Andy Burnham has backed Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party as he attempts to dampen rumours about a potential leadership bid.
Asked at a fringe event at the party conference if he believed Sir Keir was the right man to lead the Labour Party and the country, the Manchester mayor replied: “Yes.”
It follows days of speculation over Mr Burnham’s ambitions to return to Westminster, after he said several MPs had urged him to challenge Starmer.
But he suggested such rumours had partly stemmed from “overwritten” and “inaccurate” reporting and said: “I can’t launch a leadership campaign, I’m not in Parliament, so that is the bottom line”.
Though he refused to guarantee he would remain in his mayoralty for the rest of his term, he said “you would have to wrench” him out of Greater Manchester.
Elsewhere, Shabana Mahmood said she will do “whatever it takes” to stop small boats crossings as she vowed to break the criminal gangs that profit from them.
Making her first speech to a Labour Party conference after succeeding Yvette Cooper as home secretary, Ms Mahmood said she would crackdown on such criminals.
Labour Party Conference – Latest Updates
- Burnham insists he is supporting Starmer
- Two in three labour members back Burnham over Starmer - new poll
- Labour members demand PM accepts Israel committing genocide
- Home secretary vows to do ‘whatever it takes’ to stop small boat crossings
- Reeves attacks 'dangerously' wrong Andy Burnham
- Reform’s immigration plans ‘worse than racist,’ Mahmood says
Police arrest over 60 for supporting banned Palestine Action near Liverpool conference
07:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarPolice arrested 66 protesters outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool for showing support for the banned group Palestine Action, which was proscribed under the Terrorism Act in July.
Most were detained for holding signs such as “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”, before being released on bail.
Merseyside Police said that while two people were released without charge, 64 others – aged between 21 and 83 – were detained on suspicion of displaying material in support of a banned organisation. All have since been released on bail.
Defend Our Juries, which organised the demonstration, called the ban “unjust” and urged its reversal.
“Some of the people in attendance displayed material in support of Palestine Action, who are a proscribed terrorism organisation,” Merseyside Police said in a statement.
Starmer to defend his economic strategy as ‘antidote to division’
06:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarKeir Starmer will use his Labour conference speech in Liverpool to defend his economic strategy, describing growth as the “antidote to division” fostered by the populist right.
“The defining mission of this government is to grow the economy, improve living standards and change the way we create wealth,” the prime minister is expected to say.
“An economy that grows not just from the top but from the grassroots. Because growth is the pound in your pocket. It is more money for trips, meals out, the little things that bring joy to all our lives, the peace of mind that comes from economic security.”
“But it is also the antidote to division. That’s the most important aspect of national renewal. The way you grow an economy, not just how much, but who and where benefits – that can either build a nation or it can pull it apart.
“And in the world we must face the threats we must defeat, Britain needs an economy that unites, every person, every community, every great nation on these islands. Standing together, as so often in our past, facing down the threats of a volatile world.”
Rachel Reeves hints at possible tax rises in November budget
06:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarRachel Reeves used her Labour conference speech to warn that the government faces tough financial decisions and hinted at possible tax rises in the November Budget.
She pledged not to take risks with public finances and suggested that global upheavals and the “long-term damage” to the economy had made the government’s decisions “harder”.
The chancellor pledged to keep “taxes, inflation and interest rates as low as possible”.
“There are still those who peddle the idea that we could just abandon economic responsibility and cast off any constraints on spending.
“They are wrong - dangerously so - and we need to be honest about what that choice would mean.”
Starmer to urge Britons to turn away from ‘politics of grievance’ advanced by Farage
05:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarIn his speech, the prime minister will call on voters to turn away from the “politics of grievance” advanced by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, and instead come together around values of “dignity and respect”.
Starmer is set to argue that Britain now faces a defining choice – a “fork in the road” – between “renewal or decline”.
He will say: “Britain stands at a fork in the road. We can choose decency. Or we can choose division.”
He is going to liken today’s challenges to those met by Clement Attlee’s post-war Labour government, portraying the struggle ahead as nothing less than a battle for “the soul of our country”.
Starmer to make key NHS announcement at Labour conference
05:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarSir Keir Starmer will use his Labour Party conference speech to unveil “NHS Online” – a digital hospital service launching in 2027 that aims to provide 8.5 million extra appointments and cut waiting times by letting patients book tests, access prescriptions, and manage care through the NHS app.
He will frame the move as a technological revolution for healthcare and part of his vision for a “fairer Britain”.
Speaking ahead of the address, health secretary Wes Streeting said the NHS faces an “existential threat” if it fails to modernise, and vowed Labour would embrace new technologies to secure its future, Sky News reported.
“Our health service and our social care services need to change with the times,” he said.
Hugh Grant joins Hacked Off protest outside Labour conference in Liverpool
04:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarHugh Grant joined Hacked Off campaigners outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday.
