some perspective.

    If the UK economy had grown at just the average rate of other OECD economies under the Tories, our economy would be £140 billion larger today.

    That would have provided an extra £58 billion to invest in our public services without raising a single tax rate by a single penny.

    Revenue to invest in our schools, our hospitals, our police, and all our public services.

    And that’s not the limit of my ambitions.

    Because, with growth, we will create jobs that pay enough to raise a family on – for you and your children.

    Put real money in the pockets of working people.

    And wealth in all of our communities, that flows into vibrant high streets.

    This is how we’ll make Britain the best place to start and grow a business – whatever background you come from, wherever you grew up.

    Things built to last, and exported around the world are made here in Britain.

    This is how we’ll achieve what we promised – the five missions that will comprise a decade of national renewal.

    That is the Britain we’re building.

    That is the Britain that I believe in.

    During the election campaign, I visited businesses all over Britain.

    From historic brands seizing the opportunities of the future, to innovative start-ups at the cutting edge, to high street businesses breathing new life into their local communities.

    Our world-leading universities, creative industries, life sciences, tech companies and professional services.

    I see immense potential, everywhere I go.

    But for every success story, there is potential held back.

    Entrepreneurs struggling to access finance.

    High street businesses punished by our outdated system of business rates.

    Builders frustrated by a planning system which hands power to the blockers.

    Exporters tied up in red tape by a failed Brexit deal.

    Too many people out of work through chronic illness, waiting for treatment, or without the skills, training and security they need to fulfil their potential.

    And a welfare state that does not always incentivise work.

    Brilliant young people shut out of the opportunities they deserve.

    And whole industries held back by underinvestment or the lack of a real strategy for their future.

    So we must learn the lesson from the Tories’ failure.

    We must build for growth, in a changed world.

    In this age of insecurity, growth requires stability but not stability alone.

    It requires active government.

    And it requires the contribution of people in every part of Britain, not just a few.

    Where there are vested interests, outdated practices or institutional barriers obstructing productive investment – we will confront them head on.

    Where active government is called for, this government will act.

    And Conference, it is time that the Treasury moved on from just counting the costs of investments, to recognising the benefits too.

    So we are calling time on the ideas of the past.

    Calling time on the days when government stood back, left crucial sectors to fend for themselves, and turned a blind eye to where things are made and who makes them.

    The era of trickle-down, trickle-out economics is over.

    And so, I can announce that next month, alongside the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, we will publish our plans for a new industrial strategy for Britain.

    A strategy for driving and shaping long-term growth in our manufacturing and service sectors.

    A strategy to unlock investment, create jobs and deliver prosperity.

    A strategy to help break down barriers to regional growth, speed ahead to net zero and clean power by 2030, and build prosperity on strong and secure foundations.

    Because when I said that this Labour Party is proudly pro-business and proudly pro-worker – I meant it.

    This mission – for investment, for growth, for jobs – is why in a few weeks’ time, this government will be hosting a major international investment summit bringing together hundreds of business leaders, to send a simple message.

    That after years of instability and uncertainty, Britain is open for business once again.

    And this mission is why we will reform our pensions system; overhaul business rates; give power to our mayors and regional leaders; deliver a plan to get waiting lists down and people back to work; and forge a closer relationship with our neighbours in the European Union, while pursuing trade deals to open up new markets too.

    It’s why we launched a new National Wealth Fund, to invest in new and growing industries right across Britain.

    And it is why Angela Rayner and I have wasted no time in ripping out the blockages in our planning system so we can get Britain building again.

    You know, within 72 hours of taking office, we did more to unblock the planning system than the Conservatives did in fourteen years – including an end to the senseless Tory ban on onshore wind.

    And conference, we won’t stop there.

    Onshore wind to bring down your energy bills.

    New data centres, for good jobs in the industries of the future.

    And housing – for the decent home that every family deserves.

    That is the Britain we’re building.

    That is the Britain that I believe in.

    If you want to start or grow a business.

    If you want to export overseas.

    If you want to build in Britain but fear local opposition and delay.

    If you have felt the quiet desperation of jobs, opportunity and investment slipping away.

    Then be assured: your ambitions, your hopes, your future will not be held back any longer.

    I have promised this hall before that what you will see, in your town, in your city, is a sight we have not seen often enough in our country.

    Shovels in the ground.

    Cranes in the sky.

    The sounds and the sights of the future arriving.

    We will make that a reality.

    Jobs in the automotive industry of the future in the industrial heartland of the West Midlands.

    Jobs in life sciences, across the North West.

    Clean technology across South Yorkshire.

    A thriving gaming industry in Dundee.

    And jobs in carbon capture and storage, on Teesside, Humberside, and right here on Merseyside too.

    Wealth created, and wealth shared, in every part of Britain.

    That is the prize.

    That is the Britain we’re building.

    That is the Britain that I believe in.

    And Conference, because growth must be built by the many, its proceeds must be felt by the many too.

    And because of the indignity and insecurity that stems from the broken link between hard work and fair reward, we will deliver on another promise: a new deal for working people.

