Keir Starmer's speech at London Labour's Regional Conference

Keir Starmer speech at London Labour's Regional Conference, Saturday 28^th January.

It’s always a pleasure to be here with my London Labour family. In a city which knows better than some parts of our country the difference Labour in power can make.

From Hackney to Hounslow. Lewisham to Brent. We’re standing by our communities in this cost-of-living crisis. Making a difference.

You see it right across the city. It’s the cheaper bills on Waltham Forest and Enfield award-winning home insulation scheme. The safer streets in Redbridge - community enforcement hubs tackling anti-social behaviour. The primary school children no longer going hungry in Westminster - Labour Westminster!

And in City Hall, under Sadiq’s leadership, we’re showing how to build a new Britain.

A few weeks ago, you probably saw, just down the road in Hackney, I spoke about “sticking plaster politics”. About how, without reform, Westminster is incapable of delivering the change our country needs.

How we need a new politics which trusts communities to control their own destiny. Conference, we know what that looks like in London. We’ve seen it here for eight years - and we’re going to make it twelve next year!

It’s more new homes than at any time since the 1930s and more new council homes than at any time since the 1970s.

A golden era of house-building which is tackling London’s affordability crisis - at source. Long-term solutions, dynamic local leadership, communities in control. That’s the antidote to sticking plaster politics.

That’s the difference that Labour makes in power. But conference, that difference, it starts with the party. It starts with you. Without your hard work, your enthusiasm, your hope for a better future. The door-knocking, the casework, the quiet conversations with your community - rain or shine. Nothing we hope to achieve for our country is possible.

So, I want to say thank you to all of you for all of that but my thanks are not just for our victories together. It’s also about our values - who we are as a party.

Three years ago, when I became leader, I knew we had a huge task ahead. We had to change our party and prepare for power all in one go. Not change for change’s sake, change with a purpose. To make our Labour Party fit to serve our country.

That’s why we had to support NATO, and show it’s non-negotiable. Show we want business to thrive and prosper and understand the importance of sound money. Country first, party second.

But most of all, it’s why we had to rip antisemitism out by its roots. This has been on my mind this week - of course it has. Only yesterday - like many people here I’m sure - I paused to remember the worst evil in human history.

To reflect on the burden of anxiety and pain Jewish communities still carry as part of that history and to say, as we do on Holocaust Memorial Day every year, never again.

Last week, Jonny Newton from the Community Security Trust, put out a message about our journey on anti-Semitism.

But before I share it, I need to be clear about exactly what the Community Security Trust does. They campaign against anti-Semitism, of course but their main focus is protecting Jews…

From hate, from intimidation, from violent attack in their communities. At Synagogues. At schools.

Conference, this is the awful reality Jewish communities still face in Britain - the work the Community Security Trust is vital.

But Jonny’s message is clear and painful to hear.

He says:

In 2018 and 2019 “Labour related anti-Semitism” was a “key driver” of “sustained anti-Jewish hatred”. That’s the stain we are trying so hard to remove from our party. But he goes on. Because now, in 2023, he praises the work we’ve done.

“Meticulously developing and implementing new policies.”

“Warning against complacency.”

“No equivocation”.

Conference, let me be clear: this work never stops. Our commitment to fighting all forms hate and discrimination - never stops. “Never again” - never stops

It’s up to us - everyone here in this room - to keep up the work of fighting anti-Semitism and changing our party. Because if we stop for one moment, then we forgo the right to change our communities, our cities, and our country.

That’s what a party fit to serve the country means and it’s why our victory in Barnet last year was the proudest moment of my leadership.

So I say to Jewish communities there and everywhere - we know we must never let up, and we won’t.

But that moment in Barnet, I felt for the first time in a while, that Labour could return the gaze of the British people with confidence.

Conference, that’s the foundation we’ve laid, together. And now we’ve got to build on it.

I want to walk into Parliament after the general election and see Dan Tomlinson representing Chipping Barnet, Joe Powell representing Kensington, Rachel for the Two Cities, David for Hendon. and Danny.

Danny - there’s going to be some jubilation across the country when we see you there - let’s kick Johnson out!

But conference - make no mistake: we have to work for it.

The Tories will never give up on power - that’s not who they are. So no let up, no complacency, fight for every vote.

Britain is crying out for change, crying out for decisive leadership - we must provide it and prove we can be a bold, reforming government.

Show, not just what the Tories have done to Britain, but the Britain that Labour can build - a fairer, greener, more dynamic country.

With an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and a politics which trusts communities with the power to control their own destiny.

This is crucial - economic change must go hand-in-hand with political change.

