UK Labour Leader Keir Starmer Addressed Party Delegates for First Time in Person
11:05 GMT 29.09.2021 (Updated: 15:16 GMT 28.05.2023)
© REUTERS / Hannah McKay
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Starmer told the Brighton conference that Labour is "back in business'' after a decade of election disappointments, adding the Boris Johnson was "a trivial man" with no plan.
Starmer addressed the fuel shortage crisis in Britain head on, criticising the Conservatives for creating a “mess”.
"Why do we suddenly have a shortage of HGV drivers? Why is there no plan in place? A tank of fuel already costs £10 more than it did at the start of the year. Gas and electricity bills up. Gaps on the supermarket shelves. Rent up, especially for those on the lowest incomes. Yet at this very moment, the government is putting up tax on working people. Putting up tax on small businesses and slashing Universal Credit. We have a fuel crisis, a pay crisis, a goods crisis and a cost of living crisis - all at the same time," Starmer said.
Starmer called for confidence in Labour, a party “in which you can trust,” as he addressed its defeat in 2019 election.
"To the voters who thought we were unpatriotic or irresponsible or that we looked down on them, I say these simple but powerful words. We will never under my leadership go into an election with a manifesto that is not a serious plan for government. It will not take another election defeat for the Labour Party to become an alternative government in which you can trust. That's why it has been so important to get our own house in order this week and we have done that," Starmer told the conference.
Speaking about his background and working class parents, Starmer stressed that Labour is a party of “working people.”
We’re going live with @Keir_Starmer at 12pm.
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Tune in to hear how the next Labour Prime Minister would make our country the best place to grow up and grow old in. #Lab21
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He then spoke of his mother's illness and praised the work of the National Health Service (NHS).
Starmer was then interrupted by members of the audience who stood up and shouted during his speech, which he dismissed by saying: "Slogans or changing lives? We can chant all day."
Heckles getting louder so Starmer addresses it: “Shouting slogans or changing lives?”
— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) September 29, 2021
The group of hecklers hold up red pages pic.twitter.com/qJIkvMWLY8
Addressing the state of the criminal justice system in Britain, Starmer said that under his leadership "the fight against crime will always be a Labour issue".
He vowed to strengthen legal protection for the victims of crime and fast-track rape and serious sexual assault cases, as well as toughen sentences for rapists, stalkers and domestic abusers.
"We will not walk around the problem we will fix it," Starmer said.
Starmer called his opponent, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a trickster who has performed one trick, which was Brexit, having no further plan.
“I don’t think Boris Johnson is a bad man. I think he is a trivial man. A showman with nothing left to show.”
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a news conference in London
© REUTERS / POOL / Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a news conference in London
Healthcare
The NHS needs more money and the Labour government will always fund it properly, the Labour leader vowed.
“We would shift the priority in the NHS away from emergency care towards prevention,” Starmer said.
A mental health pledge by Starmer focused on providing access to support for those in need.
"We’ll recruit the mental health staff that we need. Over 8,500 more mental health professionals supporting a million more people every year. Under Labour, spending on mental health will never be allowed to fall. And we’ll make sure children and young people get early help by ensuring every school has specialist support and every community has an open access mental health hub."
Education
Starmer said that under his leadership, education in the UK "will recover".
The audience welcomed the promise "most ambitious school improvement plan in a generation" and thousand of new teachers.
"We want every child to get the chance to play competitive sport and play an instrument," he says. "When I was at school, I had music lessons with Fat Boy Slim; I can’t promise that for everyone - not even in Brighton!"
Labour will reinstate two weeks of compulsory work experience and we will guarantee that every young person gets to see a careers advisor, Starmer promised.
Business
Starmer argued that a "well paid work force of skilled people in high class work protected by trade unions is good business".
He also argued that an effective government would not only "get Brexit done" but also "make Brexit work".
"I do see a way forward after Brexit if we invest in our people and our places, if we deploy our technology cleverly and if we build the affordable homes we so desperately need. But the public finances we will inherit will need serious repair work. I take the responsibility of spending your money very seriously."
Labour's approach to taxation will be governed by three principles: the greater part of the burden should not fall on working people, the balance between smaller and larger businesses should be fair and working people paying their taxes always getting value for money.
Climate Change
Starmer called for immediate action to address the climate change issue.
"This urgency is why Labour will bring forward a Green New Deal. Our Green New Deal will include a Climate Investment Pledge to put us back on track to cut the substantial majority of emissions this decade," he told the conference.
He criticised the Conservatives for botching up the plans inherited from Labour, namely, to make every new home zero carbon.
"They scrapped them and now we have a crisis in energy prices emissions from homes have increased and we have the least energy-efficient housing in Europe."
Starmer also pledged to introduce a Clean Air Act "and everything we do in government will have to meet a 'net zero' test to ensure that the prosperity we enjoy does not come at the cost of the climate".
This pledge would mean upgrading 19 million homes in a decade, requiring £6bn annual investment.
Addressing Labour’s defeat in 2019 general election, Starmer assured the conference that the party could win the next vote.
"This government can’t keep the fuel flowing, it can’t keep the shelves stocked and you’ve seen what happens when Boris Johnson wants more money - he goes straight for the wallets of working people. Labour is the party that is on the side of working people.”