The actor appeared alongside members of the press reform group, who are calling for tighter regulation and better protection for people affected by media intrusion.
Grant stood in front of photographs, holding a banner that read: “Britain deserves a better press.”
Hillsborough Justice campaigners Margaret Aspinall and Sue Roberts also attended the protest, which took place as Labour members met inside the conference.
Hugh Grant joins Hacked Off protest outside Labour conference in Liverpool
Farage cannot be trusted with national security, says defence secretary
04:00 , Rebecca WhittakerNigel Farage cannot be trusted with the UK’s national security, the Defence Secretary has said.
Asked whether the Reform UK leader was a threat to national security, John Healey told a fringe event at the Labour party conference: “I don’t think Nigel Farage or his party can be trusted with national security.
“I think you can genuinely say one of the important acts of leadership that we’ve seen from Keir Starmer is to make sure that we, collectively with allies, have stood up to Putin.
“We’ve seen that recently with the drone attacks and the Nato response, and the jets that we’ve sent to that eastern flank defence.
“You’ve got Farage and his party looking up to him (Putin), saying that, as Farage has, he’s the leader they most admire.”
He added: “There’s something deeply suspect about Nigel Farage.”
Analysis: Telling Labour who the real enemy is has energised both Starmer and his party
03:00 , Rebecca WhittakerKeir Starmer has defied gloomy expectations for the party conference in Liverpool with a new energy not seen since he won the election in July last year, says political editor David Maddox.
Telling Labour who the real enemy is has energised both Starmer and his party
Critics of ID cards are 'wrong', says Shabana Mahmood
02:00 , Rebecca WhittakerHome Secretary Shabana Mahmood said critics describing the Government’s digital ID plans were “wrong” and people feel “mugged off” by illegal working.
Asked by Lord Michael Gove at a fringe event at Labour’s annual conference what her response would be to those critics, she said: “They’re wrong. Orwell captured very beautifully the nature of Englishness, I might disagree with him on one or two things.”
She added: “It has always amazed me that the nation of the Domesday Book cannot run government services properly … so, I see ID cards as a reframe of the relationship between citizen and state.
“And, of course, you have to have safeguards … we’re not living in a country where someone’s going to check it every five minutes.
“The British people would reject that. There’d be massive disobedience. That would not work.
“But I think it’s absolutely fine for the Government to say, ‘hang on a second. We have a bunch of services, you need to access these services. Here is a gateway of access to Government services’.
“And, by the way, this helps all of us, because then you can be sure that everyone accessing those services is, in fact, entitled to them.”
She said people “can see people working illegally” and “feel completely mugged off”.
Shabana Mahmood: ‘We will deport immigrants unless they earn their right to be British’
01:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Shabana Mahmood: ‘We will deport immigrants unless they earn right to be British’
Watch: Andy Burnham downplays leadership speculation after pre-conference interviews
Tuesday 30 September 2025 00:00 , Rebecca WhittakerStarmer: ‘Choose my decency over Farage’s division’
Monday 29 September 2025 23:39 , Rebecca WhittakerSir Keir Starmer will step up his attack on Nigel Farage by telling voters Britain faces a historic choice between his “decency” and the Reform leader’s “division”.
Just 48 hours after describing Mr Farage’s immigration policies as “racist and immoral”, Sir Keir will use his most important conference speech yet as a rallying call for Labour to fight back against Reform, which is seen by the prime minister as the government’s primary threat.
Read more here by political editor David Maddox:
What has Andy Burnham said about leadership rumours today?
Monday 29 September 2025 22:01 , Athena StavrouOf all the senior Labour figures at this year’s party conference, it is perhaps Andy Burnham who has garnered the most attention.
The Manchester mayor has been in the spotlight following claims last week that multiple MPs had urged him to challenge Starmer’s leadership.
He has spoken at several fringe events in Liverpool today, with many questions asking about his potential return to Westminster.
He insisted “the only thing I’ve launched is a debate” about how to beat Reform UK and suggested speculation about his ambitions had partly stemmed from “overwritten” and “inaccurate” reporting.
When asked if he would see out his term as Manchester mayor, he said: “I am committed to my role as mayor of Greater Manchester.
“I can’t predict the future.”
Asked if he thought Sir Keir was the right man to lead the Labour Party and the country, he replied: “Yes.”
Hugh Grant joins Hacked Off protest outside Labour conference in Liverpool
Monday 29 September 2025 21:38 , Athena StavrouHugh Grant joined Hacked Off campaigners outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday.
The actor appeared alongside members of the press reform group, who are calling for tighter regulation and better protection for people affected by media intrusion.
Grant stood in front of photographs, holding a banner that read: “Britain deserves a better press.”
Hillsborough Justice campaigners Margaret Aspinall and Sue Roberts also attended the protest, which took place as Labour members met inside the conference.
