Phillipson suggests Powell victory would mean ‘division and disunity’, putting Labour ‘on road to opposition’
They are now on closing speeches.
Phillipson says Labour has a golden opportunity to change Britain and they cannot waste it.
I want us to turn this government around, not to turn on each other.
Change is on the ballot at this election. The choice is what kind of change.
You can choose to push our government to be bolder, to go further, to do more, with me as your voice at the cabinet table.
Or you can choose division and disunity that fills the pages of the rightwing papers and puts us back on the road to opposition.
Key events
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Closing summary
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Labour members feel disconnected from government, says Lucy Powell
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Amnesty International expressess concern about plan to review how ECHR applies in asylum cases, saying article 3 ‘absolute’
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Powell says she won’t ‘snipe from sidelines’ as deputy leader, but would have ‘difficult conversations’ if needed
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Phillipson suggests Powell victory would mean ‘division and disunity’, putting Labour ‘on road to opposition’
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Future of democracy ‘at a precipice’, Powell claims
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Powell says ‘groupthink’ in government has led to Labour making ‘big mistakes’
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Powell says her 21-year-old son has struggled with her being minister, because Labour has not enthused young people
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Phillipson says Labour should be ‘as ruthless’ in fighting Greens as they are in fighting Reform
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Labour should not be ‘trying to out-Reform Reform’, says Powell
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Powell says Labour needs to unite its voter coalition, and avoid policies like winter fuel payment cut
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Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell take part in deputy Labour leadership hustingss
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Miliband’s speech to Labour conference – summary of key points
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Miliband tells Elon Musk to ‘get the hell out’ of British politics
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Environmentalists welcome total ban on fracking
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Miliband vows to ban fracking
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Starmer says he has ‘no personal issue with Andy [Burnham] in the slightest’
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Labour to launch ‘Send the Frackers Packing’ campaign against pro-fracking Reform UK in shale gas areas
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Starmer dismisses criticism of his leadership, saying he will be judged at next election
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Starmer defends talking so much about Reform UK, saying ignoring threat it poses would be ‘grave mistake’
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Starmer rejects Farage’s claim that his comments about Reform UK could put its activists at risk
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Ed Miliband to announce total ban on fracking, going beyond current moratorium
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Starmer says government will review ‘interpretation’ of some ECHR provisions to tackle ‘Farage boats’
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Starmer says he does not think Farage and his supporters are racist – though poll suggests 43% of voters think they are
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Starmer: Leaving EU has hampered efforts to return migrants
Closing summary
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Labour members feel “disconnected” from the government and risk losing motivation, Lucy Powell has argued as she and her rival for the party’s deputy leadership, Bridget Phillipson, answered questions at its annual conference. Powell, who was sacked from the cabinet in a reshuffle last month, has presented herself as an independent “shop steward” for members, a balance to what she has called a sometimes isolated leadership.
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Workers could be charged a fee to take their bosses to court under plans being explored by Labour as it faces pressure from businesses lobbying to water down its landmark changes to employment rights. In a development described by unions as a “disaster”, sources in Westminster said ministers were looking at reviving a proposal made by the last Conservative government to impose fees on employment tribunal claims.
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In his Sky News interview Keir Starmer said that President Trump’s claim that sharia law has been introduced in London was “nonsense” and “rubbish”. In fact, he used both words twice. But, when Beth Rigby asked if the claim was racist (because Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, is Muslim), Starmer just said it was nonsense.
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Starmer also told Sky News that he had “no personal issue with Andy [Burnham] in the slightest” when asked by Sky’s Beth Rigby if he would prefer the Greater Manchester mayor to “just shut up”. Starmer’s allies were infuriated by Burnham’s interventions last week, and his suggestion that he would be available to replace Starmer as leader. But his apparent disloyalty triggered a backlash, and as the conference closes there is a consensus that Burnham overplayed his hand, and the threat he posed to Starmer has (at least temporarily) receded.
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Keir Starmer has said he will look at how international law is being interpreted by British courts in an effort to tackle small boats, which he labelled “Farage boats” because of their increase in number since Brexit. Speaking after the Labour party conference, the prime minister signalled his unhappiness with how the European convention on human rights was being interpreted by judges making decisions about deportations.