    With a ban on exploitative zero hour contracts; an end to fire and rehire; and a minimum wage which takes into account the real cost of living.

    So, at last, we will have a genuine living wage in our country.

    For dignity. For security. For growth.

    This Labour government will make work pay.

    That is the Britain we’re building.

    That is the Britain that I believe in.

    Within weeks of entering office, we faced another choice.

    We could accept the independent pay review bodies’ recommendations and give public sector workers their first above inflation pay rise in fourteen years.

    Or we could allow further industrial disruption to wreak havoc on our public services.

    Patients having hospital appointments cancelled.

    Parents unable to send their children to school.

    Key workers – the men and women who kept us safe during the pandemic – forced to pay the price for a crisis that they did not create.

    The Conservatives gave no guidance to the pay review bodies on affordability, nor did they budget for the recommendations they offered.

    And the Conservatives will deny that this was a choice that had to be made at all.

    They will claim that it was a viable strategy to let industrial action continue, to let a crisis in recruitment and retention spiral and let public services deteriorate yet further.

    That was not a choice I was willing to make.

    And it was not a choice that was in the national interest either.

    So, I am proud. I am proud to stand here as the first Chancellor in fourteen years to have delivered a meaningful, real pay rise to millions of public sector workers.

    We made that choice. We made that choice not just because public sector workers needed that pay rise.

    But because it was the right choice for parents, patients and for the British public.

    The right choice for recruitment and retention.

    And it was the right choice for our country.

    If the Conservative Party, if they want a fight about this.

    If they want to argue we should have ignored the independent pay review bodies.

    That public sector workers’ pay should fall further behind the cost of living.

    That ordinary families should pay the price of industrial action.

    If the Conservatives Party want a fight about who can be trusted to make the right choices for our public services and those who use them.

    Then I say bring it on.

    Public services that we can be proud of, once again with a Labour government.

    That is the Britain we’re building.

    And that is the Britain that I believe in.

    Let me tell you where I’m coming from.

    My mum and dad were primary school teachers.

    And I’m really proud of that.

    My mum was a special needs teacher at my school.

    And my dad was a headteacher at another local primary.

    I know how hard my parents worked.

    How dedicated they were.

    The long hours they both put in – my sister Ellie and I playing in my dad’s office while he worked late.

    And they had to do so in the face of a Conservative government that, in its every action, showed it didn’t care about kids in schools like theirs.

    Ordinary, comprehensive schools like the one I went to and the kids I grew up with.

    My mum and dad lived their values and they taught me the value of public service.

    Of hard work.

    Of giving something back to the community.

    I joined this party because of three words spoken in a conference hall in Blackpool twenty eight years ago: education, education, education.

    I joined this party because I believe that strong public services are the backbone of any decent society.

    Because I believe that people should rise and fall on their own merit, not on the circumstances of their birth.

    And because I believe that we do not have to choose between a fair society and a strong economy.

    I don’t want kids to succeed ‘against all odds’.

    I want them to succeed because they deserve it.

    Because the odds aren’t stacked against them.

    That’s the Britain that I want to live in – just like every other parent who wants the best for their kids.

    So I will judge my time in office a success if I know that at the end of it there are working-class kids from ordinary backgrounds who lead richer lives, their horizons expanded, and able to achieve and thrive in Britain today.

    That starts by taking the first steps to delivering on another manifesto commitment: our promise, led by the work of our Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, to introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school across England.

    Today I can announce that that will start in hundreds of schools for primary school-aged pupils from this April, ahead of the national rollout.

    An investment in our young people.

    An investment in reducing child poverty.

    An investment in our economy.

    And an investment so that, in years to come, we can proudly say that we left behind a Britain where the next generation has a chance to do better than those who came before it.

    Conference – that is the Britain we’re building.

    That is the Britain that I believe in.

    The work of change is only just beginning.

    And the stakes are high.

    Trust is a fragile thing.

    And we’ve seen the consequences when mainstream politics comes up short.

    It falls to us to show that politics can be a force for positive change.

    Not through words, but through action.

    Through progress towards that Britain of opportunity, fairness and enterprise.

    That is our task.

    That is my task.

    It comes with a great weight of responsibility.

    I embrace it.

    It will mean hard work.

    I am ready for it.

    The British people put their trust in us.

    And we will repay it.

    And when someone asks you – does this government represent me?

    When they ask – whose side are they on?

    You can tell them: when you work hard, Labour will make sure you get your fair reward.

    When barriers obstruct opportunity and investment is constricted, Labour will tear down those barriers.

    When working people have paid the price for the Tory chaos, while waste spirals and tax is avoided, Labour will act.

    And when the national interest demands hard choices, Labour will not duck them.

    We will make fair choices.

    For decent public services and the people who rely on them.

    For investment and opportunity in every part of Britain.

    For an end to the naysaying, the division, the defeatism.

    An end to the low investment that feeds decline.

    And an end to easy answers, the empty promises, and the Tory stagnation.

    Conference, you can tell them that we stand – that we will always stand – with working people.

