Proper news from Britain - News from Britain you won’t find anywhere else. Not the tosh the big media force-feed you every day!
By JAMIE BULLEN, LIVE COVERAGE EDITOR and SAM CHISHOLM and JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR and DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR and GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT and OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER
Updated:
Nigel Farage has shot back at Sir Keir Starmer after the Prime Minister declared the Reform leader does not like Britain.
Mr Farage said he believed Sir Keir was 'unfit' to lead the country as he claimed the leader's conference speech could 'directly threaten' his party's officials and campaigners
It comes after the Prime Minister accused Reform of wanting to turn Britain into a 'competition of victims' as he insisted he was sick of taking 'lectures' from people who 'talk the country down'.
He added the country was at a 'fork in the road' and faces a 'defining' choice between 'decency and division'.
Watch Day 3:
Follow live updates from the Labour Party conference below
Chancellor 'won't say whether she will ditch two-child benefit cap'
By Olivia Christie
Rachel Reeves has declined to say whether she was planning to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Asked about reports she would do so at the Budget, the Chancellor told a fringe event at the Labour conference: 'Keir said in his speech today that we will reduce child poverty in this Parliament, but we will set out the policies in the Budget.
'I think we've been pretty clear this week that we can't commit to policies without us explaining where the money is coming from."
Adding that there were 'real financial constraints' due to persistent inflation, tariffs, global conflicts and increased borrowing costs - along with expected changes to OBR forecasts - she said: 'I would be the first person to want to find some money down the back of the sofa to pay for lots of different things.
'But I have to be Chancellor in the world as it is, not in the world as I might like it to be.'
By Olivia Christie
David Lammy bizarrely accused Nigel Farage of having once 'flirted with the Hitler Youth' today amid a deepening racism row between Labour and Reform.
The Deputy Prime Minister went on live television to lash out at Mr Farage, after PM Keir Starmer used his main conference speech to hammer the opposition party.
Mr Lammy, who only became Sir Keir's number two earlier this month, was asked if he believed Mr Farage was a racist.
Read the full story below:
Scottish and Welsh nationalists criticise PM's speech
By Olivia Christie
The SNP's leader in Westminster, Stephen Flynn dismissed Sir Keir Starmer's speech today.
He said the Prime Minister completely failed to address the fact that Labour had promised change, but instead caused more 'chaos'.
Meanwhile, Liz Saville Roberts, who leads Plaid Cymru at Westminster, said Sir Keir was living in fantasy land.
Labour has 'reclaimed' the Union flag: Rachel Reeves
By Olivia Christie
Sir Keir Starmer's speech saw Labour 'reclaiming' the Union flag, Rachel Reeves has said.
Asked about the flags being waved by the audience in the conference hall, the Chancellor told a fringe event: 'What was really good about today was we were sort of reclaiming it for our values.
'I'm really proud of our country, I think this is, honestly, the best country in the world.
'I love this country, but we should be proud of the flag, it does represent our country.'
She added: 'I don't want that flag to be sort of co-opted by the far right.'
by Dan Hodges
It was easily Keir Starmer’s best speech since his election as Prime Minister. Passionate. Articulate. Uncompromising.
‘We could choose decency, or we could choose division, renewal or decline, a country proud of its values, in control of its future, or one that succumbs against the grain of our history to the politics of grievance.
'It is a test, a fight for the soul of our country, every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war,’ he boldly declared.
But it was significant for another reason. It was almost certainly his final conference speech as Labour leader and Prime Minister.
Read the full comment piece by Dan Hodges here:
Owen Jones kicked out of Labour conference
Owen Jones has been kicked out of the Labour Party conference due to 'concerns over safeguarding'.
The left-wing activist accused Labour of 'Trumpian behaviour' and said he had never had his pass taken away before.
Mr Jones arrived at the venue in Liverpool yesterday to carry out filming before hearing just before midday today that he was no longer welcome.
He wrote on X: 'Labour has cancelled my Conference Pass. Absolutely pathetic, Trumpian behaviour. They are here suggesting that attempts to question Cabinet members and MPs about Britain facilitating Israel's genocide is a ''safeguarding issue''.
'This is clearly insane. I've been filming videos at Labour and Tory Conference for a decade now. This involves trying to get ministers to answer questions which - unfortunately! - most media outlets refuse to ask. After countless videos, this is the first time my pass has been revoked.'
Explaining its decision in an email to Mr Jones - who recently endorsed Green Party leader Zack Polanski - Labour insisted it was taken 'with everyone's wellbeing in mind'.