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A significant number of EU citizens living long term in the UK post Brexit are experiencing discrimination in work and in public services, a report by the UK’s statutory Brexit watchdog has revealed. Five years after the UK quit the bloc, more than a third reported feeling discriminated against by public bodies.
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Keir Starmer has arrived in Denmark ahead of a meeting with European leaders, as the Danish prime minister declared Europe is in a “hybrid war” with Russia. The prime minister touched down at Copenhagen Airport on Wednesday ahead of the European Political Community (EPC) summit on Thursday.
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Public support for digital IDs has collapsed after Keir Starmer announced plans for their introduction, in what has been described as a symptom of the prime minister’s “reverse Midas touch”. Net support for digital ID cards fell from 35% in the early summer to -14% at the weekend after Starmer’s announcement, according to polling by More in Common.
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Amnesty International UK has expressed concern about Keir Starmer’s comment, in an interview with the Today programme this morning, about wanting to review the way some human rights laws are interpreted in deportation cases. He mentioned specifically articles 3 and 8 of the European convention on human rights, covering the right not to be tortured and the right to family life respectively.
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A total of 134 people have been charged with an offence for allegedly showing support for the banned Palestine Action group in London, the Metropolitan Police have said, as it announced the latest 20 protesters who have been told they are to face court action. The 20 defendants, who were all arrested on 9 August, have been sent a formal charge summons in the post to appear in court, the force said.
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Selfridges has blamed a slump in the number of international tourists shopping for luxury goods in the UK and weaker consumer confidence for a fall in annual sales, as the retailer racked up losses for a fifth year in a row. The upmarket department store chain reported a 7% decline in sales in the 48 weeks to 4 January 2025 to £775m compared with £835m recorded over the 53 weeks of its previous year.
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The date of the unveiling of the Scottish budget could be brought forward by two days, the convener of Holyrood’s finance committee has said. Finance secretary Shona Robison had previously said she was “minded” to unveil her tax and spending plans on 15 January as a result of the UK government not unveiling its budget until the end of November, PA reported.
Richard Partington
Workers could be charged a fee to take their bosses to court under plans being explored by Labour as it faces pressure from businesses lobbying to water down its landmark changes to employment rights.
In a development described by unions as a “disaster”, sources in Westminster said ministers were looking at reviving a proposal made by the last Conservative government to impose fees on employment tribunal claims.
A source close to the government said a plan was agreed in chancellor Rachel Reeves’s June spending review, as part of efforts to find savings in the Ministry of Justice budget, in a drive to recover some of the costs of running the service.
Under the leadership of the then prime minister, Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives proposed a £55 fee for workers making an employment tribunal claim in early 2024, in plans thrown up in the air by Keir Starmer’s general election victory.
Labour members feel disconnected from government, says Lucy Powell
Peter Walker
Labour members feel “disconnected” from the government and risk losing motivation, Lucy Powell has argued as she and her rival for the party’s deputy leadership, Bridget Phillipson, answered questions at its annual conference.
Powell, who was sacked from the cabinet in a reshuffle last month, has presented herself as an independent “shop steward” for members, a balance to what she has called a sometimes isolated leadership.
Phillipson, the education secretary, who is seen as the favoured candidate of Keir Starmer and his allies, said picking Powell could result in the government being derailed by “division and disunity”.
“I want us to turn this government around, not to turn on each other,” Phillipson told the hustings. “Change is on the ballot at this election. The choice is: what kind of change? You can choose to push our government to be bolder, to go further, to do more, with me as your voice at the cabinet table. Or you can choose division and disunity that fills the pages of the rightwing papers and puts us back on the road to opposition.”
Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, countered this by saying she did not seek dissent, “but an important conversation about how we can be better, because we need to be. The stakes are too high.” She added: “I won’t shy away from the difficult conversations, but I won’t snipe from the sidelines.”
Asked what the government had got wrong, Phillipson, the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, identified controversies over winter fuel payments and welfare policy, but said it was important to focus also on what had gone right.
