Speech by Anneliese Dodds', Labour Party Chair
It's such a pleasure and a privilege to be with you all today as
Chair of our Party.
Our Labour Party - founded over one hundred years ago in the
shadow of dark, satanic mills - and today fighting harder than
ever for decent jobs, proper pay and dignity at work. The party
of our NHS, the party that set up the first national parks and
green space for people to enjoy and the only party that can
protect our planet while protecting jobs.
Now, more than ever, Britain needs a Labour government.
The last 18 months have exposed just how unequal and unfair our
country has become under the Conservatives. But the crisis also
showed what the British people achieve when we come together.
Across our country, people united to look after their neighbours.
Trade unions and businesses worked with the Welsh Labour
government to build ventilators in record time and our NHS worked
with thousands of volunteers, Oxford University and business to
create a vaccine in months when that would normally take years.
We’ve shown that we are stronger together - and that’s the title
of our policy roadmap. Today I’m proud to present to conference
its first two reports.
Britain in 2030 shows how Labour would start to meet the biggest
challenges of our age. From an electric car revolution, to
catch-up for every child, to a new Race Equality Act to a trade
policy that protects jobs at home while securing human rights
abroad and much, much more - the report shows how much better our
country will be under Labour.
I’m so grateful to all the Labour members, trade unions, shadow
Labour teams, members of the NPF and socialist societies who’ve
contributed to it. As we continue to develop together the key new
policies to win the next general election, the stakes have rarely
been higher.
These callous, chaotic, crony Conservatives plunge new depths
every day. This Conservative Party shovels money to its chums and
acts like there’s one rule for senior Tories and another rule for
everyone else. This Conservative Party likes to consider itself
the party of opportunity and to be fair - if, like my opposite
number , you are a nephew to a royal, were educated at Eton
and can fly teabags to Madonna, you too could go far in the
Conservative Party. You know, recently Ben Elliott has been
joined as Conservative Party co-chair by , confirming what many in this hall have always known:
that it takes two Tory men to do the job of one Labour woman.
Conference, we know Britain deserves better than this
Conservative Government - and we’re proving it in communities up
and down the country, where Labour is transforming lives right
now. As our second report says: Labour Works. In local
government, in Wales, in Scotland, with our metro mayors and our
police and crime commissioners-Labour is delivering, right now,
for communities, jobs and our environment.
There’s so much to fight for. The power is in our hands - in the
miles we walk on the streets to knock on doors and the tonnes of
leaflets we all deliver and it’s also in the choices we make
about who we are and what we do as a Party. At this conference,
we must have the confidence to set things right - once and for
all. With a new, independent complaints process - so there is
never, ever any place for anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Anti-Black
racism or discrimination or prejudice of any kind. Where we root
out sexual harassment wherever it rears its ugly head and where
we are a constant, uncompromised, clarion voice for equality,
respect and social justice.
Britain can’t take another five years of these job-destroying,
climate-wrecking, poverty-growing, division-sowing, sleaze-ridden
Tories. Let’s get serious.
Let’s take the energy, commitment and passion that’s in this hall
and let’s use it to boot them out, get into government and pull
our country up - for a stronger future together.
