Tom Watson's speech - Summary
Tom Watson’s speech was the most substantial anyone has delivered to the Labour conference so far. I’m sorry it has taken a while to post a summary, but Labour were slow sending out the transcript. Anyway, it’s worth it. Here are the key points.
- Tom Watson warned Labour against “trashing” the record of the Blair and Brown governments. In a comment clearly aimed at some of Jeremy Corbyn’s supports, which received strong applause, Watson said:
I don’t know why we’ve been focusing on what was wrong with the Blair and Brown governments for the last six years, but trashing our own record is not the way to enhance our brand.
- He told Labour not to treat capitalism as the enemy. This passage seemed to be aimed at some on the Corbyn wing of the party too.
In the past, big businesses were too easily cast as predators. We meant to say that we would stand up to the abuse of corporate power as the Tories never will. But we ended up sounding like we were anti-business; anti-prosperity; anti-success. We’re not and we never have been. Capitalism, comrades, is not the enemy. Money’s not the problem. Business isn’t bad. The real world is more complicated than that, as any practical trade unionist will tell you. Businesses are where people work. The private sector’s what generates the money to pay for our schools and hospitals.
We can afford the best health service in the world because we are one of the most prosperous countries in the world. That’s a fact and we forget it at our peril. And I don’t say this because it’s what wins elections, I say it because it is true. And people know that it’s true. And that’s why it wins elections.
- He said he expected an early general election.
I’m sure there’ll be a general election soon. The more often Theresa May says it won’t happen, the more certain I am that it will. And, comrades, we need to be ready.
- He said Labour could win a general election by building on its achievements in local government.
We owe the British people - our people - an alternative to a government that doesn’t care and a Prime Minster they didn’t vote for. You keep hearing that Labour can’t win, well we can, and we will. And I’ll tell you how we’re going to win: we’re going to win through local government because that’s how we always win.
Our councillors are the engine of Labour’s electoral machine. It’s Labour councilors all over the country who are our leaders and ambassadors in local communities. Our councillors and our trade unions: these are the rocks our movement’s built on.
- He lavished praise on Labour’s leaders in local government and in the Wales.
What a champion [Sadiq Khan] is. What an outstanding representative of our great national capital and our historic socialist party - still relevant, resonant, and winning elections in one of the most dynamic cities on earth.
And in Bristol we have got marvellous Marvin, who you have just heard from.
What a hero. And in our other great conurbations next May: Andy Burnham,
Siôn Simon and Steve Rotherham are going to follow Sadiq’s and Marvin’s example. And Carwyn in Wales. Reminding people what Labour government looks like - how innovative and radical we can be. How growth and prosperity, social justice and fairness all go hand in hand under Labour. And not just doing the right thing - not just compassion - but doing the thing right. Competence.
Watson’s comments about people like Sadiq Khan and Marvin Rees contrasted strongly with what he had to say about Jeremy Corbyn. He praised Corbyn’s performance at the last PMQs, when he attacked Theresa May over grammar schools, but otherwise his praise for Corbyn was conspicuous by its absence.
- He confirmed his plan to set up an independent commission on the future of work.
In the next Labour government we must judge ourself on our ability to redraw that pie-chart. The problems of inequality aren’t new, but the solutions will need to be. So I’ve put together an independent commission on the future of work, to start influencing policy right now - from opposition.
It will be chaired by Helen Mountfield QC, joined by a world-class team including Naomi Climer, the first ever female President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Professor Michael Sandel, Jon Cruddas, Lord Jim Knight and many more. We’ll feed into Jon Trickett’s work on building a targeted Industrial Strategy and we’ll report back to you next year.
- He claimed that the Tories only cared about money and power.
Of the real British values the Tories can never understand; of compassion and fairness alongside enterprise and fierce independence. This is no nation of ideologues. We know that and that’s our advantage over the Tories.
They’re blinded by money and power. It’s all they care about. And the old lady next door; and your neighbour’s children; and that migrant family working 60 hours a week and paying taxes: all these can go hang to the Tories. Other people don’t matter. Well that’s not the British way.
Yes, British people want a fair chance for themselves and their families. They want their hard work rewarded. But they also care what happens to the other children in the class, the other people at the bus stop, the others in the lengthening queues waiting months now for life-saving operations.
That’s all from me for today.
Thanks for the comments.
Updated
Jeremy Corbyn's interviews - Summary
Jeremy Corbyn has done a round of interviews with broadcasters this afternoon. Here are the key points.
- Corbyn said he would hold a shadow cabinet reshuffle next week. It would not be this week, he said, but it would come before parliament resumes a week on Monday.
I will be appointing ahead of the return of Parliament to ensure that we have an effective shadow cabinet. We are filling the positions, but we are not announcing anything this week. It is all going to come later on.
Corbyn also hinted that the reshuffle might not involve filling all 60-odd vacant frontbench jobs. He said he would “develop a team of the size that we need”. But there is no absolute requirement for the shadow ministerial team to be as large as it was. In the past oppositions have functioned with fewer shadow ministers than they normally have now.