Starmer dumps Tony Blair's target of sending half of schoolchildren to university
Keir Starmer dropped Labour's Tony Blair-era drive to get half of all schoolchildren into university today, branding it outdated.
The Prime Minister used his speech to the party conference to alter course and get more students into 'gold-plated' apprenticeships.
Twenty six years after Mr Blair laid out the target at Labour conference, and six years after it was finally realised under the Tories, Sir Keir insisted it was said it was 'not right for our times'.
Instead he said Labour wanted two-thirds of children to either go to uni or get an apprenticeship, saying the latter needed to be more respected by the country.
Mr Blair unveiled the move in Bournemouth in 1999 to stop teens dropping out of education at 16, saying: 'Why, if education is the key to success, do we allow so many children to leave school at 16 when we should be doing all we can to get them to stay on?'
But in the intervening quarter century concerns have grown about the quality of some courses, with universities accused of setting them up for financial reasons.
POLL: Starmer claims Farage 'doesn't like Britain' - is he right?
Sir Keir Starmer said today that Nigel Farage 'doesn't like Britain' and 'doesn't believe in Britain' as he tries to fight back against the threat posed by Reform UK.
The Prime Minister told Labour's party conference in Liverpool that the UK faced a 'defining choice' for its future and was a 'fight for the soul of our country'.
Sir Keir and his ministers have ramped up their rhetoric against Mr Farage in recent days, but Labour is trailing Reform in the polls and his leadership faces questions.
The Prime Minister said today: 'We can all see these snake oil merchants, on the right, on the left, but be in no doubt, conference, none of them have any interest in national renewal, because decline is good for their business. When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about Britain's future? He can't.
'He doesn't like Britain, doesn't believe in Britain, wants you to doubt it as much as he does. And so he resorts to grievance. They all do it. They want to turn this country, this proud, self-reliant country, into a competition of victims.'
But do you agree with Sir Keir that Mr Farage 'doesn't like Britain'? Vote in our poll here:
Kemi Badenoch responds to Starmer's speech
Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister had “all but confirmed” that taxes would increase at the Budget in November.
The Conservative leader said:
Keir Starmer has all but confirmed that tax rises are coming. The Prime Minister could have used his speech to own up to the mistakes he’s made on the economy, admit the country was living beyond its means and set out a plan to avoid further punishing tax hikes this autumn, but he did not.
In Labour’s first year, inflation has doubled, economic growth has halved and unemployment has risen almost every single month. Everyone in Britain will now pay the price for Starmer’s weakness with a smaller economy and higher taxes.
Watch: Nigel Farage hits back at Keir Starmer
Nigel Farage has issued a response to Keir Starmer's leader's speech, saying the Labour conference was an 'obsessive' and 'constant' attack on him.
He says Starmer and his cabinet have 'descended into the gutter' because they 'can't beat' Reform on their arguments.
He says the speech will also 'directly threaten' the safety of Reform officials and campaigners and said he used to regard Starmer as a decent man.
He says: 'I now believe he is unfit to be the Prime Minister of this country'.
Watch below:
David Lammy accuses Nigel Farage of having 'brass neck' over violence claims
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has said Nigel Farage has a 'brass neck' for accusing Labour of inciting violence against his party.
The Reform UK leader is expected to make the claim in response to Sir Keir Starmer’s speech.
Asked about it, Mr Lammy told the BBC:
I think he’s got a bit of a brass neck, hasn’t he, Nigel Farage?
This story goes back a long way. This is calling out his policies, his policies that would line people up who have a right to be in this country, who might be Indian, who might be Nigerian, and send them home. It’s not British. It doesn’t respect our values. And Keir Starmer was very articulate about that.
Asked whether he thought Mr Farage was a racist, Mr Lammy stressed that his policies were racist.
I’m not going to play the man. I’m playing the ball, as our leader did. I will leave it for the public to come to their own judgments about someone who once flirted with Hitler Youth when he was younger.
WATCH: Keir Starmer to give leader's speech at Labour conference
By Sam Chisholm
Lib Dems welcome Starmer's attack on Nigel Farage
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has welcomed Keir Starmer's attacks on Nigel Farage following the Prime Minister's speech.
Sir Ed said he hoped the remarks would mark the end of Labour 'parroting' and 'copying' Reform.
Watch: Starmer embraces wife after conference speech
Here's the moment Keir Starmer kissed his wife Victoria following his leader's speech in Liverpool.
See the moment below:
Starmer lays down battle lines with Reform in closing remarks
Sir Keir Starmer tells the conference he will 'fight with every breath' for what he described as a 'tolerant, decent and respectful' Britain as he laid down the battle lines with Reform.
