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Sir Keir Starmer will warn he is making tough decisions towards a “new Britain” and cannot offer “false hope” about the challenges ahead.
He will address Labour delegates in Liverpool on Tuesday in his first party conference speech as prime minister.
But after he privately acknowledged that he needs to lift the spirits of the nation, he will say there is “light at the end of this tunnel”.
Sir Keir is expected to announce plans for new legislation in his keynote, including a “Hillsborough Law” which will introduce a legal duty of candour on public bodies and a new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill which will see welfare fraudsters dealt with faster.
The Labour government has recently faced heavy criticism over its winter fuel allowance cut and gifts accepted by ministers.
It comes a day after chancellor Rachel Reeves was heckled during her own speech and the conference hall heard boos after a winter fuel debate was blocked.
The Independent’s political team will be reporting live throughout the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
Key Points
- Keir Starmer promises to revive UK as he dismisses ‘silly’ freebies stories
- Nurses reject Rachel Reeves’ 5.5 per cent pay rise during speech
- The Climate Resistance claims responsibility for pro-Palestine protester
- Reeves speech interrupted by pro-Palestine protester
- Reeves announces Covid corruption commissioner to tackle ‘carnival of fraud’
- Chancellor defends decision to means test winter fuel payment
The Independent View: Starmer has only a short time to get his government back on track
Labour has been rocked by a series of self-inflicted blunders. During party conference in Liverpool, the PM must act fast to set things right:
Starmer is running out of time to get his government back on track
Editorial: Labour has been rocked by a series of self-inflicted blunders. As party conference begins in Liverpool, the PM must act fast to set things right
Salma Ouaguira24 September 2024 03:00 1727141400More young people admitted to hospital for mental health problems – report
More young people in England are reaching “crisis point” and being admitted to hospital for their mental health, a report has said.
There are “significant” geographical disparities in the range of services available to young people, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) added.
A paper from the think tank, funded by charity the Prudence Trust, found that the range of services available does not appear to be related to the number of young people in an area.
It said NHS England data shows the number of young people aged 11 to 25 admitted to hospital for mental health reasons rose by a fifth to around 150,000 between 2017 and 2023.
Admission episodes rose by around a third during the same period, which suggests more young people are “reaching a crisis point and experiencing multiple admissions”, according to the report.
The study investigated the availability of non-specialist mental health services – those delivered outside NHS community mental health settings and inpatient settings – for young people.
These include drop-in services, wellbeing cafes, peer support and youth groups, and services provided through schools.
Researchers found significant geographical variation in the range of non-specialist services available to young people as well as in levels of awareness around the services that exist.
Salma Ouaguira24 September 2024 02:30 1727139600Reeves defends acceptance of £7,500 of clothing donations
Rachel Reeves has defended her acceptance of £7,500 of clothing donations from friend Juliet Rosenfeld.
She told Times Radio: “Juliet and me have been friends for a long time, and she said to me about a year-and-a-half ago ‘I want to help you in the election campaign and the thing I’d really like to do is make sure that for big events and for the campaign trail, you’re smart and well turned out’.
“I really appreciated that, she’s made a big difference to me. That’s not something that I’m going to do in government.”
She added: “I can understand that to a lot of people it looks a bit odd. I get that.”
The chancellor also defended Angela Rayner’s department’s hiring of a taxpayer-funded photographer.
She told Times Radio: “All government departments under all governments have press officers and communications budgets.
“It’s not a personal photographer.”
Reeves understands why 'people find it odd' that MPs get clothes as gifts
Rachel Reeves has admitted people might “find it odd” that Labour MPs have received clothes as gifts.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, she denied that she was gifted the suit she was wearing.
Asked if she paid for the suit she was wearing, she said: “I did, the suit is from Hobbs and I bought it and I will be wearing it for my conference speech this afternoon.
“But I understand why you asked the question, and I can understand why people find it a little bit odd that politicians get support for things like buying clothes.”
She also defended MPs or shadow ministers accepting freebies like concert or football match tickets.
The chancellor pointed out that she has been to events like the First Night of the Proms with prominent BBC figures.
In pictures: Rachel Reeves’ speech during Labour party conference in Liverpool
Tories launch parody ‘Go Fund Keir’ campaign
The Tories have launched a “Go Fund Keir” campaign to support Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour conference.
Salma Ouaguira24 September 2024 00:30 1727132400Politicians are paid enough, Rachel Reeves says
Rachel Reeves has insisted politicians are paid enough, despite an ongoing row about ministers repeatedly accepting gifts and freebies worth thousands.
“At a time when we are asking people to make sacrifices and when difficult choices are being made, I am certainly not arguing for higher salaries for politicians,” the chancellor told Sky News.
She said political parties rely on donations to fund election campaigns, with materials such as leaflets and posters paid for using donors’ funds.
But the row over freebies has gone beyond donations, with Sir Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Ms Reeves accepting thousands of pounds of donations for clothing - with Sir Keir’s wife also taking gifts to refresh her wardrobe.
Ask John Rentoul anything about Labour Party conference
The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul will be taking your questions on the Labour Party conference:
Ask John Rentoul anything about Labour conference– from winter fuel to Sue Gray
The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul will be taking your questions on the Labour Party conference
Salma Ouaguira23 September 2024 23:30 1727129385Keir Starmer promises to revive UK as he dismisses ‘silly’ freebies stories
Sir Keir Starmer will tell an “exhausted Britain” that the tough decisions he is taking for the short term are the first steps towards national renewal and higher living standards.
The prime minister will give one of the most important speeches of his political career on Tuesday as he addresses Labour delegates at the party conference in Liverpool.
Our political editor David Maddox reports:
Keir Starmer promises to revive UK as he dismisses ‘silly’ freebies stories
Keir Starmer will deliver a speech to reboot his government and inject hope, and attempt to move beyond the scandals about gifts, the internal squabbles and the accusations of being doom laden
Barney Davis23 September 2024 23:09 1727128813Reeves refuses to guarantee HS2 will reach central London
Rachel Reeves has refused to rule out ending HS2 at Old Oak Common rather than Euston, in central London.
The chancellor was asked whether, after Rishi Sunak cut the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the high speed rail project, she could guarantee it would continue as planned.
But she told LBC it was a “decision we will have to set out in the budget” next month.
“I will look at all those proposals,” Ms Reeves said, leaving open the prospect it could be cut further.
Salma Ouaguira23 September 2024 23:00 Newer1 / 11OlderDisclaimer: 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.