- He claimed that “lots” of MPs would return to the front bench. “Lots of MPs are coming back,” he said.
- He restated his opposition to bringing back full shadow cabinet elections. Asked if he would agree to them, he said:
I didn’t vote for it. I’m open to the idea and I understand the argument behind it, but I also think the leader of the party must have the ability to form the general policy areas.
But, despite saying the party leader had to have some right to determine policy direction, he also reaffirmed his commitment to extending party democracy.
I think intrinsically, members need to have much more say in policy making for the longer term. That means we have to engage much earlier on.
- He said there might be a “special meeting of the policy forum” later this year to consider proposed changes to party rules. Labour’s national executive committee is expected to discuss these proposals, covering policy making and the selection of the shadow cabinet, at a meeting in November.
- He said he accepted that Labour’s policy was to back Trident - while also suggesting it could change in the future. He also reaffirmed his personal opposition to nuclear weapons.
The policy the party has from previous conference decisions does support the renewal of Trident. As you know, I never agreed with that decision ... That’s the existing party policy. I cannot predict what will happen in the future, who will decide what they want to bring forward to conference.
He also said that he wanted to “lead this party in a direction will bring about a nuclear free world.” (In their speeches to the conference yesterday Clive Lewis, the shadow defence secretary, and Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, both stressed Labour’s commitment to multilateral nuclear disarmament - suggesting that this might be a compromise policy around which Labour’s pro and anti-Trident factions could coalesce.)
Asked if he “accepted” party policy, he replied:
Of course I know what the party policy is and of course I understand the decision that was taken. Does it mean there are people in the party who have a moral objection to nuclear weapons? Yes there are.
- He said he never wanted to use a nuclear weapon. Asked if he would fire a nuclear weapon, he replied: “I never want to use a nuclear weapon.” This is as less provocative answer than the one he gave last year, when asked on Today if he would press the nuclear button. On that occasion he bluntly said no, prompting pro-Trident MPs to claim that he had rendered the nuclear deterrent worthless.
- He played down the nature of the row with Clive Lewis about the wording of his speech.
It’s perfectly normal that there be discussions with shadow cabinet colleagues on statements they are going to make, and that’s what happened. It was discussed and that’s what came out of it. I don’t see it as a huge problem, I don’t see it as a huge issue.
- He rejected claims that Sadiq Khan’s speech was directed at him.
How is that a lecture to me? It was a lecture to everybody that we have to come together to get in power ... What he was saying was we have to win a national election. On that we are all agreed.
- He said it was wrong to treat socialism as a dirty word.
Socialism is the basis of what brought the Labour Party about, it’s the basis of what forms our opinions. It’s actually the basis of why we got the NHS. The Labour Party has won lots of elections ...
Stop treating the word `socialism’ as if its some sort of bad word we should only talk about late at night. It’s an ideology that’s based on the principle that everyone should contribute and those in need should benefit the most from our common endeavours.
- He rejected claims that Labour was not reaching out to ordinary voters.
How is a message that is about making sure that everyone in this country has a living wage, that there is real job security, that we end zero hours contracts, that we invest in infrastructure, railways and broadband, schools and hospitals – how is that not a message that reaches out to millions of people all across this country?
- He said that he had changed the political agenda.
I tell you what – the political agenda has changed – Everyone’s against austerity now, they weren’t a year ago.
- He said he would tackle concerns about immigration partly by trying to standardise living standards across Europe.
What I would do about immigration is try to bring about a degree of co-terminosity, a degree of equality of work conditions and wages across Europe.
Updated
Angela Rayner vows to fight extending grammar schools with 'every breath in my body
Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, spoke earlier. Here are the main points from her speech.
- Rayner vowed to fight Theresa May’s plans for more grammar schools “with every breath in my body”.
If Theresa May is talking about meritocracy, let me tell her that every child has merit.
That is why I will fight, with every breath in my body, against her new grammar schools. She has produced no evidence that grammar schools help social mobility. Selection - or segregation as it should be called - entrenches division and increases inequality ...
Conference, Theresa May is telling fairy tales about social mobility and opportunity. Selection is toxic. It tells a clever child they are stupid, strips a child of self-esteem and embeds inequality. Every child has potential. Every child can succeed. No child should be left out or left behind.
Conference, Tony Blair talked about education, education, education. Theresa May wants segregation, segregation, segregation. And our Labour Party will fight it, starting on Saturday when we launch our nationwide campaign against more grammar schools. We’re going to take the fight to the Tories and I appeal to all my MP colleagues to help lead this fight. Together, we can defeat Theresa May.
- She confirmed that she was setting up a childcare taskforce.
That is why I am proud to announce today, Labour’s new childcare taskforce, to help us transform early years provision for every family in the 21st century. And I’m delighted that Liz Snape, the deputy general secretary of Unison, who you heard from this morning, has agreed to chair that taskforce, working with Labour’s shadow education team and childcare experts.