In his final remarks, the Prime Minister joked if anyone can remember the Conservatives.
People say a nation like ours can’t be a community, that it’s too diverse, too divided. I reject that. That goes against everything I stand for, everything I’ve served, everything I understand about this great country I love.
No matter how many people tell me it can’t be done, I believe Britain can come together. We can pursue a shared destination.
Starmer - Trade deals show Britain is back on world stage
Sir Keir Starmer declares Britain is back on the world stage as he talked up trade deals with India, the US and Europe.
Sir Keir Starmer says:
Look at the investment – tech companies queuing up to back this country, saying that we are indispensable for the AI (artificial intelligence) future. Those companies can invest anywhere in the world, but they are choosing us.
They’re choosing Hartlepool, Warrington, Belfast, the East Midlands. Is that broken Britain, conference?
Those three trade deals we struck – with India, with the US, with our fellow Europeans – a signal to the world that Britain is back, that stability has returned. Is that broken Britain, conference?
Delegates in the Labour Party conference hall in Liverpool shouted back: 'No.'
Starmer - I acknowledge temptation of unfunded spending
Sir Keir Starmer insists his Government will not indulge in unfunded tax cuts or unfunded spending in a 'desire to avoid reality'.
He warns Labour cannot govern if it can't control the public finances.
I acknowledge the temptation. You see it all around the world, a desire to avoid reality, to neglect the long-term, cast off the constraints and indulge in ideological fantasy. That’s what happened with Liz Truss.
But it does not matter if it’s unfunded tax cuts or unfunded spending, the result is the same. You lose control of the economy and working people pay the price.
Starmer labels Reform the 'enemy' over party's immigration plans
Anyone who argues that people living in Britain for generations should be deported is an 'enemy of national renewal', Sir Keir Starmer tells conference.
Resuming his attacks on Nigel Farage, the Prime Minister has criticised Reform's plan to scrap indefinite leave to remain which he branded a 'racist' policy.
If you say or imply that people cannot be English or British because of the colour of their skin, that mixed-heritage families owe you an explanation, that people who have lived here for generations, raised their children here, built lives here – working in our schools, our hospitals, running businesses – our neighbours, if you say they should now be deported, then mark my words, we will fight you with everything we have because you are an enemy of national renewal.
Starmer reiterates promise to 'smash the gangs' and crack down on illegal working
Sir Keir Starmer reiterates his pre-election promise to 'smash the gangs' and crack down on illegal working as he turns to immigration in his speech.
The Prime Minister says granting asylum for people fleeing persecution is the mark of a 'decent, compassionate country'.
He adds the public’s desire for secure borders was 'a reasonable demand'.
There’s nothing compassionate or progressive in a vile trade that loads people into overcrowded boats, puts them in grave danger in the channel and ultimately exploits human desperation and hope.
So, mark my words, we will stop this. We will smash the gangs. We will crack down on illegal working, we will remove people with no right to be here and we will secure Britain’s borders.
Starmer - 'Let's fly our flags - they belong to all of us'
Keir Starmer says 'let's fly our flags' as he insisted Labour will unite Britain against all 'dividers'.
The Prime Minister said he was proud of the Scottish Saltire and Welsh Dragon although joked he wouldn't want Scotland or Wales to beat England at football.
He tells the conference:
Four different nations, yes, but four nations that time and again have been through the fire, together, built so much, together. A country forged by the solidarity of working people.
So, let’s fly all our flags, conference, because they are our flags. They belong to all of us and we will never surrender them. And let’s unite our country behind them, because this is no time for dividers.
Labour scrap target of seeing 50% of young people go to university
Labour will aim to see two-thirds of children go to university or do a 'gold standard apprenticeship', Sir Keir Starmer has said, scrapping a previous target for 50% to do a degree.
The Prime Minister tells the Labour party conference:
Some politicians say, ‘I want every child to have the same opportunities that I had’. You hear a lot of that in Westminster, but that’s not me, though.
What I want is a Britain where people are treated with the dignity that they deserve for making different choices. Choices our country needs, choices we should value, choices that deserve our respect.
And so, conference, while you will never hear me denigrate the aspiration to go to university, I don’t think the way we currently measure success in education – that ambition to get 50% of kids to uni – I don’t think that’s right for our times, because if you’re a kid or a parent of a kid who chooses an apprenticeship, what does it say to you? Do we genuinely as a country afford them the same respect?
Top story: Farage doesn't like Britain, claims Starmer in attack on 'snake oil salesman'
Keir Starmer warned Britain faces a 'defining' choice between himself and 'snake oil merchant' Nigel Farage today as he desperately tries to stabilise his teetering leadership.
