29/09/2011 Today at Conference

Good evening and welcome to the final round-up of the Labour Party

conference here in Liverpool. On Tuesday, Ed Miliband said he wanted

to build a new society, a new economy. On Wednesday, he had to

point out he was not anti- business been left on the final day to the

deputy leader, Harriet Harman, to try to regain some of the political

initiative and refocus the attack on the Conservatives. She focused

particularly on voter registration. It has been great to be here in

Liverpool this week. On behalf of everyone here at our conference, I

want to give a huge thank you to all the people of Liverpool. You

gave us such a warm welcome, you are rightly proud of your

magnificent city, and we are proud of Labour's role in its

transformation. But people are worried, here and

throughout the country. Worried about their job, worried about the

prospect for their kids, about what is going to happen in their local

area. And there is only one party leader who understands that, and it

isn't Nick Clegg, and it certainly isn't David Cameron. It is our

Labour leader Ed Miliband. He spoke up for the squeezed middle, and he

is right. He has understood people's fears for their children,

and their aspirations for them, too. He shares their anger that the

bankers are getting off scot-free, and he said that as prime minister,

he would end reckless irresponsibility from the bottom,

write to the top. Ed was the first party leader to speak up against

the abhorrent phone hacking. Ed I here that phone hacking is going

to be made into a phone, had gate the movie. -- into a film. One of

the leading roles is Chris Bryant. That has been relatively easy to

cast, it is obviously Daniel Craig. There is one problem, and it is a

huge headache for the casting director. They just can't find

anyone with enough raw magnetism to play it our very own Tom Watson!

But all the time that Murdoch has been in the headlines, another

crisis has been going on, as people see the economic storm clouds

gathering. Today, we heard about the terrible job losses at BAE

Systems. All around the country, behind their front doors, people

are worried. Behind the front door of Downing Street, the Tories are

oblivious. It is not going to affect them, so it doesn't matter.

They also removed from people's lives. But I hear they do watch TV

from time to time, and I hear they love Downton Abbey. The only thing

is they think it is a fly-on-the- wall documentary. They never need

to do their own dirty work. Why would they, they have got Nick

Clegg and the Lib Dems to do that. The Lib Dems boast, you will have

heard it, that they are a brake on the Tories. What happened, then, on

tuition fees, VAT, police cuts, the NHS, clearly the brakes failed.

There is no doubt who is in the driving seat. It is clear who is at

the wheel, and this time it is not Chris Huhne, it is the Tories. On

the rare occasion when the Lib Dems in government do get there a --

their way, what do they do? They make it harder for local

communities to get CCTV and they force the police to destroy DNA

evidence, which is vital for convicting criminals. And the Lib

Dems, to their eternal shame, a colluding with the Tories in

changing the law on the electoral register. The plans the Tories have

set out are going to push people off the electoral register, deny

them their voice, and deny them their vote. The numbers are going

to be huge. The Independent Electoral Commission warned that

this could deny millions of people in this country the right to vote.

And the Tories are doing it because they hope it will help them win the

election. That is a shame for the assault on people's democratic

rights, and we will expose it, and campaign against it. Parliament has

no right to take away people's right to vote, and the government

cannot be allowed to get away with it. The two Eds both acknowledged

what we all know, but not everything we did in government

turned out right. And people need to know that over the past year, we

have taken a hard look at what we did and we have learnt lessons. But

it is time now to move on, because we have got important work to do.

When it comes to Sure Start children centres, we have got to

fight to stop them closing. When it comes to the 50p tax rate, we have

got to say now is not the time to drop it. When it comes to saving

lives in the developing world, we have got to make the Tories keep

our aid budget. When it comes to This week has seen debate and

discussion of Labour people all across the country. I want to say

to our Welsh delegates, how proud we are of the work of Carwyn Jones

and his team in the Welsh Assembly. And I want to say, too, how much

our hearts go out to the families of the four Welsh miners, and the

family of the Yorkshire miner who died this week. Men who worked hard

in difficult conditions and who tragically lost their lives. Our

thoughts are with them and their families.

We have heard about the process of renewal under way in Scottish

Labour. I would like to pay tribute to Iain Gray. His passionate speech

at this conference shows he is the best first minister Scotland never

This week, we have had a sharper focus on our campaign for the

Greater London Assembly, and for Mayor of London. What does Tory

Boris Johnson stand for? Higher fares for Londoners, lower tax for

bankers. Let's face it, Boris is in it for himself, Labour's Ken

Livingstone is in it for London, And a stronger voice for young

people, many at conference for the first time, some as young as 16

speaking with such conviction. With the Tory Lib Dem attack on the

Future Jobs Fund, EMA, tuition fees, the government have hit the

prospects for young people, but young people are hitting back. We

have seen this week, the dynamic new generation of young Labour.