Our aim will be to provide the care and support for every child to fulfil their potential, and to help parents back to work. Access to affordable, high-quality childcare and early years learning is one of the most effective drivers of social mobility. Getting it right will improve the life chances of countless children across the country. That must be our mission.
Updated
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, told a fringe meeting at the Labour conference that he had been told not to describe his approach as “business friendly”.
He was trying to explain what being an “entrepreneurial state” means. The concept has been developed by the economist Mariana Mazzucato, who is advising Labour, and McDonnell said she had told him it was not just about favouring business.
Mariana Mazzucato is advising us on how we become an entrepreneurial state. What does that mean? It means working alongside the wealth creators - entrepreneurs and workers themselves - to see what assistance we can give in the creation of products, the creation of markets. And in that way you create the prosperity.
What she says is, whatever you do, don’t describe yourself as business friendly. That isn’t what this is about.
This is about making sure that we are working in partnership, but laying the climatic conditions in which entrepreneurial talents can be developed. I think that’s the way we are going.
There will be other times where there needs to be a much more direct, interventionist approach by government - rather than just laying the foundations which people can build upon, there might be times when we have to intervene, like we did with steel, which means a much more direct intervention by the state.
Duncan Enright, Labour’s candidate in Witney, where there will be a byelection following David Cameron’s resignation, addressed the conference earlier. He said the Witney Labour party had more members than all the other parties put together.
Over the last five years Labour has won seat after seat on our councils and we now have amazing councillors right across west Oxfordshire, all working in their communities. Since May 2015, and particularly since Jeremy Corbyn became our leader, our membership has grown hugely and we now have many more members in Witney than the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and, in fact, more than all of the other parties put together.
Enright is unlikely to win in the byelection on Thursday 20 October. At the last election Cameron had a majority of more than 25,000.
Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, has just started his speech now. I will post a summary once I’ve got the full text.
Labour has not yet announced the results of the vote on the NEC rule changes, but they have been approved, by colleague Jessica Elgot reports.
I understand that, as expected, #Lab16 delegates have voted to approve NEC rule changes - huge implications for power balance on committee
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) September 27, 2016
Here is a Guardian mashup of Sadiq Khan’s speech. It’s terrific.
Updated
The Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop has criticised for Momentum for staging their “The World Transformed” alternative conference (or festival, as they describe it). He told a fringe meeting:
When we talk about unity, it’s very hard when you have got the circus down the road where people set up and pitch up down the road deliberately to undermine and show explicitly the division. That’s an organisation which isn’t actually affiliated to the Labour Party but has some sort of role. There is a divide.
My colleague Dave Hill, who has written a book about Sadiq Khan’s mayoral election campaign, has written an article with his take on Khan’s speech.
Hill says Khan, and other Labour mayors, could develop a champion an alternative version of Labour politics to Jeremy Corbyn’s.
By this time next year there will almost certainly be Labour “metro mayors” in post in Liverpool and Birmingham as well as Manchester, with varying powers over their cities and surrounding areas. They, along with Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales, will be the most powerful Labour politicians in the UK: high profile and, hopefully, on the road to becoming highly effective at implementing Labour programmes in new forms of regional government.
Their progress, and that of Labour leaders of other big cities - Bristol, Leeds,Newcastle and more - in the years leading up to 2020 will depend less on the endeavours of their party’s national leader than on their marshalling of the resources they have at their disposal and their ability to persuade, enthuse and cajole a range of interest groups – housing providers, public sector bodies, educators, voluntary organisations, businesses and so on - to pursue progressive common goals. In the longer term, they will want to talk to the Conservative national government into giving them greater leeway to do things their way in the post-Brexit national interest.
Collectively these governing Labour politicians could, in effect, represent a parallel, much broader Labour Party than the narrow one Corbyn leads; a very different political entity sharing the same name.
A left wing member of Labour’s ruling body who took to the the stage at the party’s annual conference to protest at impending rule changes has voiced concern that it could put the right wing of the party in control, pitting it against Jeremy Corbyn.
Christine Shawcroft said it was a failed attempt to force a card vote on rule changes which she says could allow anti-Corbyn MPs to dominate the national executive committee.
Shawcroft wanted to to kill off a proposal to hand seats on the NEC to Scottish and Welsh politicians. At a meeting tonight, the NEC will meet again to choose the body’s new chair, a crucial post to controlling the NEC for the next year, she said.
There has been an attempt by the right of the party to control the ruling body. If these changes go through, I think this could be used to change the structures of the party to give Jeremy’s opponents more say.
It is likely to go through, but at the moment there is a delicate balance of votes. I would like to see more people voted on the NEC from constituency parties. The post of chair will be crucial to getting such rule changes through.
