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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Rachael Burford and Nicholas Cecil

Anti-Israel protester interrupts Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Labour conference speech

An anti-Israel protester disrupted the Chancellor’s speech at the Labour Party conference on Monday.

Rachel Reeves was heckled by a campaigner voicing opposition to the government continuing to sell arms to the country amid the war in Gaza.

The protester was hauled out of the hall by security.

Ms Reeves hit back: “This is a changed Labour Party.

“A Labour Party that represents working people, not a party of protests.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves on stage at Labour party conference (Getty Images)

Her response was similar to the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s when interrupted by protesters at previous conferences.

The demonstration this time sparked a huge show of support from delegates for Ms Reeves as she pressed on with her speech - her first conference address since becoming Britain’s first female Chancellor.

Ms Reeves received applause and a standing ovation as she began.

She said she will "write the work of all women back into our economic story".

"Eight hundred years the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer has existed, every one a man,” she told the conference in Liverpool.

“On July 5, we made history. Every woman watching this will know, no matter how high you climb, how hard you work, how qualified you are, there will always be moments where you are reminded some people don't believe that a woman can get the job done.

"Millions of women in our party, in our trade unions, and in every walk of life beat back those doubts."

She added that she and the Labour Party will "write the work of all women back into our economic story, to show our daughters and our grand-daughters that they need place no ceiling on their ambitions".

Ms Reeves also mocked the "clash of the titans" for the Conservative leadership.

Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat will all make the case to the Tory Party membership at their conference.

Ms Reeves said: "You will hear many things at their conference next week but you won't hear an apology.

"No apology for the cost of your mortgage, no apology for crumbling classrooms and rising waiting lists, no apology for mismanaging our public finances, degrading our institutions and crashing our global standing in the world.

"They do not care and they have learned nothing, so be in no doubt - given the chance, they will try and do it all over again.

"Only we, only the Labour Party can stop them, so we must have no complacency, a relentless focus on the priorities of the British people and iron discipline.

"We cannot give them that chance. So, let's resolve together today that we will not give them that chance."

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