This week has been a turning point. Ed has shown his bold and

optimistic vision of the future. We have challenged the unspoken

orthodoxies that have governed Britain for too long, and we have

refounded our party so we can be a force that changes people's lives.

Conference, let's go for it. Deputy leader, Harriet Harman. Also

on the platform today was the shadow community is secretary,

Caroline Flint. Here's what she had to say. -- Shadow Communities

Secretary. The Tories like to talk the language of localism, but it is

a strange localism that imposes cuts that fall deeper and faster on

local councils and communities than on almost any central government

department. It is a strange localism that dismantles local

services and puts blind faith in volunteers taking up the reins.

Because, as Ed Miliband has said, you can't volunteer in your local

Sure Start centre or library when it has already been closed. It is a

strange localism that sees Eric Pickles take to the TV studios to

smear local councillors with cynical, politically motivated

attacks. It is a supreme irony that a man of

Eric Pickles stature is the Minister for meals on wheels.

And let's face it, barely a day goes by without yet another missive

from Mr Pickles to local councils. It would take more than a weekly

bin collection to get rid of his rubbish. Labour councils are

showing that we are the real party of localism. Not the party of big

government, or an overbearing white wall, but the party of quality

local services, of modern housing and stronger communities. Giving

people a voice, giving them hope, when all the Tories offer is chaos,

confusion and fear. Conference, one Tory MP said that chaos in the

planning system is a good thing. Well, they have certainly delivered

on that. They're planning reforms have already caused confusion and

alarm -- their are planning reforms. We are living in strange times when

the government reveals that the National Trust is part of a vast

left-wing conspiracy. I must be going to the wrong meetings. Course,

we all want an effective planning system that is able to meet our

future needs for housing, transport and infrastructure, and which

supports jobs and growth. And that is exactly what we did in

government. Building businesses and homes, creating jobs, supporting

growth. We did so while we created new national parks and protected

over 1.6 million hectares of green belt.

Labour did so while insuring brownfield and town-centre first

policies, and we won't let them undermine this now. It is a

disgraceful sight, to seek Tory and Liberal Democrat ministers proudly

publicising their opposition to local housing schemes in their

backyard, while standing in Parliament, wringing their hands

about the need for more homes. Pure hypocrisy.

The truth is, the economy isn't stalling because of the planning

system, it is stalling because of Cuts that go too far, too fast, and

no plan for growth. Look at what they are doing on housing. First-

time buyers waiting longer, fewer houses built last year than any

year since the 1920s. 200,000 new homes cancelled in 18 months.

Waiting lists for council house is soaring, and only half a million

mortgages provided last year. That is half the number provided each

year during Labour's first 10 years. Conference, the Tories have sucked

the life out of our economy and hit the building industry hard. And for

every one of the housing developments cancelled, there are

skilled people put out of work, and small suppliers put out of business.

That is why we must kick-start the building industry, by repeating the

bankers bonus tax to fund 25,000 new homes, and why a temporary cut

in VAT to -- on home improvements Because George, you might enjoy it

hurting, but it certainly ain't working.

