Keir Starmer was met with an eruption of applause as he listed Labour’s achievements in the last year, from expanding free school meals to ending fire and rehire practices
Keir Starmer declared be is building a Britain “for all” as he launched a blistering attack on racists who seek to divide the country.
In his major hour-long speech at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, the PM vowed to “never surrender” the flag as he urged members to wave them in a show of patriotism. He hit out at racists who want to deport people who have lived in Britain for generations, branding them the “enemy of national renewal”.
And Mr Starmer was met with an eruption of applause as he listed Labour’s achievements in the last year, from expanding free school meals to ending fire and rehire practices in workplaces. He also unveiled some big policy announcements including a new NHS Online service to ease waiting lists and a scrapping of university targets in favour of new ambitions that include apprenticeships.
The Mirror looks at some of the key points from the PM’s significant address.
READ MORE: Watch Keir Starmer speech LIVE: PM says Nigel Farage ‘doesn’t like Britain’ in blistering attack
1. PM says we’ll ‘never surrender’ flag
Keir Starmer has sought to reclaim British flags from Reform and vowed to “never surrender them”.
Welsh, English, Union Jack and Scottish flags were given out to supporters at Labour party conference in Liverpool, with the PM urging members to wave them to show they “belong to all of us”. His call came just minutes after Mr Starmer had claimed Nigel Farage “doesn’t like Britain” and “doesn’t believe in Britain”.
Encouraging the waving of flags, he said: “Britain stands at a fork in the road. But at the end of the road, there will be a new country, a land of dignity and respect. Our flags flying proudly as we celebrate difference and oppose racism.
“Let’s fly all our flags conference. Because they are flags. They belong to all of us, and we will never surrender them.”
2. PM declares: ‘A Britain built for all’
Keir Starmer was met with a massive cheer when he reeled off Labour policies and declared he is creating a “Britain built for all”.
The PM listed how Labour had taken action to boost sick pay, end fire & rehire and zero hour contracts, invest in Scotland and Wales, rebuild schools, create new train lines, secure a proper living wage and expand free school meals.
Mr Starmer admitted the Government made “difficult decisions on taxation” at the last budget in order to “choose investment over austerity” and “rebuild our public services.” He thanked businesses after the Government asked a lot of them at the last Budget – with the hike on employers’ national insurance.
He said the Government had taken “a huge step on the path of renewal”, adding: “A firmer foundation to take our country forward. More security, more respect, more opportunity – a Britain built for all.”
3. ‘Snake oil merchants’ attack on w
Keir Starmer attempted to shut down calls for a wealth tax ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s make-or-break Budget in November.
Left-wingers have been calling for the measure on the super-rich to raise billions for public services – by slapping an extra levy on assets over £10million.
But the PM dismissed the calls, saying: “All you need to do is listen to politicians who tell you there is a quick fix. Tax cuts that pay for themselves.
“A wealth tax that solves every problem. Click here for your new country. We can all see these snake oil merchants on the right, on the left. Be in no doubt none of them have.”
4. Attack on racists – ‘enemy’
Keir Starmer was met with an eruption of applause after he savaged racists who graffiti Chinese takeaways and call for our neighbours to be deported.
The PM said those who paint “graffiti telling a Chinese takeaway owner to go home, that’s not pride, that’s racism”. And he criticised those who imply that “people cannot be English or British because of the colour of their skin”.
In a powerful message, he hit out at racists who target people who have lived in Britain for generations, who work in our schools, hospitals and businesses, branding them the “enemy of national renewal”. He said: “If you say they should now be deported, then mark my words, we will fight you with everything we have.”
5. PM scraps universities target
Keir Starmer has scrapped Tony Blair’s 1999 target for 50% of young people to go to university.
The PM said the target “is not right for our time”, announcing that he will replace it with a new ambition for two-thirds of kids to go either to university or take a gold-standard apprenticeship.
He said: “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?”
6. ‘New chapter’ of NHS Online
Keir Starmer declared a new “NHS Online” will deliver “millions of appointments” digitally and open “a new chapter in the story of our NHS”.
Announcing the new service, the Prime Minister said the Government would “never” take away a face-to-face consultation “for those who want it”.
He said: “Think about a single mum juggling kids, trying to find time to speak to a specialist, or someone in their later years, living in a rural community miles from a hospital, who needs a check-up for a suspected eye condition.
“Why not have a doctor see you at home in your living room on an iPad, talking to you. No queues, no three-hour bus trip, no cancellation letters arriving after the appointment date.”
The PM said: “The system can deliver more, much more, up to 8.5 million extra appointments. Imagine what that could do to waiting times.”
7. Hillsborough law means ‘injustice can’t hide’
Keir Starmer started his speech by hailing his recently introduced Hillsborough legislation. He declared that the law, which is named after the fatal crush at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, will mean “injustice has no place to hide”.
It came after the PM’s speech was introduced by Margaret Aspinall, whose son James, 18, died at the Hillsborough tragedy. She praised Keir Starmer for keeping his promise after being let down over and over again by politicians for years over a Hillsborough law. “He kept his word,” she tells Labour members, as they erupted in applause.
Margaret said she is very grateful for the PM’s battle to ensure the Hillsborough law was not watered down. She said the bill – which was introduced to Parliament earlier this month – will mean: “If you tell lies, there’s consequences.” Under the legislation, public officials could face criminal sanctions for lying to prevent future state cover ups.
Mr Starmer said: “Margaret, I know we can never undo the pain for you and all the other families, but we can show that in the Britain that 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.”
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