We have an economy that hoards potential and a politics that hoards power.

No similar country puts so much decision-making in the hands of so few people.

And it’s no coincidence this leaves us with more regional inequality than anywhere else in Europe. No accident it leads to the moral bankruptcy we see play out - every week - from the Tories in Westminster.

Look - I’m not going to waste too many words on the Tories here. But the damage they’ve done to our country, to our finances, public services and to our reputation all around the world - it’s immense.

Sticking plaster politics will never end with them. They’re not capable of the change Britain needs.

And as for the cynicism of what they’ll do at the general election; to try and claim some kind of political credit for the sacrifices working people are making now. As if the ambulance waiting times, the burglaries going unpunished, the mortgage payments through the roof are somehow not their fault?

No. This is why we’ve got to rise to the moment. Give people a sense of possibility again. Light at the end of the tunnel.

And look, let’s be honest - this is going to be hard. Every policy we announce must be fully costed. The lesson of the last year is stark.

Lose control of the economy and its businesses and working people who pick up the bill. We can’t let that happen, even when it puts a brake on things - good Labour things - we might like to do in power.

We have to understand sound money in our public finances comes first. But at the same time, we must be bold on reform, on reconstruction, on national renewal.

That’s what the British people expect from a Labour Government - and we will deliver.

Because for all the challenges we face - I remain optimistic about our future. I believe in our country, I believe in our businesses, I believe in our people, and I believe in our spirit.

So let’s get on the doorstop and show people how we can change our country. Let’s show them our plan for grassroots growth and how we’re going to end the Tory era of low pay with our New Deal for Working People.

Reform business rates to give our high streets a level playing field. Spread economic opportunity and control out of Westminster to every community.

Tell them about our partnership with business. A modern industrial strategy that will drive innovation, raise investment and harness the power of new technology and put it to work for working people.

Let’s explain that we would stop the energy price cap creeping up again in April. That we’d stop pre-payment meters being imposed on people. And that the Labour Party would never sit on its hands when a fairer share from oil and gas companies could help working people in crisis.

But also be clear that ‘sticking plaster politics’ is not enough to end the cost of living crisis. And that we have the plan for the long-term cure. That we will insulate 19 million homes. That we will invest in the clean British energy that gets us cheaper bills, forever That we will give our country energy independence from Putin, forever.

And with Great British energy, that we will turn the golden opportunity of clean energy into the secure, well-paid jobs of the future - for every community.

But conference, be clear about this as well. Only Labour understands that you can’t fix our economy without first fixing our public services.

That’s why we’ll reform the employment service to get more people back to work and give everyone who needs it access to mental health treatment within four weeks. Build a modern childcare system that supports parents and women to flourish.

More police on the streets. More affordable housing. More support for our NHS.

You know - one of the great privileges of being born in Britain, certainly for all my life, is knowing that if you get ill, or f you have a serious accident, you’ll get decent healthcare. Whatever your circumstances.

Not every country has that - and the anxiety it causes is huge. But when you’ve got seven million on waiting lists - and rising. When you have to fight tooth and nail to get a GP appointment in three weeks time.

When you call an ambulance for a stroke and it won’t get there for an hour and a half

- isn’t that precisely where we are?

Conference, we can’t let sticking plaster politics destroy our NHS. I won’t stand for that, and Labour won’t stand for that.

That’s why we’ve got a fully costed plan for the biggest NHS training programme in its history. We’ll tackle the capacity crisis with more doctors, more nurses, more health visitors.

We’ll broker a fair pay agreement that will transform the pay and conditions for every carer in the country.

And we’ll reform the NHS, so it once again gives people the care and security they deserve.

Conference, every day until the election - this is our job.

We need to take our positive message to the hearts and ears of the British people…

Work each day to win their trust.

Match their ambition for our country.

And enjoy that task.

Because, amongst all the chaos, there is a growing impatience for change. For national renewal. And - as they have in the past - the British people are turning to Labour to provide it.

That’s the value of a changed Labour party.

But I’ll say again. No complacency.

Our message at the next election must be that we’re different to the party that Britain rejected in 2019. We must point to the changes we’ve made and must say - never again will Labour be a party of protest not public service.

Never again will Labour fail to grasp that economic stability is the foundation of our ambitions. Never again will Labour allow hate to spread unchallenged. We’ve changed our party and we’re ready to change Britain.

Ready to build a fairer, greener, more dynamic Britain where working people succeed, aspiration is rewarded, public services – work.

Communities control their own destiny. A Britain with a sense of hope and possibility, once again.

That’s what this Labour Party stands for. Let’s make it happen.

Thank you Conference