Good morning from Liverpool. This is my first First Edition on location, coming to you from the Labour party conference here. It’s not exactly Ibiza, but I will do my best to keep you entertained.
MPs, councillors, union officials and other delegates are descending on the city. On Sunday morning, Keir Starmer put down a striking marker for the next few days by saying that Reform UK’s plans to revoke the rights of thousands of people to live in Britain were “racist” and “immoral”. On the other hand, home secretary Shabana Mahmood will today set out a tougher set of conditions for permission to settle in the UK. And even if Rachel Reeves has a more cheerful policy to announce, a library in the 1,700 English primary schools that currently lack them, a flurry of protests from across the political spectrum in the afternoon underlined that Reform have chosen the battleground.
On one side were nationalist demonstrators waving St George’s and union jack flags, brandishing placards against digital IDs and railing against illegal immigration. At points, they chanted “you can put your Palestine up your arse” at another group of protesters who were challenging the proscription of Palestine Action only metres away. Several people were arrested for carrying signs that read: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.” And to complicate things further, another small group of activists staging their own protest calling for more social housing were also heckled by the nationalists.
The atmosphere was febrile, tense, and at times bewildering – a sign of a fractured and complicated time across the country and for the Labour party. Inside, delegates struggled to recall the last time far-right protesters had demonstrated outside the Labour party conference. And while Keir Starmer kicked off conference on the attack – the question lingered: will it be enough?
That’s after the headlines.
Five big stories
Ukraine | One of the worst bombardments of Kyiv since the start of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has killed at least four people. Russia launched nearly 600 drones and more than 40 cruise missiles in a bombardment that lasted more than 12 hours over Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
Employment | New graduates will find it difficult to find a job after a 35% drop in hiring by employers over the last year, according to analysis by a leading recruitment data provider. The firm said the overall jobs market is “cooling, not collapsing”.
Moldova | Moldova’s ruling pro-European party is on course to retain its parliamentary majority after Sunday’s pivotal election, seen as a test of the president’s push to keep the country of 2.4 million on track for EU membership rather than drifting back towards Moscow.
Gaza | Israel has pressed on with its offensive in Gaza as Donald Trump claimed again to be on the brink of a breakthrough in negotiations for a ceasefire in the devastated territory. Witnesses said Israeli tanks were advancing through Gaza City towards coastal areas where hundreds of thousands are sheltering.
New York | The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, announced on Sunday that he is abandoning his faltering bid to win re-election. In a veiled allusion to the democratic socialist frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani, he said that the city faced “destructive extremist forces”.
In depth: Crisis after crisis
Keir Starmer is only the second Labour leader this century to win a general election. As my colleague Archie wrote on polling day, many who wanted the Tories out of government held on to tepid hope that Starmer’s government would truly bring change.
But that thin hope soon unravelled. In his first year in office, Labour has stumbled repeatedly:
The government was immediately swamped by the “freebies” row, with Starmer and senior figures criticised for accepting gifts and hospitality, from clothes to concert tickets, after an election campaign in which he pledged to be cleaner than the rest.
Rachel Reeves announced plans to cut the universal winter fuel payment for pensioners, a hugely popular universal benefit, before being forced into a U-turn.
Seven MPs were suspended for backing an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap, a draconian response that has accelerated moves on the left to form a new party, with talk of an electoral pact with the Greens.
Welfare reforms around disability benefits had to be diluted after a major Labour rebellion.
Starmer condemned racist riots after the Southport killings, but drew criticism for his silence on the anti-immigrant agenda fuelling them. Months later he warned the UK risked becoming “an island of strangers” without getting tougher immigration controls – language widely compared to Enoch Powell, which he later said he regretted.
Labour proscribed Palestine Action under terrorism laws, provoking mass arrests and demonstrations – as well as a political headache.
Seven former government ministers have left since Starmer’s government won power, with at times damaging resignations, such as Angela Rayner’s this summer, amid revelations she had improperly paid stamp duty on a second home.