Powell blamed mistakes on “fewer and fewer people taking decisions that are not connected to the communities that we represent, and not hearing that feedback from the doorstep, from our workplaces”, saying this was having an impact on activists.
A total of 134 people have been charged with an offence for allegedly showing support for the banned Palestine Action group in London, the Metropolitan Police have said, as it announced the latest 20 protesters who have been told they are to face court action.
The 20 defendants, who were all arrested on 9 August, have been sent a formal charge summons in the post to appear in court, the force said.
They had been charged with an offence under section 13 of the Terrorism Act, 2000 and were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 24 November.
Keir Starmer has arrived in Denmark ahead of a meeting with European leaders, as the Danish prime minister declared Europe is in a “hybrid war” with Russia.
The prime minister touched down at Copenhagen Airport on Wednesday ahead of the European Political Community (EPC) summit on Thursday.
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters on Wednesday that Europe is in the middle of a “hybrid war” waged by Russia and the continent must arm itself.
Ed Miliband announced on Wednesday that Labour is to speed up plans to bring in a “total ban” on fracking.
But how will this work and will it stop a future Reform government from fracking?
Environment reporter Helena Horton has this explainer:
Eleni Courea
Public support for digital IDs has collapsed after Keir Starmer announced plans for their introduction, in what has been described as a symptom of the prime minister’s “reverse Midas touch”.
Net support for digital ID cards fell from 35% in the early summer to -14% at the weekend after Starmer’s announcement, according to polling by More in Common.
The findings suggest that the proposal has suffered considerably from its association with an unpopular government. In June, 53% of voters surveyed said they were in favour of digital ID cards for all Britons, while 19% were opposed.
Starmer set out plans to roll out a national digital ID scheme on Friday, saying it presented an “enormous opportunity” for the UK that would “make it tougher to work illegally in this country”.
Just 31% of people surveyed after Starmer’s announcement over the weekend said they were supportive of the scheme, with 45% saying they were opposed. Of those, 32% said they were strongly opposed. More than 2.6 million people have signed a petition against introduction of the IDs.
Advocates of a national digital ID scheme are frustrated at the way the policy has been presented and believe that now it may never be implemented.
Joanna Partridge
Selfridges has blamed a slump in the number of international tourists shopping for luxury goods in the UK and weaker consumer confidence for a fall in annual sales, as the retailer racked up losses for a fifth year in a row.
The upmarket department store chain reported a 7% decline in sales in the 48 weeks to 4 January 2025 to £775m compared with £835m recorded over the 53 weeks of its previous year.
Losses narrowed to nearly £16m from almost £42m the previous year but the group has not made a pre-tax profit since 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic forced shops to close their doors for months at a time.
Selfridges Group has four stores in the UK, including its flagship on Oxford Street in central London, two shops in Manchester and one in Birmingham, alongside its online operations.
Read the full story here:
The date of the unveiling of the Scottish budget could be brought forward by two days, the convener of Holyrood’s finance committee has said.
Finance secretary Shona Robison had previously said she was “minded” to unveil her tax and spending plans on 15 January as a result of the UK government not unveiling its budget until the end of November, PA reported.
The finance and public administration committee had complained that would not give it enough time to scrutinise the plans, hoping to bring it forward by a week.
Speaking at the conveners group – where the heads of Holyrood committees quiz the first minister – on Wednesday, convener Kenneth Gibson said: “The finance and public administration committee looked at the 15th, we would have preferred the 7th.
“But having deliberated with the finance Secretary, a collective view was that Tuesday [January] 13th might be a sensible compromise which allows the government that extra week after new year, but doesn’t derail scrutiny, which a Thursday statement might do.”
Andrew Sparrow
Back to fracking, and here is some expert comment on Ed Miliband’s announcement.
From Alasdair Johnstone, head of parliamentary engagement at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a thinktank.
Fracking is clearly controversial and was the straw that broke the camel’s back of the Truss administration. There is now a very clear dividing line on energy policy between fracking, opposed by twice as many people as support it, and solar farms which are backed by a clear majority.
