Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Peter Walker Political correspondent

Tuesday at the Labour conference: highlights of the day

Quote of the day

“My parents would never have believed that their skinny son in NHS prescription glasses who got stopped and searched on the streets of Tottenham would have ended up as shadow foreign secretary.” David Lammy in his speech to the conference.

Tweet of the day

Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, epitomising how Labour’s frontbench has stayed resolutely onside throughout conference.

Debate of the day

In keeping with the public harmony of this year’s gathering, the debate was less of a debate than an affirmation. Labour are very keen on green energy and insulation, which formed perhaps the biggest single policy area of Keir Starmer’s speech. Capping this was the announcement of Great British Energy, in effect a state-owned green power generation startup.

The day in a picture

Keir Starmer, with his wife, Victoria
Keir Starmer and his wife, Victoria, leave the hall after his keynote address at the Labour conference on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

A party leader and their spouse is a conference visual cliche, but like much about leaders’ speeches, it is traditional and expected.

Row of the day

The first notable row of the conference, and even then more of a controversy than an actual disagreement: Rupa Huq, the MP for Ealing in west London, has had the Labour whip suspended – and has apologised – after describing the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, as only “superficially” black during a fringe meeting.

Wednesday’s highlights

In normal years, Wednesday morning is time for the leader’s speech. But with Starmer shifted to Tuesday, those on the final day risk less attention, and perhaps an emptier hall. But those who remain will have a closing address from Angela Rayner, preceded by a mystery “international speaker”, previewed only as an opposition leader from an autocratic European country. Europe does not have many of these, so it could well be Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya of Belarus.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.