Paul Flynn urges Labour MPs to return to the front bench
Sadiq Khan’s speech may have been the most newsworthy of the morning, but the most enjoyable was Paul Flynn. Flynn, a leftwinger, has spent most of his career on the backbenches as a member of the awkward squad but he was appointed to the shadow cabinet in the summer when the resignations happened. Flynn doubles up as shadow Welsh secretary and shadow leader of the Commons. His promotion was all the more remarkable because he is 81.
Flynn started with a joke about his age. He was speaking as a “grateful recipient of Jeremy’s job creation scheme for geriatrics”, he said. But his speech, which he delivered in his capacity as shadow leader of the Commons, contained some strong lines.
- Flynn appealed to the Labour MPs who resigned from the front bench to return. He said he disagreed with Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary, who gave a speech yesterday saying the “merchants of doom” should quit. Flynn said:
Len McCluskey made a speech for unity yesterday but there is one phrase in it - the one that he stole from Shakespeare - that I must disagree with, because he did say ‘some should depart the field’. No, no, no.
We’ve got some of our best people sitting on the subs bench, you don’t score goals from the subs bench. Some resigned, they all did for honourable reasons. It took courage for many of them to resign, it’s going to take greater courage for many of them to come back and we must make it possible for them to return with dignity and respect.
- He said Labour should abandon negativity.
In the last 12 months we’ve been locked in a gap year of negativity, of pessimism, of hopelessness, by many in our party. It seemed at times a competition to see who could be the most pessimistic about our future and our prospects - we’ve got to end that. It’s time to now to give unity a chance. Take all the bile and the hatred together, put it in a box, bury it deep underground, put six feet of concrete on top and then put a sign saying ‘never should the last 12 months be unearthed from its dishonest grave’.
Flynn insisted that Labour could win. To back his point, he recalled helping out during the 1945 general election campaign with his brother. He was only 10 at the time, but he remembers his mother telling him he was wasting his time. She told him:
Look, boys, you are on the right side, it’s the Labour party, it’s our party, but this candidate cannot win because of prejudice. You cannot win in Wales as a candidate if you’ve got an Irish name. And no one called Jim Callaghan has any future in politics.
Callaghan was elected MP for Cardiff South in 1945, and of course went on to become prime minister.
- Flynn claimed that Labour had enjoyed “marvellous results” in elections over the last year.
The trouble with unity is that it is not sexy. The media, the press, are not interested in it. They are interested in rows, they are interested in division, they are interested in conflict. But they don’t notice the brilliant year we’ve had: magnificent election results. Instead of the polls, look at what happens when real people use real votes in real elections. Marvellous results in all the mayoral elections, in all the byelections. In Wales we gained three parliamentary seats that we lost a year ago.
Flynn seems to be using the word “brilliant” rather loosely. For a more accurate assessment of Labour’s electoral record over the last year, read this UK Polling Report blog by Anthony Wells.
- Flynn mocked David Cameron’s resignation honours list.
The Daily Mail, of all people, described his honours list as devalued, debased, discredited, egregious, grubby, tawdry, tainted, tarnished - otherwise alright.
- He said Britain needed “root and branch reform of our democracy”. But reform needed to happen by cross-party agreement, he said.
The only House in the world where we have chieftains, hereditary chieftains in parliament, is ourselves and Lesotho. Only another country, Iran, has clerics as lawmakers. We need a thorough reform of our democracy. It must be done on an all-party basis. It must be done with the consent of all parties so that we get a fresh democracy that’s fair, that’s durable, that’s democratic.
Wendy Nichols, who is chairing the afternoon’s session, has just told delegates that Iain McNicol, the Labour general secretary, has ensured that the stand giving away free copies of the Sun will take them away. (See 12.44pm.)
Sadiq Khan attracted a crowd as he gave interviews after his speech. These are from ITV’s Chris Ship and the Guardian’s Rowena Mason.
Crowds have formed to listen to Labour's winning elected politician (by voters rather than members) @SadiqKhan pic.twitter.com/hP1YhWIeLi
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) September 27, 2016
It's not quite Borismania c.2012 but Sadiq getting a lot of conference attention pic.twitter.com/iB3nl5Sata
— Rowena Mason (@rowenamason) September 27, 2016
In an interview Khan admitted that he had not spoken to Jeremy Corbyn for months.
"To be honest there's lots of people I should probably be speaking to - ask my wife." Sadiq on why he hasn't talked to Corbyn in months.
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) September 27, 2016
He also dismissed suggestions he wanted to be Labour leader.
Sadiq asked by @chrisshipitv if he cd see himself as Lab leader: No, not ever - I've got the best job in the world, why wd I wanna leave it?
— John Ashmore (@smashmorePH) September 27, 2016
It would be wise to take this final remark with a lorryload of salt. A source points out that Khan recently appeared on a platform with Mauricio Macri, the former mayor of Buenos Aires, and Matteo Renzi, the former mayor of Florence. Both Macri and Renzi told Khan that being mayor was the best job in the world.
That may be so. But Macri is now president of Argentina, and Renzi is prime minister of Italy.