Hugh Grant joins Hacked Off protest outside Labour conference in Liverpool
Pictures from day 2 of the Labour Party conference
Monday 29 September 2025 21:16 , Athena Stavrou
Reform’s immigration plans ‘worse than racist,’ Mahmood says
Monday 29 September 2025 20:55 , Athena StavrouNigel Farage has “blown a very loud dog whistle” by proposing an immigration policy that is “worse than racist”, Shabana Mahmood has said.
In a fierce attack on Reform UK, the Home Secretary said the insurgent right-wing party’s plans, which include abolishing indefinite leave to remain, were “immoral” and “extreme”.
In conversation with Tory peer Lord Michael Gove during an event on the fringes of Labour conference, Ms Mahmood suggested Mr Farage had sent an implicit signal to racists allowing him to claim “plausible deniability.”
“It’s a little bit worse than racist. If it was racist, in a funny way, it would be easier to deal with,” she told the audience on Monday evening.
“I think it’s immoral and I think it’s extreme.
“I think Nigel Farage is playing the trick that, I think, he tries to play very regularly, which is he will say something that, technically he can say it’s not racist, but what he really knows he’s done is blown a very, very loud dog whistle to every racist in the country.”
Farage cannot be trusted with national security, says defence secretary
Monday 29 September 2025 20:43 , Athena StavrouNigel Farage cannot be trusted with the UK’s national security, the Defence Secretary has said.
Asked whether the Reform UK leader was a threat to national security, John Healey told a fringe event at the Labour party conference: “I don’t think Nigel Farage or his party can be trusted with national security.
“I think you can genuinely say one of the important acts of leadership that we’ve seen from Keir Starmer is to make sure that we, collectively with allies, have stood up to Putin.
“We’ve seen that recently with the drone attacks and the Nato response, and the jets that we’ve sent to that eastern flank defence.
“You’ve got Farage and his party looking up to him (Putin), saying that, as Farage has, he’s the leader they most admire.”
He added: “There’s something deeply suspect about Nigel Farage.”
Analysis: Telling Labour who the real enemy is has energised both Starmer and his party
Monday 29 September 2025 20:34 , Athena StavrouTelling Labour who the real enemy is has energised both Starmer and his party
Lammy says Farage’s policies don’t reflect British values
Monday 29 September 2025 20:32 , Athena StavrouShabana Mahmood says Islamophobia in UK 'on scale I’ve never known'
Monday 29 September 2025 20:09 , Athena StavrouShabana Mahmood said anti-Muslim hatred is now “on a scale that I’ve never known in my lifetime” and members of her family have been called “f****** Paki” in Birmingham recently.
Tory peer Lord Michael Gove, in conversation with the Home Secretary, said a “particular animus towards Muslims” had been detected recently, “reflected in some of the rhetoric from the White House”.
He cited the example of the suggestion London wants to implement sharia law.
Asked whether she believed that anti-Muslim racism was especially pernicious at the moment and what could be done about it, she said: “Well, this one obviously cuts very deep for me personally.
“I think the levels of anti-Muslim hatred at the moment are off the charts.
“It’s on a scale that I’ve never known in my lifetime. And, you know, when I was a child, I think I was seven or eight years old, that’s the first time I heard the word ‘Paki’ … so it’s not as if I haven’t been racially abused before.”
She added: “But what is happening now is something much deeper and much more pervasive, and it does feel like it’s everywhere at the moment.
“Members of my own family, just in the last couple of weeks, you know, a handful of them have been called ‘f****** Paki’ in Birmingham, in places that I go to regularly with my family.”
Angela Rayner 'sad' to be missing party conference
Monday 29 September 2025 19:40 , Athena StavrouAngela Rayner has said she is “sad” to be missing the Labour Party conference this year, weeks after she resigned as deputy prime minister.
Ms Rayner, who stepped down over a tax row, responded to housing minister Steve Reed who said it was a “privilege to follow in your footsteps as our nation’s Housing Secretary”.
Ms Rayner wrote: :Thank you Steve, and to all the delegates, activists and members who continue to be the lifeblood of this Labour Government.
“I’m sad not to be alongside you all in Liverpool this year, but I’m with you in spirit - and will continue fighting for working people.”
Thank you Steve, and to all the delegates, activists and members who continue to be the lifeblood of this Labour Government.
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) September 29, 2025
I’m sad not to be alongside you all in Liverpool this year, but I’m with you in spirit - and will continue fighting for working people. https://t.co/QQpt6ICZ6P
'I can’t control you lot can I', Burnham tells journalist as he says leadership ambition reporting 'inaccurate'
Monday 29 September 2025 19:15 , Athena StavrouAndy Burnham has insisted reporting on his ambitions to be Labour leader has been misleading.
Asked by journalists in Liverpool whether the situation had gotten out of control and if he was now being a “peacemaker,” he said: “It was The Telegraph. They were inaccurate in what they said, the headline was not what I said.
“What can I do. I can’t control you lot can I. I wish I could.”
