Labour - Monday Today at Conference

Evening all. Welcome to conference, the first of the 2016 party

conference season. We are with Labour in Liverpool where with

Jeremy Corbyn re-elected with an enhanced majority, party leaders are

anxious to move on from divisions and to talk about policies. John

McDonnell obliged with the keynote speech packed with socialist red

meat. He called for massive public investment through state-owned

investment banks, and you ?10 minimum wage, rights for workers to

or near companies, a doubling of the public sector and the repealing of

trade union reforms. We heard from Emily Thornberry, the shadow

Secretary for exiting the EU. She pledged to replace any funding

shortfall caused by Brexit. And Adam Fleming went behind the scene is at

a fringe meeting that wants to transform the world.

John McDonnell is Jeremy Corbyn's most important ally. The Shadow

Chancellor is shaping economic policy. Today, his job was to

outline a comprehensive socialist economic agenda. He began by saying

it was time for the party to get serious. Now the leadership election

is over, I tell you, we have to become a government in waiting. An

election could come at any time. To reason me -- the Prime Minister has

said she will not call an early election. When could anyone trust

the word of a Tory leader? We must prepare ourselves not just to fight

an election but to move into government.

To do that successfully we have to have the policies and the plans

for their detailed implementation on the shelf, in place

for when we enter government whenever that election comes.

We will seek to protect access to the single market for goods and

services. Access to the single market requires movement of Labour.

I tell you this, we will not let the Tories barking away the workers'

rights either. -- bargain away. We will defend the rights of EU

nationals that live and work here and UK citizens living and working

in Europe. We were appalled at the attacks that took place on the

Polish community in our country following the Brexit vote. Let's be

clear, as a party, we will always stand up against racism and

xenophobia in any form. APPLAUSE. In the negotiations, we want Britain to

keep its stake in the European investment bank. At the centre of

the negotiations is the financial services industry. Our financial

services are being placed under threat as a result of the vote to

leave. Labour has said clearly we will support access to European

markets for the financial sector, but our financial services must

understand, 2008 must never happen again. APPLAUSE. The message is

clear to them, we will not tolerate a return to the casino economy that

contributed to that crash ever again. There will be no more support

for TTIP or any other trade deal that promotes the regulation or

privatisation. -- deregulation. We will make sure that any future

Labour government has the power to intervene in our economy in the

interests of the whole country. For Britain to prosper in that new

Europe and on the world stage our next major challenge is to collar

halt to this government's austerity programme. -- call halt. In

government, we will end the scourge of tax avoidance. We will create a

new tax enforcement unit at HMRC, we will ban tax dodging companies from

winning public sector contracts. We will ensure all British Crown

dependencies introduce a full public register of company orders and

beneficiaries. We will throw light on where they are hiding the money.

The burden of taxation as a whole falls too heavily on those not able

to pay. In this coming period we will be developing the policies that

will shift the tax burden away from those who own wages and salaries and

onto those who hold wealth. Turning to investment, Labour as a party of

government needs to think not just how we spend money but how we are in

it. This is the scale of investment that experts say will start to bring

Britain's infrastructure into the 21st century. It means ensuring

cheap, carbon free electricity, ensuring every part of the country

has access to superfast broadband. It is about transport that unlocks

the potential of the whole country. We will shake up how corporations

work and change how the economy is managed. We will clamp down on

abuses of power at the very top. Under Labour there will be no more

Philip Greens. We will legislate to rewrite company law to prevent them.

We will introduce legislation to ban companies taking on excessive debt

to pay out dividends to shareholders. We will rewrite the

tax takeover code to make sure every proposal has a clear plan in place

to pay workers and pensioners. We will protect their pensions. Until

working people have proper protections at work the Labour

market will always work against them. The next Labour government

will look to implement the recommendations of the Institute of

implement relations report. We will reintroduce collective-bargaining

across the economy, ending the race to the bottom.