Talking with @billclinton, @NOIweala, @mauriciomacri & @matteorenzi about the challenges facing London after Brexit pic.twitter.com/FE9MoIiWpc
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) September 19, 2016
The afternoon conference session has just got going. One of the delegates has just complained strongly about free copies of the Sun being given away at the conference. (See 12.44pm.) Wendy Nichols, who is chairing the afternoon session, said this was being addressed.
Updated
This is from Newsweek’s Josh Lowe.
Sadiq Khan is a very talented politician. But his route to power in London didn't have to navigate the immigration quagmire. Labour does.
— Josh Lowe (@JeyyLowe) September 27, 2016
The Unison general secretary Dave Prentis liked Sadiq Khan’s speech.
Brilliant speech from @sadiqkhan - Labour can achieve so much in power. Let's take the fight to the Tories and win #labourinpower
— Dave Prentis (@DavePrentis) September 27, 2016
Here is my colleague Jessica Elgot’s story about the NEC rule changes. Delegates have voted, but it was a card vote and it will take a while before the votes are counted. But Labour officials are very confident the proposals will be agreed.
Sadiq Khan's speech - Summary and analysis
Shortly before Sadiq Khan addressed the conference, someone on the platform made a joke about his being the son of a bus driver. It was a tribute to the way, during the London mayoral campaign, Khan relentlessly and unashamedly kept going on about his upbringing at every opportunity. It worked, because there is not a soul in London who does not know what Khan’s dad did for a living. Khan is someone who understands the importance of repetition.
But this speech took the art of repetition to a whole new level. At times it was veering into self-parody. Essentially, almost every sentence was about how Labour can only achieve things if it is “in power”. It certainly wasn’t subtle, and some will accuse him of overkill, but if Khan’s only concern was to get his message across, then it was certainly effective.
And what was the message? Khan backed Owen Smith in the leadership contest because he thought Jeremy Corbyn could not win an election. He explained his thinking in an Observer article. In his speech today Khan did not criticise Corbyn directly, and he specifically said that the leadership issue was settled. But he did not retract anything he said during the summer. His focus on the importance of Labour being able to win elections to get things down could be seen as a firm reminder to Corbyn that he will be judged by electoral performance, but it sounded more as if Khan was advertising his own credentials as an election winner. He seemed to be putting down a marker for the future, signalling that if Labour needs an election-winner when the Corbyn era is over, Khan will be available.
Here are the key points.
- Khan said Labour should focus on winning power.
After the election this summer the leadership of our party has now been decided and I congratulate Jeremy on his clear victory. Now it’s time for us all to work together towards the greatest prize: getting Labour back into power.
- He stressed that Labour was in power in local government and in Wales, if not at Westminster.
With Labour in power, Britain is a fairer country - a more equal country and a more just country. And Labour is in power right now - not just in London but in Wales too. Labour re-elected with the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, and in Bristol with the new Mayor, Marvin Rees. Labour is in power right now in Liverpool, Manchester and Southampton; in Newcastle, Glasgow and Cambridge; in Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds and Cardiff too.
Labour is in power in towns and cities the length and breadth of Britain. And Conference, where Labour is in power it’s thanks to your hard work. Thanks to Labour members, activists and supporters. Thanks to the trade unions and the working people they represent. Thanks to the Labour staff who work so hard for us.
- He explained why being in power was so important.
With Labour out of power, the number of affordable new homes built falls, the cost of rent rockets, and the number of homeless people sleeping on our streets rises. But it’s only with Labour in power that we can make tackling the housing crisis our number one priority; we can create new teams like Homes for Londoners, to get more genuinely affordable homes built; or a new social letting scheme to stop renters being ripped off; we can enact new policies like the London Living Rent to put home ownership back within reach for our young people; and we can make tackling homelessness and rough sleeping a real priority - because it’s a stain on our great nation.
Most of the speech consisted of Khan making this point again and again, but applying it to issues like housing, air pollution, social integration, inequality, education, Brexit and the public services.
- He stressed that EU citizens in Britain are welcome.
I’d like to take a moment to speak to the European citizens living across Britain, and who make a huge contribution to our NHS, schools, on construction sites and in business: you make a massive contribution to our country; economically, socially and culturally. Thank you. Thank you for all that you do to make our country great. You are welcome here.
I’ve got the full text of Sadiq Khan’s speech.
The word “power” occurs 38 times.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has just finished addressing the conference now. In his speech he focused repeatedly on the need for Labour to get into power.
In fact, he seemed to be trying to set a world record for use of the word “power” in a single speech.
I will post a summary when I’ve got the full text.
Labour in power in towns & cities across Britain can show the way back to power for our party in Westminster. #Lab16 https://t.co/K34UfYPnk2
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) September 27, 2016
An exhibitor at the Labour conference has been told to stop giving away free copies of the Sun, Politics Home report. Labour acted after the Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson protested, saying it was a “disgrace” that the paper was being given away. The Sun is still loathed on Merseyside, and boycotted by newsagents, because of its infamous Hillsborough coverage 27 years ago.
