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Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner looked like she was holding back tears as she took to the stage at Labour party conference.
Members rapturously welcomed her to the stage and she told them that it was “the honour of my life” to be in government.
“You entrusted us with the task of change and we will not forget it,” she said in a direct to voters.
In an optimistic speech, Ms Rayner sketched out her plans to tackle damp and mouldy homes, build more social housing, devolve more power out of Westminster and increase workers’ rights.
Her speech came after she was forced to defend the government over freebies accepted by senior ministers.
Ms Rayner told the BBC on Sunday morning that gifts and donations were “a factor in our political life”, adding: “All MPs do it”.
She said she had accepted donations to help her stand as deputy leader and that she had not broken any rules by accepting a free New York holiday stay last year from donor Lord Alli.
Speakers on Sunday will in clude foreign secretary David Lammy, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones and Leader of the Commons Lucy Powell.
The Independent’s political team will be reporting throughout the week from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
Key Points
- Analysis: Rayner gives Labour members some much needed socialist optimism
- Angela Rayner defends Labour against freebie allegations
- Sir Keir facing criticism over Spurs football freebie
- Bridget Phillipson defends 40th birthday ‘work event’ paid for by donor
- Rayner denies breaking rules over New York holiday
Full report: Angela Rayner strikes emotional chord with Labour members in tub-thumping conference speech amid gifts scandal
Angela Rayner may have floundered on the BBC this morning while talking about gifts from wealthy donors but her opening speech to the Labour conference injected some life into what was threatening to be a despondent affair.
The dark clouds gathering over Liverpool as activists arrived today seemed symbolic of a sense of foreboding about the state of the new Labour government.
The party is still less than three months on from the exhilaration of that massive election victory over the Tories.
Read the full report from our Political Editor David Maddox here:
Rayner strikes emotional chord with Labour members in tub-thumping speech
News analysis: Angela Rayner has lifted Starmer’s gloom as Labour’s conference opens in Liverpool
Alex Croft22 September 2024 13:03 1727005754David Lammy states ‘deep concern’ regarding events in West Bank at fringe event
David Lammy has expressed his concern about violence in the West Bank at a fringe event at the Labour Party conference.
The foreign secretary said he is “deeply, deeply concerned” by recent violence during Israeli raids, and has not ruled out sanctions for those involved in “escalatory behaviour”.
"I’m not announcing further sanctions today but that is kept under close review," he told a Labour Together event.
"As you would expect, I’m deeply, deeply concerned by what I’ve seen at this point in time."
Israeli troops were seen to push three apparently lifeless Palestinian bodies from rooftops during a recent raid.
Rayner promises ‘historic’ workers' legislation to be introduced next month
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports from Liverpool:
Angela Rayner has confirmed that Labour’s Employment Rights Bill, which will seek to boost wages and employment rights, will be introduced next month.
She told the Labour Party conference that “insecurity at work is the daily reality for so many”, saying the country is now “on the verge of historic legislation to make work more secure”.
The bill will include measures such as banning zero-hour contracts and outlawing fire and rehire tactics, as well as making parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal available from the first day on the job.
Speaking on the main stage at the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, to loud applause from the audience, the deputy prime minister said: “They said we couldn’t do it, some tried to stop it in its tracks.
“But after years of opposition, we are on the verge of historic legislation to make work more secure, make it more family friendly, go further and faster to close the gender pay gap, ensure rights are enforced and trade unions are strengthened.”
She added: “Conference, this is our plan to make work pay and it’s coming to a workplace near you.”
Holly Bancroft22 September 2024 12:21 1727003082Analysis: Angela Rayner gives Labour members some much needed socialist optimism
Our political editor David Maddox offers his analysis from Labour party conference:
Angela Rayner may have floundered on the BBC this morning talking about gifts and ministers being on the take from wealthy donors and friends but her opening speech to conference has injected some early life into what was threatening to be a despondent affair.
The whole event should be a celebration of a historic victory for the party but was being overshadowed by rows about Sue Gray, Lord Alli, football tickets, holidays in New York and clothes for the prime minister’s wife.
There is a concern among unions and people on the left that Starmer is also leading them to a new age of austerity after the winter fuel payments were removed from 10 million pensioners and Rachel Reeves has been getting ready to wield the axe to sort out the £22bn black hole in public finances.
So it was important that Rayner came out from the get-go with a robust, tub thumping speech.
She has delivered in spades, with joy about the victory, and a succession of much needed reforms that the left have been clamouring for - whether it be workers’ rights or renters reform or building much needed homes.
The cheers which greeted her speech certainly spoke of the way she delivered her much more optimistic message. A contract to the gloom that has been hanging over Sir Keir Starmer and evidence of the emotional chord between her and members.