Starmer defended US ambassador Peter Mandelson over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, only to reverse course and sack him days later.
The economy remains weak, living costs are biting, and Reform is surging. Polls now suggest Nigel Farage could win a majority.
Starmer hopes to turn things around with three big moves: Palestinian recognition, digital ID, and rhetoric to directly counter Reform. This conference will test whether any of it cuts through.
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Correcting a historic wrong
Earlier this month, the Palestinian flag was raised at London’s newest embassy. Despite opposition from Israel, the US and several UK parties, Starmer held firm, correcting what many saw as a longstanding injustice.
He hoped to quiet discontent within Labour and among progressive voters over his response to Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, which this month was named a genocide by a UN commission of inquiry staffed by independent experts. But at conference, quiet looked unlikely.
Outside a huge marquee on the dockside where protesters were coalescing, I asked some of the dozens of demonstrators whether they were convinced by Labour’s latest manoeuvring on Palestine: the answer was a resounding no.
Astrid Madson, who held a sign in support of Palestine Action, described the recognition of Palestine as “performative”. As the police began to surround the group, the 32-year-old said: “Recognising Palestine as a state and calling for a two-party solution is just words. Unfortunately, we’re seeing a flagrant abuse of terror laws, silencing those speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. That’s why we’re here today: to defend democracy and our freedoms.”
The party also faced heavy criticism for ruling out about 30 Palestine motions from local parties, prompting accusations of stifling debate.
Recognising Palestine was a significant, if largely symbolic, step. But it is clear the pressure on Starmer to go further will not ease.
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Digital ID cards
Digital ID cards were not in Labour’s manifesto, but suggestions from French politicians that their absence makes Britain a draw for migrants proved too much for No 10 to ignore.
Unveiling the policy, Starmer called digital IDs “an enormous opportunity” to secure borders and make it harder to work illegally. The problem? Most experts disagree. In July, the Migration Observatory noted as much. Employers are already subject to heavy fines or prison if they hire people without permission to work, and research by the World Bank shows the UK’s informal economy is actually smaller than France’s. And many will also argue that the announcement is still playing on Farage’s turf.
Yet Starmer is pressing ahead – ready to have a fight with civil liberties groups on this issue, as well as … Farage? Apparently so. Reform has dismissed the plan as pointless and as an infringement on “the freedoms of law-abiding Brits”.
Many nationalist protesters outside the conference on Sunday agreed. Those willing to speak without giving their names insisted that ID cards were less about border security and more about government surveillance.
There was little common ground between the demonstrations. Yet when one group began chanting “Keir Starmer is a wanker,” some from the opposing protest groups joined in. This presumably wasn’t the unity that Labour has in mind when it talks about bringing people together.
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Taking the fight to Reform
Starmer’s keynote address at Labour’s conference is not until tomorrow, but there has already been a notable shift in tone.
Starmer attacked Reform’s plan to deport thousands of people already legally living in the UK as “racist” and “immoral” yesterday. He described Reform’s proposal to entirely abolish the main route for immigrants to gain British citizenship as something that would “tear this country apart”. (Jessica Elgot has more on the politics of that decision in this analysis piece.)
His words were welcomed at a Labour gathering of minority groups inside conference, which Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, spoke at. The right-wing protesters outside had whittled away by that point, while the Defend our Juries demonstrators were being arrested one by one.
Nandy echoed the prime minister as she told the room “we are in a battle for the soul of our country”. She spoke of the discrimination her father faced, who migrated from India, adding:“We all know what discrimination and prejudice looks like.”
She spoke of her father’s generation’s activism, which helped pass crucial anti-racist legislation and laid out her stand to the room that the country faces the same historic juncture now calling them to continue their work of coming together and celebrating their differences.
Those in the room nodded and applauded, but the meeting was sparsely attended and lacked the energy of the protesters outside. Labour may be drawing a clearer line between itself and Reform, but its real challenge is persuading people to buy into its vision of the country.