“I can’t control you lot can I…”
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) September 29, 2025
Andy Burnham responds as @nicholaswatt asks whether speculation about his leadership ambitions has “got a little bit out of control" following interviews he gave in the run up to Labour Party Conference.#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/LUszXeqQIV
What has Andy Burnham said about leadership rumours today?
Monday 29 September 2025 19:01 , Athena StavrouOf all the senior Labour figures at this year’s party conference, it is perhaps Andy Burnham who has garnered the most attention.
The Manchester mayor has been in the spotlight following claims last week that multiple MPs had urged him to challenge Starmer’s leadership.
He has spoken at several fringe events in Liverpool today, with many questions asking about his potential return to Westminster.
He insisted “the only thing I’ve launched is a debate” about how to beat Reform UK and suggested speculation about his ambitions had partly stemmed from “overwritten” and “inaccurate” reporting.
When asked if he would see out his term as Manchester mayor, he said: “I am committed to my role as mayor of Greater Manchester.
“I can’t predict the future.”
Asked if he thought Sir Keir was the right man to lead the Labour Party and the country, he replied: “Yes.”
Phillipson says there is 'no time to waste' on scrapping two child benefit cap
Monday 29 September 2025 18:41 , Athena StavrouThe education secretary has said there is “no time to waste” as she said she would be pushing for the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap at the Budget.
Bridget Phillipson, who is also chairing the child poverty task force, told Times Radio: “I grew up in poverty I know what it feels like. It matters personally and deeply to me.
“I’ve always been clear that the two-child limit is on the table.”
Watch: Lammy says Farage’s policies don’t reflect British values
Monday 29 September 2025 18:01 , Athena StavrouBurnham explains opposition to digital ID cards
Monday 29 September 2025 17:54 , Athena StavrouAndy Burnham said the reason he did not believe it was the right time to push ahead with digital ID was because of his experience trying to push through ID cards in government.
He told a conference fringe event: “I think there’s a risk of an opportunity cost situation here, where something can consume a huge amount of time and actually doesn’t come through.
“And that will be the lesson about 2005 to 2010 parliament, it consumed a lot of air time and it didn’t actually materialise.”
Lammy responds to vote deeming Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide
Monday 29 September 2025 17:48 , Athena StavrouDavid Lammy said the question of whether Israel’s actions amount to a genocide should be left up to the courts, but the public can reach its own judgment.
Responding to a vote at the Labour conference deeming Israel’s actions a genocide, the Justice Secretary said he believed in “the rules based order”.
He said: “That means that it must be for the ICJ with their judges and judiciary, and for the ICC, to determine the issue of genocide in relation to the convention, it is not for politicians like me to do that.
“But it is for the public to look at what they see and come to their own judgments about what they see.”
He added that last year he had decided “that I did see a clear risk that Israel was breaching international humanitarian law” and had suspended arms sales to Israel.
Burnham says he hopes Britain rejoins EU as he hits back at Reeves and Starmer on the economy
Monday 29 September 2025 17:26 , Athena Stavrou
Burnham says he hopes UK rejoins EU as he hits back at Reeves and Starmer on economy
Gaza motion passes at conference
Monday 29 September 2025 17:12 , Athena StavrouA Unison-led emergency motion at the Labour party conference, calling on the Government to “employ all means reasonably available to it to prevent the commission of a genocide in Gaza”, has passed after a show of hands.
The motion also called on the Labour Government to “fully suspend the arms trade with Israel and the UK-Israel trade and partnership agreement”, and to ban trading with “illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank”.
Burnham insists he is supporting Starmer
Monday 29 September 2025 16:56 , Athena StavrouAndy Burnham has insisted he is supporting Sir Keir Starmer.
At a fringe event at the Labour party conference, he said he believed Sir Keir was the right man to be in No 10.
Asked if he thought Sir Keir was the right man to lead the Labour Party and the country, he replied: “Yes.”
Keir Starmer should have done more to tackle rise of Reform, Green Party leader claims
Monday 29 September 2025 16:44 , Athena StavrouZack Polanski hopes the contrast could not be more stark. As hundreds of suited-up lobbyists swirl around a convention centre in Liverpool for Labour’s conference, he is strolling up and down Bold Street, a short walk away, to hear what “real people” care about.
Donning his go-to olive anorak over a black tieless suit, the Green Party leader is pounding the pavement, making the case for disgruntled Labour voters to join his growing ranks.
“Keir Starmer has been complicit in the racist narrative in this country,” he told The Independent over coffee, setting out his stall.
It came after Sir Keir and his cabinet went on the attack against Nigel Farage, branding Reform UK’s latest immigration policy as “racist”.
The Independent’s political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
Starmer should have done more to tackle rise of Reform, Green Party leader claims
Two in three labour members back Burnham over Starmer - new poll
Monday 29 September 2025 16:30 , Athena StavrouA new poll has found almost two in three Labour members would back Andy Burnham over Sir Keir Starmer to be leader of the Party.