Ms Rayner is speaking about her plans to give more power to mayors around the country and devolve power from Westminster.
“A new white paper will map out how we will move power out of Whitehall... Just this week I agreed eight devolution deals,” she explained.
She promised that “Northerners will no longer be dictated to from Whitehall”. She said this government will achieve devolution in the North and the change will be “irreversible”.
Holly Bancroft22 September 2024 11:58 1727002430Rayner: We will clamp down on damp and mouldy homes
Angela Rayner has spoken about her mission that all homes are decent and safe.
“When I was growing up we didn’t have a lot, but we had a safe and secure home. But today not everyone does”, Ms Rayner told the Labour conference.
Speaking about the Grenfell tragedy, she said it was a failure of market and state. “It is completely unacceptable that we have thousands of building still wrapped in dangerous cladding seven years after Grenfell”, she continued.
She has also said that she will reverse the decline of social home building. Ms Rayner said that she will “clamp down on damp and mouldy homes” by bringing in legislation to force landlords to fix faults, in social housing and private rental accommodation.
Holly Bancroft22 September 2024 11:53 1727002171‘Don’t forget what the Conservatives did’, warns Rayner
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke writes from Liverpool:
Angela Rayner urged people not to forget what the Conservative Party did in government during her main stage speech at the Labour Party conference.
Accusing the Tories of having “failed Britain” and attempting to “cover it up”, the deputy prime minister said there will be “no complacency” from the new government.
Ms Rayner, who was greeted by a standing ovation when she walked on stage, appeared to be on the verge of tears at the start of her speech.
Opening her address, she said: “I’ll try not to get too emotional. Twelve months ago, I stood here and said I’d hope to never open conference again as the deputy leader of the opposition, so it’s a great honour of my life to stand here today as your deputy prime minister.”
Ms Rayner continued: “We won because we had the courage to change our party, the discipline to make hard decisions and the determination to remain united, and now change begins.
“Even now, especially now, there will be no complacency. We’ve seen where that leads. Don’t forget what they did: Partygate, Covid contracts, the lies, division, scapegoating and the unfunded tax cuts for the richest that crashed our economy. don’t. forget any of it.
“The Tories failed Britain and they tried to cover it up.”
Emotional Angela Rayner starts speech at Labour conference
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner was emotional as she took to the stage at Labour party conference for her speech.
She looked tearful as members gave her a standing ovation, and told attendees: “It is the honour of my life to stand here today as your deputy prime minister.”
“You entrusted us with the task of change and we will not forget it,” she said in a direct to the British people.
Ms Rayner has said “there will be no complacency” for the new Labour government. “The Tories failed Britain and they tried to cover it up. A crater in the heart of Britain’s economy...and a £22bn black hole”, she said.
Labour faces ‘the worst inheritance of any incoming government in living memory’, says Ellie Reeves
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke writes from Liverpool:
Ellie Reeves has claimed that the Labour government is facing the “worst inheritance of any incoming government in living memory”.
She echoed warnings from other senior cabinet ministers that tough choices will have to be made in the coming weeks, in what is seen as an attempt to prepare the public for tax rises and cuts to public services at next month’s budget.
The chair of the Labour Party also promised the government would be the “most radical and transformation government in history.”
Speaking on the main stage of Labour conference, she said: “This is the worst inheritance of any incoming government in living memory.
“It will be hard and there will be tough choices, and if we don’t take tough choices. If we shirk our responsibility to the public finances, the British people will never forgive us.
“But do not believe the naysayers, do not fall for their tricks. In the last eleven weeks that we have been in government we have already begun the change, setting up GB Energy, establishing a child poverty task force, reform of the House of Lords, ending the ban on onshore wind, beginning work to return rail to public ownership.
“And by the end of this Parliament we will have witnessed the most radical and transformational government in history.”
Millie Cooke22 September 2024 11:27 1726999900When is Angela Rayner due to speak at Labour conference?
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is due to take to the stage at Labour conference at 11.25am.
In the first speech by a cabinet minister at the conference, Ms Rayner will focus on the government’s plans for house building.
In comments ahead of the speech, Ms Rayner said Labour have “inherited a Tory housing crisis” and that her government will take “a wave of bold action to not only build the housing our country needs and boost social and affordable housing, but to ensure all homes are decent, safe and warm”.
She will announce that the government will consult on a new Decent Homes Standard for social and private renters.
Labour will also press ahead with Tory legislation, known as Awaab’s law, which sets timescales for social landlords to remedy problems such as damp and mould.
Holly Bancroft22 September 2024 11:11 Newer1 / 5OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