The PM, who was introduced by Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall, used his keynote speech to party conference in Liverpool to talk up the threat posed by Reform.
Arguing that the UK 'stands at a fork in the road' and can move towards 'decency or division', he urged Labour to 'fight' against the 'path of decline'.
He claimed that Mr Farage would say anything to get elected, adding: 'When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about Britain? He can't. He doesn't like Britain.'
Read more here:
Starmer aims to invest more outside London and the South East
Sir Keir Starmer says the Government should invest more outside London and the South East as he promised 'investment over austerity'.
He said there were 'difficult decisions on taxation' at the last Budget in order to 'rebuild our public services'.
The Prime Minister tells the Labour conference he has chosen to 'confront the cottage industry of blockers that strangle a thriving private sector'.
You can choose to challenge the outdated dogma – say with one clear voice that public investment does not crowd out the private. We should invest more outside of London and the South East … a more secure labour market with stronger worker rights that will be better for productivity.
And, conference, you can choose to rebuild our public service, choose investment over austerity. That’s the choice we made at the last Budget.
Starmer says growth is 'defining mission' of his Government
Sir Keir Starmer describes economic growth as the 'antidote to division' as he continues his pitch for 'national renewal'.
He tells delegates and activists:
So much of it comes back to economic growth. In fact, I’ll say it now, so there’s no doubt: The defining mission of this Government is to grow the economy, improve living standards and change the way we create wealth.
Sir Keir later adds:
Growth is the pound in your pocket, it is more money for trips, meals out, the little things that bring joy to our lives, the peace of mind that comes from economic security. But it is also the antidote to division – that’s the most important aspect of national renewal.
'We placed too much faith in globalisation'
Britain placed 'too much faith' in globalisation and needs to become more 'muscular', Sir Keir Starmer tells the conference.
The Prime Minister accuses the country of being 'complacent' after the 2008 financial crash and says Labour must never find itself 'defending a status quo that manifestly failed working people'.
That’s what I say to people who think it would be ‘nice’ if we could just go back to politics before Brexit or the crash.
And this does go back that far, conference. The global financial crisis is when we were exposed, when a new Britain should have been born.
Complacent. That’s the only way to describe it – complacent. We placed too much faith in globalisation.
Starmer welcomes Trump's peace plan for Gaza
The Prime Minister says he welcomes the latest US-backed plan for peace in Gaza announced by Donald Trump last night.
He tells conference:
I welcome the new US initiative to bring peace to the Middle East. I strongly support efforts to end the fighting, release every hostage and urgently scale up aid into Gaza.
All sides must now come together to bring this initiative into reality, because we must restart the hope of a two-state solution, a safe and secure Israel alongside the long-promised Palestinian state, a state that this country now recognises.
Starmer - Nigel Farage doesn't like Britain
Sir Keir Starmer says Nigel Farage 'doesn’t like Britain' and 'doesn’t believe in Britain' as he unleashed his attack on the Reform leader.
He told conference:
We can all see these snake oil merchants, on the right, on the left, but be in no doubt, conference, none of them have any interest in national renewal, because decline is good for their business. When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about Britain’s future?
He can’t. He doesn’t like Britain, doesn’t believe in Britain, wants you to doubt it as much as he does. And so he resorts to grievance. They all do it. They want to turn this country, this proud, self-reliant country, into a competition of victims.
Starmer warns Britain faces 'defining' choice on 'decency or division'
Sir Keir Starmer has warned Britain faces a 'defining' choice between 'decency or division' as he described dragging the country 'out of decline' as an 'urgent task'.
Government and working people, working together to drag us out of decline – building a new Britain.
Now, it’s an urgent task. We can all see the country faces a choice – a defining choice.
Britain stands at a fork in the road. We could choose decency or we could choose division. Renewal or decline.
Watch: Margaret Aspinall Live at Labour Conference
By Sam Chisholm
'Injustice has no place to hide': Starmer praises Hillsborough campaigners
The Prime Minister began his conference speech by paying tribute to the families who had campaigned for the Hillsborough Law.
This party was founded to hear working-class people like that, to look directly into the eyes of their suffering, even when the state turns its back.
And so the Hillsborough Law, it’s not just a promise delivered, it’s also a recognition that whether it’s Hillsborough, Grenfell, Windrush, Horizon, the grooming gangs, infected blood and more, the British state has consistently refused to see injustice because of who the victims are.
Because they are working-class, they’re black, they’re women and girls.
I can never undo the pain for you and all the other families, but we can show that in the Britain we are building, the state will see, the state will listen, the state will be accountable to working people, because now injustice has no place to hide.
