Keir Starmer gave his annual keynote speech to Labour conference on Tuesday – in what could be his last in opposition.
After a rocky start in which he was interrupted by protesters, his speech appeared to go down well in the room, even if it was light on unexpected or new policy announcements.
Here are five key takeaways from the opposition leader’s address to members.
Unleashing ‘big build’
Sir Keir vowed to build “the next generation of Labour new towns” to prevent home-ownership from becoming “a luxury for the few not the privilege of the many”. The said he would release “grey belt” land such as disused car parkers and “bulldog through” the UK’s “restrictive” planning system.
Devolution to town and cities
One major focus of the Labour leader’s speech was devolution. He said he would give towns and cities across the country powers enjoyed by metropolises like London and Greater Manchester.
Leaving behind the Corbyn years
As with all his speeches since becoming leader, Sir Keir made much of distancing himself from his predecessor. The opposition leader said his party was no longer “in thrall to gesture politics”. At the start of his speech was disrupted by a demonstrator, he said “protest or power, this is why we changed our party”.
A decade of national renewal
This was a key theme of Sir Keir’s speech, and was briefed in advance. Given parliaments last at most five years, the comments have been widely interpreted as a wish for two terms in power.
Tagging voices
The Labour leader also pledged to use the speech to build a country where everyone, regardless of background, felt “respected” and “valued”. He said he would smash “hardest class ceiling of all” – the “nagging voice inside” telling working class people they do not belong.
