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Foreign secretary David Lammy has proclaimed “Britain is back” in his speech at Labour’s conference in Liverpool.
In an attempt at crowd interaction, Mr Lammy encouraged conference members to chant “Britain is back” as he listed the things he had done so far in office.
His comments come after Ukraine’s ambassador to Ukraine gave a surprise speech, urging a “fast-track” membership for Ukraine in Nato.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi said he believed Labour had come to power “just in time”, adding: “The Labour Party has a proud history of fighting fascism”.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner opened the conference this morning. In an optimistic speech, Ms Rayner sketched out her plans to tackle damp and mouldy homes, build more social housing, devolve more power out of Westminster and increase workers’ rights.
Her speech came after she was forced to defend the government over freebies accepted by senior ministers.
Ms Rayner told the BBC on Sunday morning that gifts and donations were “a factor in our political life”, adding: “All MPs do it”.
The Independent’s political team will be reporting throughout the week from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
Passengers are being priced off trains, union leaders warn
Passengers are being priced off the railways while private operators continue to make huge profits, union leaders have said.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), and Mick Whelan, of Aslef, said the answer to lower fares had to start with renationalising train companies.
Mr Whelan told a fringe meeting at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool: “People are being priced off the railway. We don’t have a turn up and go railway. If you haven’t booked a ticket three months ahead you don’t bother going.”
He said a start would be to stop money being “drained” out of the industry by profits being given to shareholders.
Mr Lynch said train companies and previous Conservative governments had “ripped off” the public because of privatisation.
“Billions of pounds have been leeched out of the industry into dividends or state-owned railways in Europe,” he told the meeting.
Both union leaders welcomed the government’s plans to take rail companies back into public ownership, saying it should be the start of having an affordable, safe, integrated railway.
Climate conscious Labour delights conference goers with refillable coffee cups
Our Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin is on the scene in Liverpool and has a good news update from the conference centre:
Alongside the infighting, and pre-Budget doom and gloom, one innovation is delighting Labour conference go-ers this year.
The party is back in the same Liverpool venue it has used for a few years.
But for the first time – there are refillable coffee cups, with free refills.
Labour conferences have traditionally been caffeine-fuelled, but this year, it seems, will be even more so than usual.
David Lammy issued a message to Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: “We need to show Putin that Britain and its allies are not going anywhere.”
He added: “This Labour government will always stand with [the Ukrainian] people. We need to send another message to Vladimir Putin – your interference in our democracy, promoting disinformation and disorder on our streets, encouraging cleptocrats to store their ill-gotten gains in our property market must end.”
Foreign secretary David Lammy: ‘Britain is back’
Foreign secretary David Lammy has proclaimed “Britain is back” on the world stage after over a decade of Tory leadership.
Mr Lammy told members: “On my first weekend as foreign secretary, when I travelled to Germany, Poland and Sweden in less than 48 hours, I was proud to say Britain is back.”
“When Keir Starmer and my good friend John Healey flew to Washington a few days later…we were proud to say Britain is back.”
“When restored the funding to UNRWA for their work in Gaza, what did we say conference?” Mr Lammy asked. “Britain is back,” he and a number of conference members replied in an attempt at audience interaction.
“When we stood up for international law, when it was not easy, what did we say? Britain is back”, he continued.
“Unlike the Tories, we understand that Britain needs to work with its neighbours to flourish”, he said.
He has promised to “restore Britain’s climate leadership” along with energy secretary Ed Milliband. Mr Lammy said onshore wind will be accelerated because “climate matters”.
“My job is to tell a new story about the United Kingdom abroad. A story of openness, a story of the future, a story of hope, that will reconnect Britain with the world once and for all.
“Conference when I stood in this room last year, I said we had a once in a generation chance to get Britain’s future back,” Mr Lammy continued.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom Valerii Zaluzhnyi is giving a surprise speech at Labour conference.
He has thanked the prime minister and foreign secretary for their support, adding: “The Labour Party has a proud history of fighting fascism”.
He spoke about the necessity of Ukraine’s “fast-track” membership to the Nato security alliance.
Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell has defended the conduct of Labour MPs saying they should not be painted as the same as the Tories.
Despite an ongoing row over Labour ministers accepting freebies for clothes and hospitality, Ms Powell defended the government’s record so far.
In a speech to members in Liverpool, she said: “Our drive to a government of service is so important. Rebuilding trust and delivering what we said we would. Let’s be honest conference, some want to paint a picture that nothing will change, that we are all the same – I totally refute that.
“Don’t let anyone tell you conference we are the same because we are not”.
Chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones is speaking to Labour members in Liverpool.
He said that “there is no magic wand” in Downing Street and warned that “difficult decisions” were required in government.
He described chancellor Rachel Reeves as a “woman who will put rocket boosters under the economy”.
Next up to speak is leader of the Commons Lucy Powell.
David Lammy opens door to further sanctions over West Bank violence
David Lammy has insisted imposing a full arms embargo on Israel would be a “mistake” but left the door open to further sanctions over settler violence in the West Bank.
The foreign secretary suggested suspending export licences that could be used by Israel against Houthi rebels and other proxies in the region would lead to a “wider war”.
But speaking at a Labour Party conference fringe event on Sunday, he said he was in talks with G7 allies about responding to “deeply” concerning “escalatory behaviour” in the occupied region.
“I’m deeply, deeply worried by the growing violence and settler violence that we see in the West Bank,” Mr Lammy said.
“I’m in discussions with G7 partners, particular European partners on that. I’m not announcing further sanctions today, but that is kept under close review.”
‘Time to make new history’, says Pat McFadden in conference address
Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told the conference that this is a “successful and powerful political Labour party”.
He pointed out their success in seats which for decades had been Tory strongholds.
He described the government’s five missions – economic growth, clean power, cutting NHS waiting lists, safer streets, and better opportunities for every child – as “Labour goals, Labour values”.
“This is the change that we need,” McFadden added in the address. The government will make “lasting change” and “new history”.