    We changed our party.

    Let us now change our country.

    This is our moment.

    Our chance to show that politics can make a difference.

    That Britain’s best days lie ahead.

    That our families, our communities, our country need not look on while the future is built somewhere else.

    That we can, and we will, make our own future here.

    A Britain trading, competing, and leading in a changed world.

    A Britain founded on the talent and the effort of working people.

    That is the Britain we’re building.

    That is the Britain I believe in.

    Together, let’s go and build it.

    Thank you.

  • Louise Haigh – 2024 Speech on Maritime Policy

    Louise Haigh – 2024 Speech on Maritime Policy

    The speech made by Louise Haigh, the Secretary of State for Transport, in London on 17 September 2024.

    Thank you very much, it’s fantastic to be here at the launch of London International Shipping Week. Where better to deliver my first maritime address as Secretary of State than at the IMO.

    Not only the global seat of maritime governance where shipping has been made safer, our seas cleaner, this industry more secure. But an enduring symbol, 75 years on from its creation, of this city’s role in maritime’s past, present and future.

    It’s why London hosts the premier event in the shipping calendar, with 30,000 visitors attending over 300 events for London International Shipping Week last year. Although being a girl from Yorkshire, I should say this is about the whole UK maritime sector as well. Last year we celebrated progress made, confronted challenges ahead and continued the vital work of future-proofing this historic sector.

    With like-minded states and dynamic businesses, we turned partnership into progress – accelerating work on green corridors, signing memorandums of understanding to explore the opportunities of AI, and showcasing new fully electric vehicles on the Thames.

    All positive steps, which, next year, we absolutely must work together to turn into giant leaps. Because this sector faces more change in the next 30 years than it’s seen in the past 3,000 and all of us, government and industry, must be ready.

    Take new technology, which will transform how maritime is powered. It will end the sector’s reliance on dirty energy. A reliance that has seen domestic shipping emissions outpace those of buses, coaches and rail combined.

    Already, in this very building, the global community has agreed decarbonisation targets by around 2050. And over the coming years, Britain will continue to take the lead. Not only delivering our mission to make this country a clean energy superpower, but rallying the world to ensure those targets don’t slip from view. And we’ll explore the possibilities of autonomous shipping, never to replace human passion and experience, but to achieve levels of productivity and safety currently beyond our capabilities.

    So, whether it’s hydrogen or battery power, green corridors or smart shipping, I will build on what’s come before and go further, much further, move faster – and match the ambition that’s already being displayed in our world leading sector – setting this industry on course towards a future of cleaner growth.

    Steering us towards that future will be maritime’s workforce – over 200,000 strong, touching every part of the country. They are the lifeblood of this sector.

    I know that working at sea isn’t just a job. My uncle left home at 16 – he ran away from home – to join the Merchant Navy. My grandma didn’t even know where he’d gone – but it changed his life forever. It gave him ambitions and opportunities that he couldn’t have otherwise achieved.

    Because a maritime career represents the opportunity to be part of something bigger than yourself. We have all seen that on display, when maritime workers were tasked with getting this island nation through a pandemic, while much of the economy ground to a halt. They facilitated our global trade, almost all of which flows through our ports, before lining supermarket shelves, filling hospital stock rooms and landing on our doorsteps.

    Maritime’s future depends on that workforce and on growing the pool of talent that it draws from. It means we can create a more resilient and innovative sector, proudly diverse in gender, background and skills.

    It’s a future where coders and data analysts rub shoulders with engineers and seafarers – all choosing maritime as the place to launch and sustain a career. But that requires progress, real progress, on making the sector a more attractive place to work and stay.

    It has now been over 2 years since the P&O Ferries scandal shook this country and the maritime sector. Clearly, not enough has been done since. I know many of you in this room will have been equally as shocked by those events. And this government is determined to start to put injustices like these right with our plan to ‘Make Work Pay’.

    We’ll end the worst fire and rehire practices that undercut the rights and protections of workers, and undermine confidence in our economy. Because we know that the way to grow our economy, and to make maritime a more attractive home for a new generation of seafarers, is through a partnership between business and working people, which can be a rising tide that lifts all of us, in every corner of the country.

    Today you have my assurance that I will place this sector at the heart of this government’s plan for a decade of national renewal. Economic growth. A clean energy superpower. Breaking barriers to opportunity. Whatever this government’s mission – maritime is at the heart of it.

    We’ll harness London’s world leading strengths in maritime law and insurance. We’ll support exciting green projects up and down the country. And we’ll breathe new economic life into our vital coastal communities and ports.

    Friends, I believe maritime’s best days aren’t confined to history but lie ahead. So, tonight, let’s fire the starting gun – or break the champagne – for London International Shipping Week 2025, making it the biggest and most impactful to date.

    I know that many of you feel that maritime’s outsized contribution to our economy sails under the radar and that many of you don’t always get the recognition you deserve. But as Transport Secretary, I will champion you and this sector at every opportunity. And work with you, day in day out, not simply to secure maritime’s future, but the future of our economy and our country too.