Diane Abbott says Labour would restore bursaries for student nurses
Here are the main points from the speech from Diane Abbott, the shadow health secretary.
- Abbott said Labour would restore bursaries for student nurses.
Many students will not be able to afford to study without the bursary and others will be frightened of debt. I want to make it clear that Labour will restore the bursary.
- She said Labour would set up a new unit to tackle waste in the NHS. It would look at overcharging for PFI contracts, she said. It would also consider reducing or eliminating PFI over time.
- She proposed the “renationalisation” of the NHS. She said Labour would make sure the health secretary was accountable for the NHS, something that was taken away by the Health and Social Care Act. She also said Labour would end “damaging competition and marketisation in the NHS” and remove the private sector “where it is ripping-off the NHS”.
- She said Labour would invest more in mental health services.
Labour in government will put the money behind this. We want an end to shame and an end to the tacit acceptance that the mentally ill are somehow second class citizens in our healthcare system.
- She said Labour would tackle overcharging by big pharmaceutical companies.
It’s Abbott’s birthday and at the end of her speech delegates sang happy birthday to her. This is from the BBC’s Peter Henley.
They're on their feet for @dianeabbott_mp at #Lab16 and 2 rounds of Happy Birthday 🎤 pic.twitter.com/ymFamxUvY7
— Peter Henley (@BBCPeterH) September 27, 2016
In her speech Diane Abbott is saying Labour is the only party that can save the NHS. She has also set out her thinking today in an article for the Guardian.
Diane Abbott, the shadow health secretary, is addresssing the party conference now. I will post a summary of her speech in a moment.
Shadow health secretary Diane Abbott set to address #Lab16. Jeremy Corbyn currently sat next to her. pic.twitter.com/7XOLRCinY8
— Jack Maidment (@jrmaidment) September 27, 2016
Here are three articles from today’s papers about the conference that are worth reading.
First, a group of them (which included Sadiq Khan) nominated Corbyn for the leadership on the assumption that he could never win it – one of the biggest misjudgements since Stalin was accepted as general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1922 because he posed no threat to his colleagues
Second, the open challenge to Corbyn’s leadership was launched too soon. In the Conservative Party, where the overthrow of leaders is an art form nurtured and treasured over two centuries, we would never have made this error. The rule of thumb is that it takes a good two years for a party to despair even of a very unsuccessful leader. By jumping the natural starting gun, the moderates left some Labour members able to say that their leader was still new and hadn’t been given a chance.
Third, that premature challenge was not spearheaded by a real alternative. Owen Smith was not only unprepared for the fight but offered merely a less doctrinaire version of Corbyn himself, rather than a different vision of Labour’s future. Thus the central argument about the whole direction of the party was never fought out, and the leadership election actually shifted the terms of Labour’s debates further to the Left.
Ironically, on one point at least, Hague’s analysis is identical to John McDonnell’s. McDonnell famously said the Labour plotters had been “fucking useless”.
The truth is that Labour’s biggest problem is not Mr Corbyn himself but the fact that the world has moved on and the party has not. Although its battles are conducted on Twitter and Facebook, it is still an analogue organisation in a digital age. Even its name looks like an anachronism. This is a party of “the workers”, which grew out of the trade union movement but which has failed spectacularly to understand that the nature of work has changed over the past 30 years.
The number of self-employed people is predicted to overtake public sector workers by 2018 as the internet transforms the way business is done. About 16 per cent of people in this country now work for themselves — up from 8.7 per cent in 1975 — and it’s a trend that will only accelerate with the rise of automation.
The self-employed will be an ever more powerful economic and political force, but Labour has nothing to say to these voters. Its policies on full employment or workers’ rights are irrelevant to them and its statist solutions are likely to be anathema to this instinctively individualistic group. These are not all thrusting entrepreneurs setting out to become millionaires by setting up their own companies. Many are freelancers cobbling together jobs, or people making a part-time living through the sharing economy — Uber drivers or those renting out a room on Airbnb. To the extent that it thinks about them at all, Labour sees them as victims of corporate exploitation, but many like the flexibility and control they get from being their own boss. They do not think of themselves as “the workers”; in fact work is not their defining identity at all.
[Rayner’s] combative Commons displays on the subject have seen her become a front-bench favourite of Labour members.
And the passion she exudes for education and the party will ensure a packed hall for her speech today.
It will be a very different reception to the “sneer of arrogance” she has encountered from the Tory benches since taking the role. “I think some of them think: ‘What does she know, she wasn’t educated, she says it herself.
“But actually I’ve got a masters in real life and I know from the evidence this is bad for our kids.”
In the debate on the NEC rule changes Mike Katz, from the Jewish Labour Movement, complained that the party was not doing more to tackle antisemitism. He told delegates:
Conference, I don’t want to be here because I wish there hadn’t been an upsurge in antisemitics, Islamophobic, misogynistic and homophobic vile hate speech in our party, even here, in our exhibitions and on our fringe, I’m sad to report. Jeremy [Corbyn] has said it, Tom [Watson] has said it, we have all said it; there is no place for this in our party. We must root it out.