A YouGov poll of 704 Labour members taken a week ago, seen by Sky News, found that 62 per cent would back the Manchester mayor, and 29 per cent would back the prime minister.
Just 9 per cent said they didn’t know or would not vote.
Mahmood vows to do ‘whatever it takes’ to stop small boat crossings
Monday 29 September 2025 16:05 , Athena StavrouShabana Mahmood has said she will do “whatever it takes” to stop small boats crossings as she vowed to break the criminal gangs that profit from them.
Making her first speech to a Labour conference after after replacing Yvette Cooper as home secretary, Ms Mahmood she would crackdown on criminals, discourage people from making the Channel crossings.
Ms Mahmood said: “Today, the boats continue to arrive, so I will do whatever it takes to secure our borders.
“Cracking down on the criminals gangs behind the trade, discouraging those who are considering a small boat crossing, sending those home who have no right to be here and ending the use of hotels.... the Tory legacy that has done so much to divide our communities.”
Home secretary suggests she is willing to sacrifice her own popularity to tackle illegal immigration
Monday 29 September 2025 16:03 , Athena StavrouThe Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports from Liverpool:
Shabana Mahmood has indicated that she is willing to sacrifice her own popularity to tackle illegal immigration to the UK, saying she will “do whatever it takes to secure our borders”.
“In solving this crisis, you may not always like what I do,” she told the Labour conference.
“We will have to question some of the assumptions and legal constraints that have lasted for a generation and more.
“But unless we have control of our borders and until we can decide who comes in and who must leave, we will never be the open, tolerant and generous country that I know we all believe in.”
Watch: Labour’s Mahmood warns party must ‘rise to challenge’ or risk voters turning to Farage
Monday 29 September 2025 15:59 , Athena StavrouDelegates seem unconvinced by home secretary's attempt to justify migration reforms
Monday 29 September 2025 15:55 , Athena StavrouThe Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports from Liverpool:
Shabana Mahmood has framed its fresh migration crackdown as an attempt to keep Britain as an "open, tolerant and generous country".
After the government faced criticism for its clampdown on indefinite leave to remain, the main route for immigrants gaining British citizenship in the UK, the home secretary has attempted to justify the reforms - instead saying it is necessary to keep the fabric of the country together.
"Unless we have control of our borders, and until we can decide who comes in and who must be, we will never be the open, tolerant and generous country that I know we all believe in", she said.
Unfortunately, the audience didn't seem convinced.
There was applause - but it was lacklustre.
Britain is moving from patriotism towards ethno-nationalism, Mahmood warns
Monday 29 September 2025 15:51 , Athena StavrouThe Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports from Liverpool:
Britain is moving from patriotism towards ethno-nationalism, the home secretary has warned in her main stage address to the Labour conference.
Shabana Mahmood warned that the broad vision of who we are as an "open, tolerant, generous country" is "increasingly disputed".
"Patriotism a force for good. But it is turning into something smaller, something more like ethno-nationalism", she said."It struggles to accept that someone who looks like me and has a faith like me can choose English or British. There are some who we will never be able to persuade, a growing number, who are on a path from patriotism towards ethno-nationalism.
"The challenge we now face is this: not just to win the next election, but to keep the country together and to fight for our belief in a greater Britain, not a little England".
Shabana Mahmood takes to the main stage
Monday 29 September 2025 15:44 , Athena StavrouThe home secretary has stepped up to speak on the main stage at the Labour Party conference.
Her speech comes amid increasing pressure to tackle levels of illegal migration.
Shabana Mahmood began by saying it was an “honour” to be addressing conference as a Labour home secretary.
‘Not in our name!’ Lammy takes aim at Farage over ‘racist’ migration plan
Monday 29 September 2025 15:34 , Athena StavrouThe Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports from Liverpool:
David Lammy has launched a powerful intervention on Nigel Farage’s plan to abolish indefinite leave to remain.
"He wraps himself in our flag, but his policies don't match British values.
“We must call his scheme to round up and deport our French or Indian or Caribbean neighbours who already have indefinite leave to remain what it is - it is racist.
“I say not in our culture, not in our name, not in our time”, he said in his main stage address to the Labour Party conference.
Home secretary up next
Monday 29 September 2025 15:31 , Athena StavrouThe home secretary Shabana Mahmood is up next on the main stage.
It comes amid a increasing pressure on her department on illegal immigration.
We will bring you the latest updates from her speech here.
Full story: Rachel Reeves warns of looming ‘harsh headwinds’ as she fails to dispel fears over major tax rises
Monday 29 September 2025 15:24 , Athena Stavrou.jpg?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)
Reeves warns of ‘harsh headwinds’ as she fails to dispel fears over major tax rises
David Lammy takes to the main stage
Monday 29 September 2025 15:17 , Athena StavrouDavid Lammy has been speaking on the main stage at the Labour Party conference.