Keir Starmer about to give conference speech
Sir Keir Starmer has joined the stage at the Labour Party conference to give his leader's speech.
The Prime Minister hugged Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall who introduced him to the audience.
Farage to criticise Starmer over Reform's 'racist' immigration plans
Nigel Farage is expected to criticise Sir Keir Starmer for calling his immigration policy racist in a live broadcast immediately after the Prime Minister’s speech to the Labour Party conference.
The Reform UK leader will say Sir Keir’s comments have put his party’s candidates and activists at risk and declare him “wholly unfit to be Prime Minister”, The Times has reported.
A party official told the newspaper: 'Labour have threatened the safety of Reform councillors and campaigners across the country.'
Andy Burnham leaves Labour conference before Starmer's speech
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has been pictured leaving the Labour conference just minutes before Sir Keir Starmer's speech in Liverpool.
Mr Burnham has been criticised by Labour MPs after revealing he had been encouraged to mount a leadership challenge against the Prime Minister.
WATCH: Keir Starmer to give leader's speech at Labour conference
Here's our live stream of Sir Keir Starmer's leader speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool:
'I think that was ill-advised': Labour deputy leader frontrunners embroiled in war of words
Lucy Powell has criticised her deputy leadership rival Bridget Phillipson on social media.
Ms Powell has hit out at a suggestion that voting for her could mean more “distractions, infighting and noise”.
The former Commons leader was asked about a post on X by the Education Secretary which said 'the choice is clear' between 'Labour’s heart and soul in government with me as deputy leader' or 'more distractions, infighting and noise.'
Ms Powell told an event on the fringes of Labour conference:
I think that was quite an ill-advised post of hers to be honest. Look, debate is not dissent. I think it’s perfectly reasonable, and actually one of the reasons I stood in this contest – people want to have a debate about whether we can be better than we are currently being.
If people think everything’s going great and swimmingly, don’t vote for me.
Pictured: Keir Starmer arrives to give conference speech
This is the moment Keir Starmer arrived at the Labour conference to give his leader's speech.
Joined by his wife Victoria, the Prime Minister will address the conference in Liverpool at 2pm.
Exclusive:Cabinet ministers fear Starmer is too BORING to revive Labour's electoral hopes
Keir Starmer is facing pressure from within his own Cabinet to become more exciting to win back Labour voters.
The Prime Minister is under fire over his stolid leadership at a time when the party is trailing Reform and Sir Keir himself faces a crisis of popularity.
One poll this week, as Labour holds its annual conference in Liverpool, put satisfaction with the PM at a historic low for any leader of the UK.
The threat from Reform, and warning shots from figures within Labour like Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, have prompted Starmer loyalists in his top team to demand he light a fire under his premiership.
They want him to get on the front foot by being louder about the positives from Labour's first 15 months.
One Cabinet minister told the Mail the PM needed to boost his messaging on things like wage growth, adding: 'In the digital era you do need a leader who is a bit distinctive. In the US people follow Trump rather than the Republican Party.
they said: 'That's not really what Keir is good at. He's not going to be an exciting character. You need to get out there and be willing to take chances.'
Watch: Streeting calls for Rayner's return to frontbench
Wes Streeting today urged Angela Rayner to make a stunning return to Labour's top team as he told party members: 'We need her back.'
The Health Secretary received a standing ovation at Labour's conference in Liverpool as he lavished praised on the recently-resigned deputy prime minister.
'We want her back,' Mr Streeting said in a speech from the main stage on Tuesday, which came less than a month after Ms Rayner quit amid a furious tax row.
As he outlined a £500million investment for the first ever 'fair pay agreement' for care worker pay, Mr Streeting hailed the contribution of Ms Rayner.
Wes Streeting - Healthcare to see 'centuries worth' of change in next decade
Wes Streeting tells the Labour conference the next decade will bring 'centuries worth' of change in healthcare.
The Health Secretary said:
The next 10 years won’t just bring a decade’s worth of change in healthcare, it will bring centuries worth. Medicine is being transformed before our eyes. We now have genetic tests that can predict a child’s risk of illness before they ever fall sick.
We’re on the brink of vaccines that could one day cure cancer. Weight loss jabs could help us finally defeat obesity. And this isn’t just a medical revolution, it’s an industrial revolution, a technological revolution, one that will shape the next century of jobs, industry and public health.
'We need her back': Wes Streeting calls for Angela Rayner's to return to Government
Wes Streeting has called for the former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner to return to the Labour frontbench, telling the conference, 'we need her back'.
