Conference, it’s time for some plain talking…
We now head to the 2021 Labour Party conference, where Sir Keir Starmer is giving his keynote address to delegates…
Conference, if we are to succeed as a party, it’s important we address a few home truths.
I would be failing you as Leader if I shied away from confronting them here today.
As we gather in Brighton, as friends and comrades, it’s important that we address the concerns of everyday voters. The hard-working families up and down this country who play by the rules, but who feel short-changed by this Tory government.
They want to trust Labour.
They know that the UK is capable of doing so much better.
They distrust the cronyism and incompetence of Boris Johnson and his cabinet.
But they haven’t yet felt able embrace us as a party.
I say to those voters that we understand your misgivings and that we’ll continue to work night and day, demonstrating that we are worthy of your vote.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
But Conference, this is where we have to be honest with ourselves.
For too long, we have been perceived as a party without the inclination or nerve to make the hard decisions. To make the really tough choices that are part and parcel of government.
Voters want to know that we can be trusted with the country’s finances.
We’ve also supported the huge financial commitment the government has made to see us through the financial crisis. It’s been essential to protect jobs and secure businesses.
And Labour would continue to invest steadily and prudently in our public services.
Making sure that health service continues to provide a first-class service to us all.
That our kids receive the education they deserve.
That our police have funds they need to keep our streets safe.
But that investment needs to be sustainable and affordable. It cannot be built on a mountain of ever-increasing debt. We cannot pretend that anything we want can be conjured out of thin air by printing money or endless creative accounting.
The British public is not stupid.
They know that debt is a burden.
They are rightly suspicious of ‘funny money’ conjured up at the stroke of a keyboard.
What’s more, they realise that if they want good quality services that — yes — it will mean more tax.
But Labour says it should be tax paid by those who can best afford to pay.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
We know exactly how hard people have found it to manage their finances in recent years. So a basic principle of our next government will be that it’s the wealthiest who contribute the most. The super rich. The big corporations.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
At the same time, we will protect the hard-working teacher, the small business person, the younger workers who are so keen to get on in life. And we will manage the economy sensibly and invest as we can afford it.
There’s something else we need to address, Conference.
Too many times, we find ourselves criticised for not being enough in tune with the spirit and values of the British people on certain key issues.
They know we’re on their side when it comes to public services.
They know we’re the people who founded the NHS and will defend it with all our hearts.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
They realise that we’re the party that sides with those who are most in need in our society.
But sometimes they feel that our views and theirs don’t coincide.
They want to be sure that we believe in a strong defence and will stand up for what is right in the wider world. We face a great deal of uncertainty today and concerted threats from emerging superpowers and rogue regimes alike.
So I say today that Labour will stand resolute in defending the UK’s interests. Not only that. We will always back our brave armed forces whenever it is decided that it’s essential to take action to protect these islands. No ifs. No buts.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
The public also wants to know that we value Britain’s history and traditions.
Of course, it’s important to look critically at the past and never sugar-coat the mistakes of previous generations. Times do move on.
But Labour is not a party that says that all that went before is bad. We are a nation with a proud and illustrious history. And while we are prepared to admit to failures, we will never be embarrassed of our successes.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
We hear a lot from the media about the so-called ‘culture wars’, don’t we?
Those are battles that Labour doesn’t want to fight.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
But, Conference, we cannot afford to be caricatured.
You know how we can sometimes be presented.
Purer than pure.
More concerned with ideology than practical solutions to voters’ concerns.
So ‘woke’ that people start to worry that we’re suffering from insomnia.
[PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER]
We know that this is an unfair representation of who we are and what we stand for.
But sometimes we do ourselves no favours.
My commitment as Labour Leader is that we’ll have zero tolerance for distractions and stupidity which can easily undermine our credibility with the electorate.
The stakes are too high.
It would be a tragedy if the hopes of the electorate for a strong economy, well-funded public services and action on climate change were sacrificed because of stifling political correctness.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
But there’s something else we have to address, Conference.
If we’re to win in 2023 or 2024 or whenever Boris Johnson chooses to call the next general election, we have to be unified.
I’ve been clear that we’re under new management.
A new Labour is emerging.
As an organisation, we cannot tolerate division. People constantly looking backwards to the politics of the past rather than the opportunities of the future.
And that’s why we can no longer tolerate organisations that claim to be part of the party, but are actually separate from our party.
With their own agenda.
Their own campaigns.
Even their own officers and representatives.
The National Executive has already taken the decision to proscribe some organisations that don’t share our party values.
Now, the time has come to take a further step.
Momentum is free to promote its own political agenda and its own set of policies. But from now on, this will have to be outside the Labour Party.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
Conference, if they have confidence in the popularity of their programme, they can stand as a separate party and put their assumptions to the test.
[HECKLING FROM BACK OF CONFERENCE HALL. OSTENTATIOUS WALK-OUT BY OUTRAGED CORBYNISTAS.]