He began with highlighting the government’s recognition of Palestine, and went on to criticise Robert Jenrick and Nigel Farage.
“Robert, patriotism isn’t smearing our independent judiciary from a pub on X,” he said.
“It’s standing up for the rule of law, Magna Carta, Habeas Corpus. The rule of law they are Britain’s gifts to the world.
“The other person who doesn’t get it is Nigel Farage. He wraps himself in our flag, but his policies don’t match British values.
We must call his scheme to round up and deport our French, our Indian, our Caribbean neighbours who already have indefinite leave to remain what it is. It is racist.”
“I say not in our country. Not in our name. Not in our time.”
Burnham says 'not now' on digital ID
Monday 29 September 2025 15:06 , Athena StavrouAndy Burnham has expressed his opposition to the introduction of mandatory digital ID right now.
Asked in a quickfire round at a fringe event about his opinion on them, he said: “Not now.”
Speculation on leadership ambitions 'overwritten', Burnham says
Monday 29 September 2025 14:46 , Athena StavrouAndy Burnham suggested speculation about his ambitions had partly stemmed from “overwritten” and “inaccurate” reporting, while refusing to say whether he had spoken to MPs about the prospect of of a leadership bid.
The Greater Manchester Mayor said there were “plenty of conversations I have with MPs all the time and I don’t think it was quite as the headline suggested”.
He insisted it was “inaccurate” to say he had suggested he would borrow £40 billion more.
Mr Burnham told an event hosted by the Guardian Politics podcast live: “There’s no ability for me to launch… I’m not going to go and say every conversation I have with every MP.
“I can’t launch a leadership campaign, I’m not in parliament, so that is the bottom line.”
Andy Burnham says he would have to be ‘wrenched’ out of Manchester- but that he can’t predict the future
Monday 29 September 2025 14:39 , Athena StavrouOur Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reports from Liverpool:
The man at the centre of days of speculation about his future failed to dampen speculation about a tilt at No 10, despite saying he would have to be “wrenched” out of Manchester.
“I can’t predict the future,” he said when he was asked at a Labour conference fringe.
He said he was “committed” to his job as mayor of Greater Manchester.
He said: “You would have to wrench me out of the place, I’m so committed to what we are doing there”.
But it was his comment about being unable to predict the future that will be noticed by the Labour leadership.
He also suggested if he was PM he would stick to “fiscal rules’, just not the same ones as Rachel Reeves.
“Of course you have discipline”, he said, but he called for a more “long term approach”.
Labour should call out the ‘disaster’ that is Brexit, Burnham says
Monday 29 September 2025 14:32 , Athena StavrouAndy Burnham has said ministers should “call out” the cost of Brexit as he spoke at a fringe event at the Labour conference.
“Shouldn’t we start calling out the disaster that Brexit has been more directly?” he asked at a Guardian fringe.
“The growth is not there as it once was” he said, which made everything in the UK more difficult.
“I don’t think there is any prospect of rejoining any time soon but I do think you call out what has put the country in this position”.
Pictured: Burnham arrives at fringe event
Monday 29 September 2025 14:24 , Athena Stavrou
Bridget Phillipson takes to the stage
Monday 29 September 2025 14:21 , Athena StavrouThe education secretary Bridget Phillipson has just spoken on the main stage.
She highlighted new breakfast clubs being rolled out across the country and promised gender pay gap action plans coming soon.
She said: “Conference, this is what we have already done together, fixing the foundations, clearing up the mess that the Tories left behind and we are moving to tackle the generational challenges in our system.”
She added: “And when people tell me, as I’m sure they tell you, that there’s not enough hope, not enough ambition, I say come with me to a primary school, come with me to a new breakfast club, come with me to a nursery.
“See the light in children’s eyes as Labour’s choices light their world. See the relief in their parents’ faces that they have at last a government driving down costs and on their side.
“See the way staff talk about having - after 14 long years - a government that backs them and trusts them.”
What's coming up at the Labour conference?
Monday 29 September 2025 13:59 , Athena StavrouIt’s already been a big day of speeches on day two of the Labour Party conference - but there is much more to come.
At 2pm, the education secretary Bridget Phillipson will take to the main stage.
Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden will follow her at 2:40pm, before deputy prime minister David Lammy takes the stage.
At 3:30pm home secretary Shabana Mahmood will speak, followed by the technology secretary Liz Kendall at 3:45pm and culture secretary Lisa Nandy.
There are also plenty of fringe events happening at the conference.
These include Andy Burnham at an IPPR event at 3:15pm and Pat McFadden at the Tony Blair Institute event at 3:30pm.
David Lammy we be at an IPPR event at 5pm and Shabana Mahmood will be at a Spectator event at 6:30pm.
At 7pm Andy Burnham will appear at a Compass event.
