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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Dave Burke

Labour Party Conference 2022: From Gary Neville to Mick Lynch, here's what to expect

Keir Starmer will spell out how he intends to turn Labour's lead in the polls into election victory as thousands descend on Liverpool for the party conference from today.

The party leader will deliver his keynote speech on Tuesday on what promises to be a dramatic - and sometimes tense - four days.

Members will have plenty to get their teeth into, with guests - among them former England footballer Gary Neville, Coronation Street star Cherylee Houston and chef and campaigner Jack Monroe - taking part in fringe events throughout the conference.

Although opinion polls have made favourable reading for Labour strategists in recent months, the conference will be filled with banana skins for frontbenchers to navigate.

The party's relationship with trade unions will be under the microscope, with TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady and RMT boss Mick Lynch set to address the conference.

The Labour leader is also set to be tested by motions put forward by the party grassroots - with electoral reform and strikes tipped to be among the issues members grapple with.

Tackling the cost of living crisis will be at the heart of discussions, with keynote speeches from Angela Rayner, Rachel Reeves and Mr Starmer outlining what to expect from a Labour government.

Author and campaigner Jack Monroe will outline the impact of the cost of living crisis (Twitter)

Labour's proposal to fund support for worst-affected Brits through a windfall tax on energy firms is likely to get plenty of airtime between Sunday and Wednesday.

This year's conference will be held at the Arena and Convention Centre at King's Dock, while the nearby Pullman Hotel will also host a number of events.

Mr Starmer can expect a robust exchange of views, having faced criticism over the lack of Labour frontbenchers at picket lines in recent weeks.

He said he is repositioning Labour as a party ready for government - telling the Sunday Mirror it could no longer be a "party of protest".

One bone of contention could be the signing of the National Anthem at the start of the conference. Although Mr Starmer has made his pro-monarchy views well known, there is a sizeable Republican movement within the party and it may not be universally popular.

What to expect - a day-by-day guide

Sunday

Big moment: Keir Starmer will be interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg before the conference gets underway in earnest

Interesting fringe events: There's a lot going on throughout the day, and much like Glastonbury conference fanatics will have to plan carefully as much of it is happening at the same time.

The Transport Fringe, at 12.45pm, will be hosted by the RMT, with union boss Mick Lynch and Shadow Transport Secretary Lou Haigh set to take part.

Coronation Street actress Cherylee Houston will be among the speakers at a discussion on Disabled Britain, while Mick Lynch, Andy McDonald and Clive Lewis will be on a panel discussing ways to end the cost of living crisis from 5pm.

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy will be among the speakers outlining how Labour needs Scotland at the same time, while the Mirror editor Alison Phillips will chair a social care fringe discussion.

In the evening Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham will talk about how securing basic income could be Labour's route back to power.

Deputy leader Angela Rayner will address the conference on Sunday (PA)
Monday

Big moment: Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves will address the party from 12.35pm

Interesting fringe events: Gary Neville will be the guest at a discussion on a sustainable future for English football at 10am, while Lisa Nandy will be talking about how to rebuild the Red Wall.

The Trussell Trust will host a discussion on whether Labour can end the need for foodbanks at noon, while Diane Abbott and Bel Ribeiro-Addy will outline how to fight Tory racism.

Lisa Nandy, who is set for a busy conference, will run through what's next for the party's levelling up agenda, and Ed Miliband, Jack Monroe and TUC chief Frances O'Grady will be the guests at a fringe event on the cost of living hosted by the Resolution Foundation.

Frontbencher Lisa Nandy will be busy throughout the conference (Stuart Boulton)
Tuesday

Big moment: Leader Keir Starmer will give his speech at 2pm in the main hall

Interesting fringe events: Frontbenchers Anneliese Dodds, Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner will take part in a discussion on delivering jobs from 10am, while Andy Burnham will tackle the housing market at 10.30am.

Ed Miliband will be looking at whether Net Zero can be delivered by 2050 or sooner, before eyes turn to the party leader at 2pm.

Wednesday

Big moment: A morning session on Public Services that Work from the Start is the only major event of the day, with the conference set to wrap up at noon

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch will also be appearing at the conference (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

What motions are we likely to expect?

Motions at Labour Party conferences are complex. While the Tories have no mechanism for accepting issues, Constituency Labour Party groups (known as CLPs) can put forward motions and constitutional amendments.

Conference chiefs sift through the hundreds they receive and divide them into topics.

They then go through the arduous process of agreeing the wording of each motion that most fairly reflects the strength of feeling from the party grassroots.

This is done the night before a motion is put before the conference, with delegates voting on whether it should be adopted by the party leadership.

As these have yet to be agreed, there isn't currently a list of motions which the conference is set to vote on - but we can probably expect electoral reform to be among the topics that come up, with large sections of the party favouring a move to proportional representation.

At last year's conference in Brighton, 80% of CLP delegates backed a motion calling for the party to commit to changing the voting system in their manifesto - but this was narrowly defeated due to a lack of support from some of Labour’s affiliated trade unions.

Laura Parker, of Labour for a New Democracy, said: “For Proportional Representation to be the most popular issue at conference for the second year in a row shows both the depth and breadth of support for reform across the labour movement and the commitment of party members to see Labour lead the way on fixing our broken democracy.

“Reforming our outdated electoral system is fundamental to changing our society and delivering a fairer, more equal politics. It’s time for our whole movement, from the leadership to the grassroots, to back this change.”

Will there be discussions about strikes?

Undoubtedly.

Keir Starmer's decision to discourage frontbenchers from joining picket lines has caused a lot of unrest among party members.

The decision to sack Sam Tarry - although the leader said the decision was for making up policy on the hoof - sparked a backlash from the left of the party.

Mr Starmer has said Labour can no longer be a party of protest as he tries to position it as a government-in-waiting, but many within his ranks feel support for unions should be central.

With union chiefs including RMT boss Mick Lynch - who has criticised Mr Starmer's stance - set to appear at fringe events over three days, this is a topic that's likely to come up again and again.

What will the leadership say?

In her opening speech, deputy leader Angela Rayner will set her sights on the Tory ""procurement racket run at the expense of the British taxpayers".

The Labour deputy leader will pledge get tough on waste, with taxpayers’ money clawed back and ploughed straight back into local communities, while failed providers face being struck off.

She said: "The Tories have left a legacy of sleaze, cronyism and corruption, with the British people left to pick up the bill. Labour will unleash the power of procurement for the public good.

"Under the next Labour Government there will be no hiding place for cronies and no corner for corruption. We’ll give the Tory sleaze merchants their marching orders, end handouts to tax havens and strike off failed providers.

"The Tories’ policy of rewarding failure will be brought to an end. We’ll clawback taxpayer’s money and plough it straight back into communities to support the people who build the wealth in this country."

There will also be announcements on how a Labour government would tackle crime, with the renewal of the "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" slogan and a focus on punishing gangs that groom children.

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