I give you this commitment. In the first 100 days of a Labour

government we will repeal the trade union act. APPLAUSE.. I've spoken

before about building on the great achievements of previous Labour

governments. One of the greatest achievements of the government

elected in 1997 was the establishment of a national minimum,

lifting millions out of poverty, and I pay tribute to that governments

are doing it. But remember, the Tories oppose that, claiming it

would cost millions of jobs. United in purpose, we won the argument.

Under the next Labour government everyone will have enough to live

on. We will write into law a real living wage.

We will set it at the level needed for a decent life. Independent

forecasts suggest this will be over ?10 per hour.

We will not stand by and see our key industries flounder and prosperity

put at risk. When we return to government we will implement a

comprehensive strategy in partnership with trade unions and

employers. I'm pleased that this conference is being held in

Liverpool. I was born in the city not far from here. My dad was a

doctor and my mum was a cleaner. They worked for 30 years behind the

BHS store counter. We lived in some of the worst slum conditions that

existed within this country. We just cold home. That's called at home. As

the result of a Labour government I remember the day we celebrated

moving into our council house. My brother and I had a bedroom of her

own for the first time, a guard front and rear. Both of us born in

NHS hospitals, had a great free education. There was an atmosphere

of eternal optimism. Our generation always thought from here on their

would be a steady improvement in living standards. We expected the

lives of each generation to improve on the last. Successive Tory

government put an end to that. Under Jeremy's leadership I believe we can

restore that optimism, faith in the future. I see this in the birthplace

of John Lennon, it falls to us to inspire people to imagine again.

Imagine a society... APPLAUSE. Imagine the society we can create.

It's a society that is radically transformed, radically fairer, more

equal and democratic, East on a prosperous society, sustainable, but

where that prosperity is shared by all. That is our vision to transform

Britain. In this party you no longer need to whisper its name. It is

called socialism. Solidarity. APPLAUSE. John McDonnell. Straight

after the speech I spoke to Paul Mason, the left-wing journalist

close to the leadership, to get his reaction. The next phase for the

party is the interventionist idea. There are a few detailed proposals

in there, reaching inside companies and saying you cannot do this, you

cannot not pay the minimum wage, he was very clear, we're not talking

about innovation, illegality, we are talking about legitimate tax

avoidance that companies like apple and Google use. It is going to be

subject to contract compliance rules in the public sector. Before Brexit,

all this compliance was not possible. That's an interesting

thing. You've seen John McDonnell says there are no EU rules to worry

about, if we want to change the private sector we will do it. Some

people even stood up at the end, they are quite happy with it at this

conference. We are assessed with Momentum and entry is, I see that as

a very trade union influenced speech. There were big throws to

people like the GMB has been wavering. Paul Mason. Policies came

thick and fast. Let's hear from the Shadow Secretary of State for

Brexit, Emily Thornberry. Conference, I'm so proud to stand in

Liverpool, or should I say Labour Liverpool. A loyal member of the

Shadow Cabinet in what is once again Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party.

APPLAUSE. Without long-term certainty over funding other regions

cannot plan ahead, and not attract other investment or make progress.

Thanks to John McDonnell, Labour's Shadow Chancellor, we can guarantee

that a future Labour government will make up any shortfall in structural

funding into the 2020 decade and beyond. The same will go further

funding of peace and reconciliation projects in Northern Ireland. The

people who stand to lose out most must be looked after first and that

is what we shall do. We must stand up for the kind of

Britain we want to see. A Britain freighting outward -- facing

outwards, a Britain that does not build walls, a Britain that is a

global leader and actively works to build the kind of world that we can

be proud to hand onto our children. We know how irresponsible it would

be to ignore the problem of climate change and to leave our

grandchildren to worry about the consequences so why don't we say the

same about nuclear weapons, which can destroy the world we live in in

minutes, not just a case? A future Labour government will not only

revive talks on multilateral nuclear disarmament, we will make the

success of those talks the two test -- the test of the success of our

policy. Today I'm announcing an international partnership called

Just Trading, sister parties and like-minded legislators working

together to produce a best in class trading system based on dignity, and

Just Trading will be a community agreeing to trade deals based on

just relationships and our shared values. The next Labour government

will launch a new programme called repowering Britain that puts you in

control. It will build on the innovation and leadership of 70

Labour councils who have commented to run their towns on 100% clean

energy by 2050. Because we need to localise the way energy is produced

and stored. Clive Lewis and I are announcing that the next Labour

government will roll out a home is fit for heroes programme that will

insulate the homes of our disabled veterans for free.