Minister refuses to rule out tax rises at Budget
Monday 29 September 2025 13:40 , Athena StavrouSenior Labour minister Darren Jones would not rule out the possibility of tax rises in the autumn Budget.
Asked by Sky News if the party’s manifesto commitment to not raise VAT, national insurance or income tax still stood following Rachel Reeves’ speech at Labour’s annual conference, the Prime Minister’s Chief Secretary replied: “Well, the truth is, today the manifesto stands.”
Pressed whether he could rule out tax rises, Mr Jones replied: “I am not ruling anything out, or anything in.
“All I’m saying is today the manifesto stands. We’ve got a Budget process to go through, and any decisions will be announced to Parliament in the normal way.”
When Mr Jones was then asked if the commitment would still remain in place following the Budget in November, he replied: “I’m saying it stands.
“And if you look at our actions in the last budget, through the spring statement, through the spending review, we honoured those commitments, and we’re going to keep doing so.”
What taxes could rise at next Budget?
Monday 29 September 2025 13:28 , Athena StavrouRachel Reeves has warned of “harder” choices to come ahead of Labour’s Autumn Budget as she made her main stage address at the party’s conference in Liverpool.
Further tax rises are now widely expected at the crunch fiscal event, as the chancellor looks to counteract the country’s ailing economic performance.
My colleague Albert Toth looks at which taxes could rise at the next Budget:
Analysis: Ten standing ovations for Reeves as chancellor delivers a strong performance
Monday 29 September 2025 13:11 , Millie CookeRachel Reeves received a grand total of ten standing ovations during her main stage address at the Labour Party conference, as the chancellor delivered her fightback speech ahead of November’s Budget.
Buoyed by the fevered applause she received at the start, Reeves came out fighting against Labour’s critics, repeating today’s mantra of “Don't ever let anyone tell you that there's no difference between the Conservatives and Labour".
The theme of the speech was a clear attempt to persuade Labour members that the party is still on the side of working people – and rather than being a continuation of the chaos under the previous government, the chancellor made it clear Labour wants to regain its status as a party for change.
While there’s no doubt she performed well – she was more relaxed and confident than she has been in months – there was also the sense that delegates in the hall were determined to show their support for her after an extremely difficult year.
Half-way through the speech, the chancellor received her fifth standing ovation after responding to a pro-Palestine heckler who interrupted her main stage address.
Waving a Palestinian flag, the protester shouted: “Israel is committing genocide” – but without faltering, the chancellor pushed back: "We understand your cause and we are recognising a Palestinian state...That is the difference we make in power not through protest."
As fightback speeches go, it was a strong performance. The enthusiasm of Labour members is a positive sign for the chancellor. Clearly, they haven’t given up on her yet. But no amount of standing ovations will make the problems facing the chancellor at November’s budget go away.
Faced with a £30bn black hole, sluggish economic growth, and faltering productivity – it will be no easy task for the government, and could end up driving voters even further away from the Labour Party.
Reeves used speech to repeat pledge for a library in every primary school
Monday 29 September 2025 13:05 , Alex RossEarlier, during her speech Rachel Reeves repeated her promise to put a library in every primary school in England.
Repeating her conference mantra of, "don't ever let anyone tell you that there's no difference between a Conservative government and a Labour one", she recounted her experience of having her primary school library turned into a classroom.
"Think about the message that that sends about the government's priorities", she said, warning that a "generation later, many more kids have that experience".
"Today in England, there are 1,700 primary schools that don't have a library. That's not right... so I am committing here today to providing a library in every single primary school in England."
Reeves ends speech by urging party members to 'have faith'
Monday 29 September 2025 13:02 , Alex RossRachel Reeves urges party members to “have faith” because Labour and Britain “have overcome greater challenges than these”.
It comes after a poll last week showed Reform was on the brink of winning a majority at the next election.
She says: “Whatever challenges come our way don’t be deterred, because I can see the destination if we stay true to our course, a Britain where every child can flourish, no matter their background or their parents’ jobs or where they grow up – and never let anyone tell you that there’s no difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government.”
She adds. “There is further to go, but whatever tests confront us, have faith because our party and our country have overcome greater challenges than these.
“Have faith because the opportunity to serve is what we came into this for.
“Have faith, knowing that this Labour Government will not rest, I will not rest, until our patriotic cause is realised in a Britain that prizes contribution, that unlocks opportunity, that silences the nagging voices of decline.”
Reeves defiant after pro-Palestine heckler interrupts speech
Monday 29 September 2025 12:49 , Alex RossRachel Reeves responded to a pro-Palestine heckler who interrupted her main stage address.
Waving a Palestinian flag, the protester shouted: “Israel is committing genocide”.
Responding with confidence, the chancellor pushed back: "We understand your cause and we are recognising a Palestinian state...That is the difference we make in power not through protest."
Her remarks were met with massive applause and a standing ovation from both the conference delegates and the parliamentary Labour party.
