Keir Starmer’s Labour conference speech: 7 things we learned

Keir Starmer hoped to turn Labour frowns around in his first party conference speech as Britain’s prime minister.

In a rhetoric-heavy but policy-light offering to the country, Starmer hit some familiar notes, launched an impassioned defense of his government’s gloomy outlook, and made one unfortunate gaffe.

Here are seven takeaways from the prime minister’s address to the Labour faithful in Liverpool.

1) Starmer’s still contrasting himself with the left

The Labour leader indulged in a fair bit of left-bashing, dedicating large swathes of his speech to the party wing he’s marginalized since becoming leader.

He contrasted his government with those who push “easy answers that may move a crowd,” and, when a protester tried to interrupt to speak about Gaza, Starmer had his line locked and loaded: “This guy has obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference.” That was the last Labour conference in which the party’s old boss, left-winger Jeremy Corbyn, was in charge.

2) The Starmy’s not for turning

In the most dour section of Starmer’s speech, the prime minister — who has faced charges from some in his party that he’s not offering enough optimism — said turning around Britain’s fortunes will be “hard.”

“That’s not rhetoric — it’s reality,” he said.

And, amid a battle with the left over cancelling the winter fuel allowance for Britain’s wealthier pensioners, he added: “I understand many of the decisions we must take will be unpopular. If they were popular — they’d be easy.”

However, like his Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Monday, Starmer insisted there would be no return to the austerity of the 2010s.

3) Some sunlight amid the doom and gloom

A number of references to the sunlit uplands in Starmer’s speech — and to a few policy treats for the party faithful — helped offset the stoic talk of fiscal restraint.

The Labour leader confirmed that he would, as promised last year, bring in a so-called Hillsborough law — forcing public bodies to co-operate with investigations into major incidents like the 1989 football stadium disaster — before the disaster’s next anniversary in April. He also revealed that the headquarters of GB Energy, Labour’s national energy company, will be in Aberdeen in Scotland, a bid to temper criticism that Labour is denting the oil and gas industry there with its climate policies.

He also promised housing for veterans, care leavers and victims of domestic abuse, and new “foundation apprenticeships” to eradicate youth unemployment.

4) A robust defense of the first 100 days

Starmer was keen to stress that Labour has done lots of things since it’s been in office, counter to the narrative that the government has been too focused on bashing the Conservative administration it replaced.

The Labour leader reeled off planning reforms, ending public-sector strikes, launching new solar and offshore wind projects, a shake-up of school inspections, a new Border Security Command and a National Wealth Fund as among the government’s early achievements.

“This is a long-term project; I’ve never pretended otherwise. But, conference, make no mistake: The work of change has begun.”

5) There was one big elephant in the room

Starmer didn’t engage with the multiple rows over donations and ethics that had soured the lead-in to Labour’s conference. Nor was there any word on Labour’s promised ethics and integrity commission to shake up how the conduct of politicians is policed, and only a brief reference to the government’s move to ban MPs from taking second jobs.

Starmer waxed lyrical about his love of football, however, a risky digression as he faces some disquiet for making use of the hospitality box at his beloved Arsenal.

The prime minister also sought to take on his Westminster critics directly in one punchy passage. “All those shouts and bellows, the bad-faith advice from people who hanker for the politics of noisy performance, the weak and cowardly fantasy of populism — it’s water off a duck’s back,” he said.

As for the perception that politicians aren’t in touch with the mainstream, Starmer won’t have put the matter to rest with references to his love of the flute, Brahms and Shostakovich.

6) Starmer took on the rioters

Starmer seemed most at home talking about this summer’s far-right riots, which gripped Britain in the wake of the deadly stabbing of three children at a dance class in Southport.

Labour has long struggled to talk about migration, but Starmer was at pains to draw a clear contrast between concerns about control of Britain’s borders and the far right’s peddling of inaccurate claims about the Southport suspect.

“I will never let a minority of violent, racist thugs terrorize our communities,” he said to thunderous applause.

7) Even straitlaced politicians can gaffe

In an unfortunate moment that the opposition Tories promptly brandished, Starmer called for the return of Israeli “sausages.”

In a section on the Middle East, the Labour boss misspoke — although swiftly correcting himself — as he urged calm in the Middle East.

“I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the sausages — the hostages — and a recommitment to the two-state solution, a recognized Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.”

The Conservatives duly clipped it up.