There are technical problems with fracking and they give rise to real

environmental dangers but technical problems can be overcome. So on

their own, they are not a good enough reason to ban fracking. The

real reason to ban fracking is that it locks us into an energy

infrastructure that is based on fossil fuels long after our country

needs to have moved to clean energy. Today I'm announcing that a future

Labour government will ban fracking. First, I'm a socialist, I believe

that society is stronger, can achieve more when we stand together

and that every citizen has an equal stake in our future. It is to me a

simple truth that a nation aspiring to decency and fairness does not

punish the disabled and disadvantaged. The Labour Party has

placed to get rid of the discriminatory and unfair bedroom

tax but I want to scrap the discredited work capability

assessment and replace it with a system...

APPLAUSE I'll say it again, I want to scrap

the discredited work credibility assessment. And I want to replace it

with a system built on personalised holistic support providing each

individual with a tailored plan building on their strengths and

addressing barriers, where the skills, health, care, transport or

housing related. The government's punitive sanctions system must go

too so job centre plus employment support providers performance will

not just be assessed on how many people they get on their books. I

want to see disabled people better supported into and at work. We will

reduce the disability gap by half and we mean it. Labour is united on

many policies but not all. The thorny issue of Trident renewal

considers the Leeds continues to cause divisions. Here is the Shadow

Defence Secretary Clive Lewis. As you know, I'm sceptical about

Trident renewal, as are many here in this room today.

APPLAUSE But I am clear that our party has a

policy for tried three Newell. I also want to be clear that our

party's policy is also that we share the ambition of a nuclear free world

-- for Trident three Newell. Clive Lewis stating the current policy on

Trident renewal. It seems that the Shadow Defence Secretary wanted to

be even more enthusiastic about not changing Labour's policy towards the

nuclear deterrent this side of the election but Jeremy Corbyn has

always been in favour of unilateral nuclear disarmament and the leader's

office forced him to water down his remarks. The Shadow Defence

Secretary is playing down the disagreement. Every speech is a

collective process and I think you guys, I was happy with the speech

and you guys are trying to trip me up and upset me. I'm happy with

where we are. Was your autocue changed? A speech is a collaborative

process, that is all I can say. I'm in a happy place. I'm so pleased my

speech is out of the way and I want to get on with the conference. The

whole thing has to be signed off. Collective responsibility. The whole

thing is collective response ability, all done and dusted. Thank

you very much. So that's all fine then. If you think Jeremy Corbyn has

a difficult job, spare a thought for Labour's leader in Scotland, Kezia

Dugdale. Relegated to third place behind the SNP and the Tories, in

the last Scottish parliamentary elections, it isn't clear if Labour

will ever recover to the dominant position it once enjoyed in

Scotland. Here she is outlining how she plans to put Labour back on the

front foot. Next year we face elections across the United Kingdom,

where Labour candidates in Scotland, England and Wales will be standing

to protect our local services. The elections in England also mark a new

stage in devolution for the United Kingdom. It is long overdue and

shouldn't just be the start of the new chapter for the United Kingdom

but for the Labour Party. For too long our politics and our party have

been dominated by what happened in the corner of the City of

Westminster. But politics happens everywhere. Not just on the green

benches of the House of Commons, it happens in town halls come on street

corners, doorsteps and online. We saw it in the energy unleashed on

both sides of the Scottish independence referendum and again

during the EU referendum. The founders of the Labour Party created

a party for working people for Parliament and the country and in

this age of devolution our mission should be to build the party in

every assembly, town Hall in every area of Britain.