Later, Palestine Youth Movement and London for a Free Palestine claimed responsibility for the heckler.
According to the two groups, the activist, named “Sam P” stood up with a large Palestinian flag and said: “Why is Britain still arming Israel?”
In a statement issued by the protest groups following the disruption, the activist said: “It’s unbearable to watch this British-backed genocide unfolding on our screens while Labour carries on with business as usual.
“We should do whatever we can to push for an end to the atrocities.”
Reeves warns of further challenges ahead
Monday 29 September 2025 12:47 , Alex RossRachel Reeves gives a hint of more tough decisions ahead, but avoids sharing specifics on the Autumn Budget, when Labour is expected to need to raise a reported £30 billion.
She says: “This year has brought its fair share of challenges for our party and our country.
“They won’t be the last. We’ve turned our backs on the path of decline, and we’ve chosen investment, but there is further to go.
“So yes, I’m proud that under our watch, Britain has been the fastest growing economy in the G7, but is there more to do if we want prosperity in every part of Britain?
“Absolutely.”
Reeves sets out her 'patriotic mission'
Monday 29 September 2025 12:43 , Alex RossRachel Reeves says patriotism is “not measured in how quick you are to exclude, how loudly you shout, how willing you are to exploit every division and distort every challenge that we face”.
She says that patriotism is “measured in our obstinate determination, our impatience, our commitment to building a better, fairer, more prosperous Britain”.
“That is our patriotic mission, those are our Labour values, those are our British values, and we will fight for them,” Ms Reeves says
Reeves praises 'friend and colleague' Bridget Phillipson
Monday 29 September 2025 12:42 , Alex RossRachel Reeves now turns to praise her fellow minister, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who she calls her “friend and colleague”.
She says: “I know that there is much more to do, and I promise you we will do it, but we should take pride in the lives already being changed by the choices that we have made.
“Let me tell you there is no greater champion for working-class kids than my friend and my colleague, our Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.”
She says she and Ms Phillipson “will not rest” until barriers to opportunity are “torn down”.
Farage agenda is 'greatest threat' to livelihoods, Reeves says
Monday 29 September 2025 12:37 , Alex RossNigel Farage’s agenda is the “single greatest threat” to livelihoods, says Rachel Reeves.
She says: “The single greatest threat to our way of life and to the living standards of working people is the agenda of Nigel Farage and the Reform party.
“Whatever falsehoods they push, whatever easy answers they peddle, however willing they are to tear communities and families apart, they are not on the side of working people.”
“This is a fight that we must win, and it is a fight that we will win,” she added.
Reeves attacks 'dangerously' wrong Andy Burnham
Monday 29 September 2025 12:34 , Alex RossRachel Reeves now appears to be repeating criticism of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who she earlier said shared an economic approach to Liz Truss.
She says: “Never forget that in two hours one Friday almost three years ago the Conservatives under Liz Truss sent mortgage costs spiralling, put pensions in peril and consigned their party not just to defeat but to utter irrelevance.
“That was a warning. And the British people will not forgive any party that forgives it. Conference, let us reaffirm our commitment that we will never, ever do what they did to ordinary working people in this country.
“But I do know that there are still people who peddle the idea that we can just abandon economic responsibility, cast off any constraints on public spending. They’re wrong. Dangerously so. And we need to be honest about what that choice would mean.”
Analysis: Reeves attempts to persuade members that Labour hasn't become Tory-lite
Monday 29 September 2025 12:29 , Millie CookeRachel Reeves' mantra of the day has been: "Don't ever let anyone tell you that there's no difference between the Conservatives and Labour".
The pitch to Labour members, repeated after every major section of her speech, is an attempt to persuade the party that Labour hasn't just been a continuation of the chaos under the previous government.
At first glance, it seems odd that she has mentioned the Tories more than Reform so far, given Sir Keir Starmer has been clear that he sees Nigel Farage's party as the main opposition.
But its clear that Reeves' mission today is to persuade Labour members that while the party has shifted to the right (primarily to counter the threat from Farage), its values remain the same.
Labour will deliver on rail in the north of England, Reeves vows
Monday 29 September 2025 12:28 , Alex RossDespite the delay in a high-speed rail link between Liverpool and Manchester, Rachel Reeves says Labour will “push ahead” with Northern Powerhouse Rail.
As reported yesterday, there are concerns over the long-term costs of the line.
But Ms Reeves says: “As well as the Transpennine route upgrade to link Manchester, Leeds and York and the towns in between them, this Labour Government will push ahead with our plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail.
“Plans never delivered by the Conservatives, plans opposed by Reform, but backed by this Labour Government.
“A vote of confidence in the north of England to get people to work, to connect families, to create jobs and to build build prosperity in towns and cities scarred by underinvestment for far too long.
“That is what we are achieving together: a Labour Government, working with our Labour leaders around the country, delivering for working people.”