Ms Rayner resigned from her jobs as housing secretary, deputy PM and deputy leader after an ethics probe found she breached the ministerial code.
Praising her impact on care workers, Mr Streeting said:
There's someone else who's made a real difference to who understands the struggle care workers face because she was one. She brought that experience to the cabinet table as the care worker who became our country's deputy prime minister.
Angela Rayner, this achievement is yours. Thank you. We need her back. In conference. I say this to you now. And for every family, every carer, every older and disabled person watching.
Streeting vows to send Farage 'packing' at next election
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has promised to send Nigel Farage 'packing' at the next election as he highlighted how Reform policies are making NHS staff 'fearful'.
Mr Streeting said he received a letter from a Great Ormond Street Hospital consultant who told him he was considering leaving the country over Nigel Farage's stance on health.
He wrote, ‘please use your office to ensure that those who have made their lives here in good faith can continue to care for patients without fear’.
So as our country’s Health and Social Care Secretary. Let me address him and his colleagues directly. Thank you. Thank you for your service. Farage says, ‘go home’. We say ‘you are home’.
I’ve got your back. We’ve got your back, and at the next election, we’ll send Farage packing.
Wes Streeting - 'Moneybags' Farage wants to replace NHS with insurance system
Wes Streeting has said Nigel Farage wants to replace the NHS with an insurance system.
Our country is being confronted with choices about who we are and what we stand for, and nowhere do those choices come together more starkly than our National Health Service. The founding principles of the NHS are now contested for the first time in generations.
Farage wants to replace the NHS with an insurance system. His vision for healthcare is a system that checks your pockets before your pulse and ask for your credit card before your care.
Well, it might be right for Mr Moneybags. We know he can afford it, but what about those who can’t? We should know by now that man is a con artist posing as the voice of the people whilst working for the interests of the powerful.
Wes Streeting - Nigel Farage is the 'snake oil salesman of British politics'
Launching into an attack on Nigel Farage, Wes Streeting has branded the Reform leader the 'snake oil salesman of British politics'.
He said an appearance by doctor Aseem Malhotra, who suggested that Covid vaccines were linked to cancers in the Royal Family, showed Farage is 'anti-science, anti-reason, anti-health.'
After telling the conference he heard from one doctor who told him he was considering leaving the country in the event of a Reform Government, Streeting says Labour will send Farage 'packing' at the next election.
Nigel Farage is a snake oil salesman of British politics, and it’s time to stop buying what he’s selling.
Wes Streeting addresses Labour Party conference
The Health Secretary is now on stage in Liverpool giving his speech.
Streeting keen to press ahead with puberty blocker trial
Wes Streeting said he wants to get a trial into puberty blockers 'as soon as possible'.
Plans for one were announced last year following the publication of the Cass Review which concluded the quality of studies claiming to show beneficial effects of such medication for children and young people with gender dysphoria was 'poor'.
Puberty blockers are not prescribed on the NHS to children for the treatment of gender dysphoria, after a ban last year was made permanent in December with the agreement of devolved governments across the UK.
No patients have yet been recruited to the trial while ethical and regulatory approval is awaited.
Some organisations have said the trial should not take place at all, branding it 'unethical and a breach of human-rights principles to treat young people’s mental distress with major, unproven physical interventions'.
In an interview ahead of his speech in Liverpool, Mr Streeting responded when asked for an update on the trial: 'We are currently working to get the trial on puberty blockers up and running.'
Exclusive:Wes Streeting vetoes Treasury VAT raid on private health
Wes Streeting today dramatically vetoed a Treasury VAT raid on private healthcare as Rachel Reeves struggles for ways of raising cash.
The Health Secretary moved to crush the idea being mooted within government amid fears it would have hit eight million families.
Speculation is swirling over how the Chancellor will fill an estimated £30billion hole in the public finances, after she ditched her pledge not to raise taxes again, saying 'the world has changed'.
The PM's Chief Secretary Darren Jones refused to rule out increasing VAT in the Budget yesterday, despite a manifesto commitment to keep it at the same level.
Whitehall sources told the Daily Mail that the Treasury was examining options for adding VAT to services that are currently exempt – with private healthcare and financial services said to be in the firing line.
Putting VAT on private healthcare could raise £2billion for the Treasury, but would hit up to eight million middle-class families.
Asked whether the raid was a good idea during a round of interviews at Labour conference in Liverpool this morning, Mr Streeting said bluntly: 'No, and the government won't be doing it.'
Graphic: Starmer is least popular PM on record
New polling reveals Sir Keir Starmer has become the least popular Prime Minister on record, with a net satisfaction rating of -66.