The route to victory for the next Labour government will not just run

through Westminster, it will start with success in Edinburgh, in

Cardiff, the great English cities such as Liverpool and Manchester. We

will only succeed when we connect to every community in our country and

by never forgetting that we should be guided by the views and voices of

the people we seek to represent. Labour will not sit back and do

nothing, and that is why today I can announce that when the Scottish

Government presents eight budget to parliament we will place amendments

to introduce the 50p tax on those earning over ?150 and add a penny of

tax to pay for public services. Making decisions for Scotland that

the Tories would never make and using the powers that we have argued

for. This together with our other tax proposals will enable us to stop

further cuts to the public services we all rely on. With the full range

of powers the Scottish Parliament now has the SNP government faces a

clear choice, except a Tory budget from Westminster or go our own way.

With proposals to grow the Scottish economy, protect ghouls and hour is

the doors. -- our hospitals -- protect schools. We need to invest

and provide the next generation of Scots the chance they need to

succeed. If the SNP minority government does not accept these

proposals and forces another austerity budget on Holyrood, we

will vote against it. If they want support they will need to look to

the Tories full-back. Labour will not help the SNP pass an austerity

budget on our watch. Scotland faces enough risk and uncertainty without

the Tories' reckless Brexit gamble. We don't need the risk and

uncertainty of another independence referendum and that is why we will

vote against any proposal for a second independence referendum in

this Parliament. As we face negotiations on membership of the EU

and the future of public services, we cannot afford on our government

taking their eye off the ball. So many challenges facing Scotland in

the future, we shouldn't return to the divisions of the past. Our

message to Nicola Sturgeon is this, First Minister, our country is

already divided enough, do not divide us again.

Kezia Dugdale. Fringe event is always more fun and sometimes more

important than the main event in the big hole. This year Momentum,

campaigning for Mr Corbyn's re-election, encouraged new

supporters and admirers do come to what is almost a parallel conference

in Liverpool -- big hall. We paid them a visit. This festival is

happening near Chinatown in an arts venue, called the World Transformed.

Let's find out how the world is going to be transformed. This is

organised by Momentum, the group going out of Jeremy Corbyn's first

leadership campaign so they have a stall at next door is the nation's

largest ethical streetwear brand selling Jeremy Corbyn T-shirts and

apparently this is the best selling one here. This is the book shop

called News from nowhere, run by a women's cooperative, featuring a

Jeremy Corbyn colouring in book and a collection of poems in honour of

the Labour leader. Then magically Jeremy Corbyn dropped incompletely

unannounced. INAUDIBLE Predictably, this lot went wild.

This corner is where people come to have a rant on any subject they feel

strongly about, like Michelle is about to do now. Instant

gratification, get money, no jobs, government, no pay, workfare, no pay

at Poundland, Poundland, no paid work, instant gratification. If that

activism leaves you hungry, why not join the queue for one of the famous

pies on offer. This is a Shankly pie, made of steak, onion gravy and

mushroom and bacon. The hall is dominated by these banners for

causes ranging from the Liverpool dockers to climate change, to people

who have been killed in police custody. There is more art here

where you can find Philip the sculptor, working on a bust of

relative of Pankhurst. That is the World Transformed.

That is your lot for tonight. Tomorrow the Shadow Health Secretary

and loyal Corbynista Darren Abbott -- Diane Abbott is going to lay out

her health plans and we hear from you Labour politician in power,

Sadiq Khan. London Mayor is not an equally paid-up member of the Corbyn

Fanclub. The deputy leader Tom Watson is speaking tomorrow so we

will find out how much support he offers Mr Corbyn. And Robbie back at

noon tomorrow with another daily, six -- and I will be back at noon

tomorrow with another daily politics. Until then, good night.

He didn't understand other people's feelings.

But then, they weren't important to him,

As we sit with the distinct rattle of a railway