What else we’ve been reading
The dizzying shifts in how political identity is formed and reformed are one of the central themes of this fascinating study of the Facebook networks where far-right ideas grow: the narratives are old, one expert says, but “It’s the algorithmic amplification … which is different.” Archie
There’s not much good news around at the moment, so this story of a bus driver who got everyone on board to sing happy birthday to an Austrian backpacker in Los Angeles – while also returning her lost camera – left me grinning from ear to ear. Aamna
For Saturday magazine, Rebecca Nicholson interviewed Florence Welch, who recounts the ectopic pregnancy that nearly killed her. She doesn’t have the corny “seize the day” reaction to trauma, she says: “I feel slightly more obsessive and fragile and wounded than I did before. But it has given me a sense of toughness in my work.” Archie
Gen Z has been dubbed the “sober curious” generation, but they’ve not given up alcohol entirely. Industry leaders suggest they are drawn to innovative styles such as orange wine. They just don’t want to get black-out drunk, which is fair enough. Aamna
Nesrine Malik has a lacerating opinion piece on Kamala Harris’s election memoir: the book, she says, reveals “a politician who is all about the machinery of politics, rather than one with conviction spurred by a sense of duty”. Archie
Sport
Golf | Europe fought off a thrilling United States rally to win an emotional Ryder Cup, with Shane Lowry securing the trophy on a dramatic six-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Europe’s triumph was their 11th in the past 15 Cup showdowns and their fourth on the road in that period.
Rugby | The euphoria and unbridled joy that has been a hallmark of the women’s Rugby World Cup shone through the rain on Sunday as thousands of England fans gathered to celebrate the Red Roses’ victory. A peak audience of 5.8 million viewers watched Saturday’s final, making it the most watched rugby game of the year.
Premier League | An injury time header from Gabriel Magalhães secured a 2-1 victory for Arsenal over Newcastle. In the day’s other game, Ollie Watkins ended his drought as Aston Villa beat Fulham 3-1.
The front pages
Ahead of the Labour party conference, the Guardian leads with “Reform’s ‘racist’ migrant plans could tear Britain apart, says PM”. The Mail takes a different line, with “Worried about immigration? Starmer says you’re racist”. The Times has “Immigrants face ‘good citizen’ test to stay in UK”, while the Telegraph says “Migrants on benefits to be barred from UK”.
The i reports “Reeves promises guaranteed jobs for unemployed aged 18 to 21”, and the Mirror has “Paid work for all jobless young people”. The Financial Times says “Moral hazard’ alarm sounded after JLR granted £1.5bn loan guarantee”. Finally, the Sun reports on a row over access to land near a royal property with “Get orf one’s land”.
Today in Focus
How to defeat Britain’s far right
Hope Not Hate founder Nick Lowles has spent decades researching, infiltrating and helping communities to combat far-right groups. But now, he says: “They have their sights on our multicultural society.”
Cartoon of the day | Ella Baron
The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
When Sarah Cook was 60, her urge to travel became impossible to ignore. Having rented out her flat in Cumbria, England, she set off alone to pedal the Pacific west coast of the US. As she cycled away from Vancouver airport: “I was, like, ‘See you in six months!’,” she says. “Not having the weight of bricks and mortar and possessions was so liberating.” By the time she arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, 111 days later, she knew: “This is how I want to live my life.” Now 67, she has been itinerant ever since, and has cycled 24,000 miles.
Cook’s highlights include cycling nearly 3,000 miles across Europe, from the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean; camping beneath giant sequoias in California; wild camping in the Colombian páramo; and pedalling 2,000 miles of Patagonian coastline into Ushuaia in Argentina, to fulfil a childhood dream.
Cook wanted to find out what happened “when your life was on the road. I thought something must switch in your head or your emotions … It is the ultimate living in the moment.” Each day, as she starts to turn the pedals, she says: “I feel weightless – as if I’m flying.”
Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