Anyone who’s paid and energy bill in the past few years knows gas prices are volatile and fracking in the UK wouldn’t change that. The build-out of British wind and solar is helping insulate the UK against these price swings with electric heat pumps meaning we’re increasingly less dependent on foreign gas imports to heat our homes.
From Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the LSE
The proposed new ban on fracking will just formalise the moratorium on fracking that was re-introduced by Rishi Sunak’s Government in 2022 after a report by the British Geological Survey concluded that it ‘can trigger earthquakes large enough to cause structural damage’.
Although the exact extent of economically viable reserves of shale gas in the UK is not known with certainty, the most recent assessments suggest that there is unlikely to be enough to significantly affect international prices for natural gas, and so would not reduce prices for British consumers.
From Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies, a Conservative thinktank
On Monday, Rachel Reeves said that she was ‘not a zealot’ on green energy, that she was ‘really committed to boosting our energy security’, that ‘investing in homegrown energy is really important’, and that she ‘would prefer us to be using oil and gas from the UK than importing in from overseas’.
Today, Ed Miliband announced a ban on fracking – which has been at the heart of the energy revolution in the US – even as bills for customers rose yet again.
Labour has to decide whether it is a party of ideology or a party that delivers for ordinary people. At the moment, on energy policy, ideology is winning out.
That is all from me for today. My colleague Tom Ambrose is taking over now.
Amnesty International expressess concern about plan to review how ECHR applies in asylum cases, saying article 3 ‘absolute’
Amnesty International UK has expressed concern about Keir Starmer’s comment, in an interview with the Today programme this morning, about wanting to review the way some human rights laws are interpreted in deportation cases. He mentioned specifically articles 3 and 8 of the European convention on human rights, covering the right not to be tortured and the right to family life respectively.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said:
Article 3 of the European convention on human rights – the ban on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment – is absolute. It is one of the most fundamental human rights protections and cannot be watered down or reinterpreted to suit political convenience.
There is no grey area between acceptable and unacceptable ill-treatment. If removal would expose someone to conditions that meet the legal threshold of inhuman or degrading treatment, then the UK is legally and morally obliged not to proceed.
At a time when refugees and migrants are already being scapegoated and treated as political bargaining chips, it is crucial that ministers reaffirm, not question, the UK’s commitment to the absolute prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.
The Green party has welcomed the announcement about a full fracking ban – but criticised reports that Ed Miliband is considering allowing more oil and gas extraction from the North Sea. The Green MP Carla Denyer said:
It’s absolutely right that Labour are finally putting the nail in the coffin of fracking, which is unsafe, climate-wrecking and deeply unpopular across the country.
But what Ed Miliband didn’t advertise in his conference speech is that he’s considering giving in to the demands of big oil and gas companies and watering down his long-promised ban on new north sea oil and gas drilling.
This would be the ultimate betrayal to the people of this country who desperately want this government to take the action needed to secure a safe future for us, our kids and our grandkids.
I have updated the post at 12.37pm to include the quote from Lucy Powell about “groupthink” in government, which she blames for the government making “big mistakes”.
Powell says she won’t ‘snipe from sidelines’ as deputy leader, but would have ‘difficult conversations’ if needed
Powell says this is a party role, not a government one.
Having this debate is not dissent, but an important conversation about how we can be better, because we need to be. The stakes are too high …
I won’t shy away from the difficult conversations, but I won’t snipe from the sidelines.
I’ve been the shop steward for the back benches this past year, and I’ll be your shop steward now.
We all want, we all need this government to succeed, because, as our leader, Keir said yesterday, we are now in the fight of our lives.
And that is the end of the hustings.
Phillipson suggests Powell victory would mean ‘division and disunity’, putting Labour ‘on road to opposition’
They are now on closing speeches.
Phillipson says Labour has a golden opportunity to change Britain and they cannot waste it.
I want us to turn this government around, not to turn on each other.
Change is on the ballot at this election. The choice is what kind of change.
You can choose to push our government to be bolder, to go further, to do more, with me as your voice at the cabinet table.
Or you can choose division and disunity that fills the pages of the rightwing papers and puts us back on the road to opposition.