Only 13 per cent of voters are satisfied with Prime Minister, the fewest of any leader since 1970s.
Here is the Ipsos survey below:
Darren Jones - Starmer will 'rise above' Labour gossip
Darren Jones rejected Andy Burnham’s claim that there was a 'climate of fear' in Labour.
Jones said Sir Keir will 'rise above' gossip to speak directly to the nation later today.
Asked whether he agreed with the Greater Manchester ,ayor’s assessment, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister said:
No, and I don’t really understand why he said that… I just don’t recognise that in the slightest.
Asked whether his interventions had galvanised the Prime Minister, he said:
Look, Keir’s the Prime Minister. He’s absolutely focused on the country and his speech to the country today.
There’s always gossip and league tables and who’s up and who’s down… but the Prime Minister has to rise above that and talk to the country, and that’s what the Prime Minister has been doing.
Darren Jones - Starmer wants to speed up Government 'slow machine'
Darren Jones suggested his move to the new role of Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister was to speed up delivery amid a sense the Government is 'too slow.'
Asked whether the changes Sir Keir had made to his team came from a frustration that delivery was proving harder than expected, he told a Labour conference fringe event: 'Yeah, and the machine is too slow. It still is too slow, we’ve got to fix it.'
He said progress was too 'sluggish' and the Government would be looking at introducing more measures like taskforces, as 'timebound' projects to speed up delivery.
Mr Jones, who is also Chancellor to the Duchy of Lancaster, also revealed the Prime Minister had moved back the No 10 morning meeting by 15 minutes so that he could drop his children off at breakfast club and do the morning run.
Mr Jones, a former solicitor, said the Prime Minister, a former barrister, addresses problems 'like a lawyer'.
Referring to their previous roles, he joked:
In the old days that would mean I instruct him, not the other way round.
Wes Streeting suggests Nigel Farage is 'racist'
Wes Streeting waded into the Nigel Farage 'racism' row today despite a Labour backlash.
The Health Secretary pointed to Reform leaflets targeting Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, suggesting he would 'prioritise the interests of the Pakistani community'.
'If Nigel Farage allows that to go out from his party, what does that make him?' Mr Streeting told Times Radio.
Mr Farage has dismissed Keir Starmer's claim that Reform's immigration plans are 'racist', branding it an insult to the British public and evidence the PM is panicking about the polls.
Deep divisions have emerged at the top of Labour over the attack with Sadiq Khan insisting he would not use the 'really loaded word' about Reform.
Hilary Benn - Reform 'reckless' over threat to leave ECHR
Reform's efforts to walk away from the European Convention on Human Rights are 'wrong' and 'reckless', the Northern Ireland Secretary has warned.
Hilary Benn said the Good Friday Agreement enabled Northern Ireland to move away from the 'bloody and brutal trauma of the Troubles' to 'peace and progress'.
Mr Benn continued:
It was, without doubt, the greatest achievement of the last Labour government. It took courage. It took patient negotiation, and yet, what does Nigel Farage want to do?
He actually wants to undermine the Good Friday Agreement by walking away from the European Convention on Human Rights. And after all that the people of Northern Ireland have been through, I cannot think of anything more irresponsible – it’s wrong, it’s reckless, and we’ve got to make sure it never, ever happens.
Watch: Andy Burnham denies launching leadership challenge against Starmer
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham last night denied launching a leadership challenge to Keir Starmer in a much needed boost for the Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham appeared in full retreat as he offered his backing to Sir Keir despite fuelling speculation he was poised to mount a bid to oust him from Downing Street.
In the days prior to Labour's conference in Liverpool this week, Mr Burnham had suggested unhappy MPs were privately urging him to challenge the PM.
He then issued a fresh outburst against Sir Keir's leadership in a fiery speech at a conference fringe event on Sunday night.
But - despite leaving the door open for a future leadership bid - Mr Burnham seemed to be backing away on Monday following a backlash against his posturing.
Asked at a conference fringe event if he thought Sir Keir was the right man to be Labour leader and PM, Mr Burnham replied: 'Yes.'
Starmer set to unveil radical NHS shake-up through 'online hospital'
Sir Keir Starmer will today unveil a radical plan for an 'online hospital' to help tackle record NHS waiting lists.
The Prime Minister will use his conference speech to promise 8.5 million extra appointments in the first three years of the scheme, which begins in 2027.
Dubbed NHS Online, the service will connect patients to specialist doctors via the existing NHS App.
It is designed to give people the choice of digital consultations from home – freeing up hospitals for those who need in-person care.
In his speech Sir Keir will announce: 'A new world is coming. In decades to come, I want people to look back on this moment as the moment we renewed the NHS for a new world.'
