Keir Starmer

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. Conference, make no mistake, the work of change has begun But I bet you do remember the year after, Conference.

The Prime Minister has finally announced the next general election. A moment the country needs and has been waiting for. And where, by the force of our democracy, power returns to you. A chance to change for the better. Your future, your community, your country. Now it will feel like a long campaign, I’m sure of that. But no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about. Over the course of the last four years, we’ve changed. The Labour party returned once more to the service of working people. All we ask now, humbly, is to do exactly the same for our country and return Britain to the service of working people. To that purpose we offer, why you should change Britain with Labour. One, because we will stop the chaos.

Below is the full text of Keir Starmer’s essay, published by the Fabian Society, on his vision for the Labour party, ahead of his conference speech next week. The pandemic has shown that the British people are still just as resilient and compassionate as we ever were. It has also shown us what matters most - our health, the places around us and the people we love. The next Labour government will place all these things at the heart of our ambitious plans to remake Britain. But Covid-19 has also exposed the many fragilities in the ways we live, work and are governed.

In a press conference this evening, Keir Starmer has called for a two week 'circuit break' lockdown. Below is a transcript of his remarks. Good afternoon. We’re at a decisive moment in the fight against coronavirus. The figures are stark and I’m afraid they’re all heading in the wrong direction. The number of Covid cases has quadrupled in the last three weeks. Cases may be doubling as quickly as every seven to eight days. There are now more people in hospital with Covid than on 23 March when we went into national lockdown. And while the number of cases is rising more sharply in some areas it is increasing across all regions of the UK and in all age groups. We know from bitter experience and great personal loss where all this leads.