Against this backdrop, is there any wonder that support for Labour amongst British Jews is said to be as low as 7%. It makes me weep; the party of Manny Shinwell, the party that has done more than any other to promote tolerance and inequality, the party to which the Jewish Labour Movement has been affiliated since 1920, is not seen as a welcoming home for Jews.
Katz said that Corbyn had acted to address antisemitism, but he said that measures to specifically tackle antisemitism should have been included in the rule changes being voted on today.
The 15 national executive rule changes - Details
The national executive committee’s rule changes are controversial because they include plans to let the Labour leaders in Scotland and Wales nominate one person each to sit on the NEC. Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish leader, and Carwyn Jones, the Welsh leader, are both seen as opponents of Jeremy Corbyn, and Corbynites fear this rule change will result in the anti-Corbyn faction on the NEC getting too extra votes. Currently Corbyn has a small majority on the NEC on some issues, but it is finally balanced. The Corbynites wanted the new Scottish and Welsh NEC representatives to be chosen by party members, which would probably have led to Corbyn supporters being elected.
But some of the other changes are quite significant. Here is a full list of what they are.
1 - Clarification that a sitting leader does not need to be nominated by 20% of MPs and MEPs to stand in a leadership election if challenged. This change is being introduced because the current rules are ambiguous. Labour’s NEC decided that Corbyn could stand in the leadership contest without getting fresh nominations, but because the rules were not 100% clear, a Labour member took the party to court in an unsuccessful attempt to get that decision overturned.
2 - Clarification of for how long someone needs to have paid affiliation fees to attend a CLP AGM (60 days).
3 - Tightening of rules allowing the party to exclude people convicted of serious offences from joining, to include people subject to rulings from civil courts relating to their behaviour. This is intended to ensure Labour can exclude people who might be a threat to children but who have not been convicted of a criminal offence.
4 - Giving the national women’s conference a formal role in policy making.
5 - Toughening up penalties for Labour groups that do not follow gender balance rules.
6 - Banning Labour councillors from voting for an illegal budget.
7 - Obliging Labour mayors and police and crime commissioners to report to Labour organisations and conferences.
8 - Changing the way Labour councillors pay a levy to the party.
9 - Adding two members to the NEC, a frontbench member of the Scottish parliament nominated by the Scottish leader and a frontbench member of the Welsh assembly nominated by the Welsh leader.
10 - Allowing the Scottish and Welsh leaders to attend the Clause 5 meetings that determine the party’s election manifesto.
11- Putting the Scottish and Welsh executives in charge of deciding their own Westminster candidates.
12 - Putting the Scottish and Welsh executives in charge of setting rules for the selection of candidates for the devolved bodies.
13 - Putting the Scottish and Welsh executives in charge of setting rules for the selection of council candidates in Scotland and Wales.
14 - Formalising the posts of Scottish deputy leader and Welsh deputy leader.
15 - Formalising the new rule changes affecting Scotland and Wales.
At the Labour conference Andy Kerr, a member of the national executive committee, is now opening the main debate on the proposed national executive committee rule changes.
Paddy Lillis, the NEC chair who is chairing this morning’s session, called a vote on a show of hands on whether to agree a “reference back” so that delegates could vote on all 15 proposed rule changes separately. There were loud protests when he did not agree a card vote, but Lillis said there was a clear majority against a reference back. Manuel Cortes, the TSSA general secretary who proposed a reference back, then came to the stage to protest, saying party rules said there should be a card vote. Lillis over-ruled him, saying it was clear from the show of hands who won.
Now that’s over it is seems certain that the proposed rule changes will be agreed quite comfortably.
The Labour conference has opened, and there will be a debate on the proposed changes to party rules (including giving Scotland and Wales a seat on the national executive committee). But, being the Labour party, at first they are having a debate about who to hold the vote. Labour HQ wants a single ‘take it or leave it’ vote on all 15 proposed rule changes. But some delegates are now arguing for individual votes on each measure.
Labour conference backs call for possible referendum on final Brexit deal
There were not many policy issues that divided Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith during the leadership contest but one was Europe. Corbyn said the party should accept the Brexit vote, and focus on getting the best possible deal. Smith said that any final deal should be put to the public, in a second referendum or a general election, and that he would like the UK to stay in the EU.
Interestingly, the Labour party conference has backed the Owen Smith position. There has not been a formal debate on Brexit at the conference, but yesterday’s economy debate included various composite motions on employment rights, including one proposed by the TSSA union. It was passed unanimously, and no one paid much attention to the detail, but it included a line saying the UK should retain the option of staying in the EU.
Here is the key passage.
[Conference] recognises that many of those who voted to leave the EU were expressing dissatisfaction with EU or national policy and were voting for change, but believes that unless the final settlement proves to be acceptable then the option of retaining EU membership should be retained. The final settlement should therefore be subject to approval, through parliament and potentially through a general election, or a referendum.