Patients using the service will be able to order and track prescriptions, book scans and tests, and get clinical advice without visiting a hospital.
Those needing procedures will be referred directly to the nearest hospital, surgical hub or diagnostic centre.
Labour activists warned to be 'vigilant' ahead of PM's speech
Labour activists and delegates in Liverpool have been urged to be 'vigilant' by the party’s conference arrangements committee chairwoman, ahead of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s speech.
Lynne Morris made the announcement as she opened the third day of the Labour Party conference on Tuesday, and following a one-man pro-Palestine protest during Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s speech on Monday.
In order to deliver a safe conference, we would ask you to be vigilant and to report any concerns you have to a member of staff or steward immediately.
If there is someone sitting with you in your delegation or in a seat near to you that you do not recognise, or that are concerned about in any way, please inform the regional, Scottish or Welsh teams.
Only delegates and those with tickets, which includes several journalists, will be let into the hall for Sir Keir’s address, Ms Morris said.
Left's fury as Starmer backs Tony Blair to help run Gaza in extraordinary Trump 'peace plan'
Keir Starmer faces a new revolt from left-wingers today after they voiced fury at Donald Trump's extraordinary peace plan for Tony Blair to help run Gaza.
The US president named the ex-PM as a member of a new board that would run the territory if a ceasefire can be achieved between Israel and Hamas.
Starmer has given 'strong support' to the blueprint, unveiled by Mr Trump at a press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu.
Wes Streeting backed Sir Tony involvement touring broadcast studios at Labour conference in Liverpool this morning.
But there is disquiet in party ranks about the prospect, after activists endorsed a motion yesterday condemning Israel's 'genocide'.
Read more here:
Wes Streeting backs Starmer to silence his critics
By Jamie Bullen
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has backed Keir Starmer to silence his critics in his leader's speech later today.
Mr Streeting told the PA news agency:
I actually think this Labour conference has been really important for the party and for the Government. I feel like we’ve got a spring in our step, I think people have come together at this conference.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved in our first year as a Labour Government, but we know there’s so much more to do to rebuild our economy, rebuild our public services and rebuild trust in politics.That’s the challenge that we’re facing, that’s the fight we are up for.
Keir Starmer has confounded his critics and confounded expectations before, and he will do it again today.
Starmer to compare Labour challenge to rebuilding Britain after Second World War
By Jamie Bullen
In his speech this afternoon, Sir Keir will compare the challenge facing Labour now to Clement Attlee’s administration in 1945 as it rebuilt Britain from the ruins of the Second World War.
The Prime Minister will say:
It is a test. A fight for the soul of our country, every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war, and we must all rise to this challenge.
And yet we need to be clear that our path, the path of renewal, it’s long, it’s difficult, it requires decisions that are not cost-free or easy. Decisions that will not always be comfortable for our party.
Yet at the end of this hard road there will be a new country, a fairer country, a land of dignity and respect.
What time is Keir Starmer's speech?
By Jamie Bullen
Keir Starmer and wife Victoria in Liverpool
The Prime Minister will give his leader's address in Liverpool at 2pm.
The speech is the highlight of the third day of Labour's conference but we will hear from some Cabinet ministers beforehand.
Here's a list of the main speakers today:
10:10am Hilary Benn - Northern Ireland Secretary
10:20am Heidi Alexander - Transport Secretary
11:50am Wes Streeting - Health Secretary
Rattled Starmer to renew attack on Farage as racism row splits party
By Jamie Bullen
by Harriet Line, Deputy Political Editor
Sir Keir Starmer will today warn the country it faces a ‘defining choice’ between ‘decency and division’, as splits emerged at the top of his party over whether Reform is ‘racist’.
In his keynote speech to Labour’s conference today, the rattled Prime Minister will double down on his attacks of Nigel Farage.
Sir Keir will liken the ‘fight for the soul’ of Britain to rebuilding the country after the war, and will hint at painful tax rises to come - saying the path of renewal requires decisions that are not ‘cost-free or easy’.
Read more here:
Starmer to launch all out attack on Farage in leader's speech
By Jamie Bullen
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Labour Party conference as Keir Starmer makes his leader's speech later today in Liverpool.
The Prime Minister will be desperate to unite his fractious party as well as the country as he renews his attack on Nigel Farage and Reform.
But his speech comes in the wake of a turbulent period for his leadership and the prospect of a Budget in November which could see tax hikes and spending squeezes.
Stick with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest updates and reaction from Liverpool with our political reporters James Tapsfield, David Wilcock and Greg Heffer alongside Jamie Bullen reporting from London.
