Keir Starmer launched a bid to reboot his fledgling premiership today as he begs Brits to stick with his ‘painful choices’ rather than go down the ‘road to nowhere’.
The PM struck a more positive tone in his first address to activists since taking power, as he tries to move on from damaging rows over winter fuel allowance, tax hikes and freebies.
Watched by wife Victoria, Sir Keir told the gathering in Liverpool the country can find the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ if the right course is set now.
He argued that was the way to ‘return this great nation to the service of working people’ – urging restive Labour supporters to take ‘pride’ in what they were achieving.
Acknowledging that he will not ‘get everything right’, he said ‘populist’ criticism of his performance so far was ‘water off a duck’s back’.
‘This is a long-term project, I’ve never pretended otherwise. But conference make no mistake, the work of change has begun,’ he said. ‘We’re only just getting started.’
In a nod to voters’ worries, Sir Keir will also highlight his commitments to tackling high immigration and crack down on benefits fraud.
The speech follows a torrid spell for Labour that saw any feelgood factor from the July election landslide abruptly disappear.
The party has spent weeks fielding difficult questions about the thousands of pounds of gifts received by Sir Keir and senior figures such as Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner.
And unions and MPs are furious about the scrapping of winter fuel payments for 10million pensioners, with a showdown vote at conference potentially happening tomorrow. Sir Keir will not be present – as he is dashing off to New York straight after the speech to attend the UN general assembly.
A new Savanta poll has found the premier’s personal ratings have plummeted 26 points since the summer, from a net plus 15 to minus 11.
Announcements in the speech include:
- A crackdown on benefit fraudsters aimed at saving £1.6billion over five years.
- A commitment to reduce net migration by training Britons to fill vacancies in the jobs market rather than allowing employers to rely on overseas labour.
- A promise to introduce a Hillsborough Law requiring a duty of candour for public officials.
Keir Starmer launched a bid to reboot his fledgling premiership today as he begs Brits to stick with his ‘painful choices’ rather than go down the ‘road to nowhere’
Watched by wife Victoria, Sir Keir told the gathering in Liverpool the country can find the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ if the right course is set now
Shadow Cabinet members including Yvette Coopeer, Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner were at the front of the crowd for the speech
Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrived at the conference centre ahead of his speech today
Before Sir Keir appeared activists were pumped up with a Star Wars-style display on the big screens of the list of constituencies Labour won on July 4.
The PM was then teed up with a video showing the events of election night, and his victory comments.
Striding on stage he compared the conference having the highest attendance in history to his first speech – to just a cameraman under Covid rule. ‘Do you remember? Most people don’t,’ he said.
Sir Keir will acknowledge that many voters are ‘fed up’ with politics, adding: ‘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, and may even have voted Labour for that reason.’
But Sir Keir will not offer an apology for accepting more than £100,000-worth of freebies, with officials branding it a ‘vision’ speech.
Ministers have been shaken by a fall in business confidence following gloomy rhetoric about the state of the economy.
But the PM will say: ‘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; making our country more secure… then that light at the end of this tunnel, that Britain that belongs to you, we get there much more quickly.’
Delivering her speech to Labour’s conference yesterday, the Chancellor also tried to sound more positive, claiming her ‘optimism for Britain burns brighter than ever’ and her ‘ambition knows no limits’.
Sir Keir will commit to ‘reduce both net migration and our economic dependency on it’, arguing: ‘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.’
The Prime Minister will also promise a new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill to modernise the Department for Work and Pensions, allowing it to recover money lost to fraud while protecting vulnerable claimants from mounting debts.
And he will honour a commitment to the people of Liverpool by promising that a Hillsborough Law will be introduced before the next anniversary of the April 1989 football stadium disaster which claimed the lives of 97 fans.
The law will introduce a legal duty of candour on public bodies, with the potential for criminal sanctions for officials or organisations which mislead or obstruct investigations.
Sir Keir will say: ‘A law for Liverpool. A law for the 97. A law that people should never have needed to fight so hard to get.’
Delegates queue for the leader’s speech at the conference centre in Liverpool today
The Starmers chatting to other guests at the conference hotel this morning
Keir Starmer will promise ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ today as he bids to reboot his struggling premiership in his big Labour conference speech