In practice, the significance of this is limited. According to party officials, the fact that the composite was passed does not mean that demanding a possible second referendum is now official party policy. Instead the motion will feed into the national policy forum policy-making process. And in practice Corbyn’s election victory means he has a mandate for his ‘it’s settled’ position.
But the fact that conference has passed this motion will embolden those Labour MPs, like Smith, who are demanding a second referendum. And if the Commons ever ends up voting on amendments to Brexit legislation demanding a second referendum, as seems inevitable, Labour MPs will be able to use composite 1 as justification for backing those amendments.
Updated
Labour does not feature much on the newspaper front pages this morning although, given the splash headline on one of the few papers that does lead on Labour, Jeremy Corbyn may consider that a blessing.
Tuesday's Daily Mail front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) September 26, 2016
Labour in la-la-land#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/hjgkCbCMOs
If you’re interested, you can read how the Mail explains its headline here.
Our coverage is rather different. You can read most of our conference stories here.
In the past Tuesday at Labour conference has always been the day of the leader’s speech, but this year Jeremy Corbyn is doing what most other party leaders do and using his keynote speech to close the conference. The advantage of this arrangement, for all political leaders, is that the speech gets reported in full, but the media can’t then spend the next 24 hours prowling the conference finding party members to slag it off. Instead Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, gets to take the Tuesday afternoon slot.
Here is a round-up of the overnight Labour conference stories.
- Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, will say that the party must develop policies to stop automation harming workers. Announcing the launch of an independent commission into the future of work, Watson will highlight research saying that more than a third of workers think their job security will be harmed by automation, while a fifth think it will hit their wages. He will tell the conference:
New automated technologies are fusing with the internet, and creating models of work and jobs we haven’t seen before. Daily we hear stories of machines and systems that can do things we thought only humans could do - driving cars, drafting contracts, even composing music.
It’s been called the fourth industrial revolution - a new era of fast, technology-driven change, which we’re beginning to feel in everything we do.
And it’s uncertain because it isn’t yet fulfilling its potential to change working lives for the good - we aren’t seeing it. Too many people whose grandparents were trade unionists with secure jobs are now working 60-hour weeks, below the minimum wage, without any support from a union. The dark side of the gig economy.
- Diane Abbott, the shadow health secretary, will tell the conference in her speech later that Labour will rescue the NHS. She will unveil various proposals, including: focusing more on public health and preventative health care; prioritising mental health services; and ending “damaging” competition and marketisation in the NHS, “removing the private sector where it is ripping-off the NHS”.
- Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, will tell the conference in his speech that the party must focus on winning power. Saying that the leadership issue is now settled (Khan backed Owen Smith, not Corbyn), he will say:
It’s only with Labour in power that we can create a fairer, more equal and more just Britain.
Labour out of power will never, ever be good enough ... The people who need us the most are those who suffer the most when Labour is not in power.
- Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, will say every parent should have the right to quality, afforable childcare in her speech to the conferrence. She will announce a review of childcare provision and early-years education. She will say:
Our aim will be to provide the care and support for every child to fulfil their potential, and to help parents back to work. Getting it right will improve the life chances of countless children across the country. That must be our mission.
- John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, told Newsnight last night that, despite Clive Lewis’s speech yesterday signalling that Corbyn will not try to overturn Labour’s pro-Trident policy, the policy could still be changed. McDonnell said:
[Lewis’s] view is that the matter has been decided for the time being. But it is always open for our party members to raise these issues.
- Corbyn is being urged by allies to sack McDonnell, the Times (paywall) reports. But it says Corbyn is refusing to countenance the idea. Here’s an extract from its story.
Moderate Labour MPs claim that the language used by Mr McDonnell acts as a “nod and a wink” to leftwingers to target them with abuse online.
Some of Mr Corbyn’s closest allies have told the leader that removing his old friend from his post would be the “single best thing” he could do to repair relations in the party ...
A senior source said: “We had the chance to reach out right at the start, but that fell apart when [Mr Corbyn] appointed McDonnell. He’s been told directly to get rid of him but he can’t.
“It would be the single best thing he could do to bring the party back together. It would immediately remove the major block stopping MPs from coming back.”
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Conference opens. Paddy Lillis, chair of the national executive committee, will introduce Jeremy Corbyn’s policy plan, Diana Holland, the national treasurer, produces her report and then there is a debate on party rule changes, including those giving Scotland and Wales a seat each on the NEC.
10.45am: Debate on housing.
11.15am: Debate on social care.
12.05pm: Speech from Paul Flynn, shadow leader of the Commons.
12.30pm: Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, speaks.
2.15pm: Debate on children and education, with a speech from Angela Rayner, teh shadow education secretary.
3pm: Debate on energy.
3.30pm: Marvyn Rees, the mayor of Bristol, speaks.
3.40pm: Tom Watson, the deputy leader, speaks.
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