APPLAUSE Conference, I am proud of what we

achieved in our 13 years in power. Proud of the 1.5 million homes

modernised, proud of the 250,000 affordable homes built in the teeth

of a recession. And proud of the one million extra families able to

buy a home for the first time. But I'm honest too that we did not do

enough. In Government, we were too slow to trust local councils and

communities. We were too reluctant to relinquish the levers of the

state. Too often we looked like the party of Whitehall, not the Town

Hall. Ed Miliband and I both know the only way you create stronger,

safer, fairer communities is by trusting people to make their own

decisions. As our film showed, Labour councils are pioneering new

ways of delivering services, reinvigorating civic life and

empowering local people. Localism can never mean cutting councils

loose, leaving communities to fend for themselves or pitting the north

against the south, where the Tories try to divide our country, we will

seek unity around a funding system fair to everyone and which reflects

need as well as encongestion chargeing growth. -- Encouraging

growth. Caroline Flint there. Earlier Andrew spoke to her and

asked where she'd been during the riots? I was away. When I came back

I went to visit Lewisham. I visited crowden, Ealing and Birmingham to

speak to people and see how they felt about it. Should you have had

a higher profile snfrplts I think Ed wanted Yvette to handle it

because it was the policing issue in the first instance. In terms of

the follow up to it, it's how the councils responded and what the

Government will support council in terms of the clear up. Just to say

something about your point about these are our children, I think in

terms of, some some of these cases, the rot set in before that. We

didn't have riots in Doncaster. But we're suffering with the loss of

coal mining and intergenerational unemployment. There are issues

around families in London and elsewhere where that's the case as

well. That doesn't excuse the fact that, to be honest, when I went to

Croydon, what I was being told, it wasn't Croydon young people, they

were organised criminals that took advantage of a situation. Reading

the comments about this so-called Shadow Cabinet reshuffle that's

coming up, I can't work out whether you're going to be fired or

promoted. I really don't know. What's your instinct? I haven't

really heard about many of the comments. You're so busy getting on

with what you're doing. You go through the week and you don't see

much of the news or read the papers. I try to do the best job I can,

Andrew and I very much enjoy doing my brief on this. It's given me an

opportunity to think about how we reconnect with local government

base. We're expecting a Shadow Cabinet reshuffle now because for

the first time, a Labour leader has the power to choose his or her own

Shadow Cabinet, as oppose totd one MPs elect for him. Exactly. That's

been an important transition in the last year. If you look back at

what's been significant for Ed, that is up there, that he made a

decision that that's what he wanted to do and brought the party with

him on that one. It helps him both to define himself, the sort of team

he wants and how he wants to build that team. Are you comfortable with

the direction of the party in the sense that it's not saying, look,

New Labour's run out of steam, it's time to inject new life into New

Labour for a new era, but saying New Labour is over and we're

starting something new. I'm not sure it's saying New Labour is over,

because I think about what did it mean to me when I got involved in

the party and when I saw those years, 18 years in Opposition. For

me it was always about the Labour Party getting itself to a place

where it can reflect modern aspects of our lives that were changing,

but hold onto the principles we built our party on. I don't think

that's changed. We have to move on. The problem was New Labour was so

associated with two particular individuals. We can't allow that to

just capture us for the rest of time. I think it's about moving

forward, but dealing with the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Have you not opened yourselves to the criticism of your opponents,

that it represents a clear move to the left. Mr Miliband doesn't talk

about the market economy any more. He talks about the centre, but he

implies the centre has moved left to him. I don't think it's about

moving to the left, because I look at Yvette's speech on law and order.

We're the ones defending keeping DNA records, keeping CCTV, keeping

police numbers up. I've talked about changing the way in which we

look at allocating social housing to make sure that working people on

low incomes get a shout. Those policies have been absolutely

supported by Ed. There are challenges that we have to face up

to - the financial system, we didn't regulate it well enough.

That has, over the last few years, been concerns about parts of

business and how it operates. There's very good examples of

business in this country that develop their workforce, work with

communities and there are others, let me give you an example,

businesses that go into liquidation, having not paid their business

rates, leaving their staff without any wages and then they can just

start up again under another name. I think it's talking about the bad

practices, in doing that, we're not anti-wealth or anti-enterprise.

know, it has been an eventful year for erld. So we asked the former

Cabinet minister Alan Johnson for his take on the last 12 months.

# They seek him here # They seek him there

# His clothes are loud # But never square

# It won't make or break him # So he's got to buy the best

# Because he's a dedicated follower of fashion #

. Refashioning the Labour Party was never going to be easy for Ed

Miliband. Taking on the worst job, leader of the Opposition, at the

worst time just after an election defeat and in the worst possible

circumstances, beating his brother at the Labour Party Conference.

Isn't the biggest favour that Ed Miliband can do -- David Miliband

can do is to end the psycho drama. I came on Saturday, planning a

slightly different week and so, I'm now thinking what I'm going to do

instead. You know what, it's measuring up to be a pretty good

year for Labour. Party membership sin creasing. We're ahead in the

polls. We had notable successes in local elections. So far, we've won

every by-election. # Oh, yes he is

# Oh, yes he is # We were stitched newspaper Scotland.

Unfortunately for Ed and for me, the alternative vote didn't suit

the public. But despite the party being split on the referendum, it

didn't damage the leader. In other areas, Ed has bravely decided to do

what he thinks is right. For example, scrapping the Shadow

Cabinet elections and making it clear that he wants to change the

rules for electing the party leader. In respect the policy, Ed probably

made life difficult for himself by supporting a graduate tax and a

blank sheet of paper probably wasn't the best phrase to use. But

this early in a Parliament, no Opposition leader wants to pick

policies off the peg. And Ed isn't your typical party leader, forever

chasing headlines. But the last 12 months have really been all about

the cuts. Ed has been very clear that we have to cut our coat

according to our cloth, but sometimes that message has been

lost. Our struggle, friends, is to fight to preserve, protect and

defend the things we value. Parliament, Ed is up against a

consummate performer in David Cameron. Today we learn the Foreign

Secretary describes this gang as the children of Thatcher.

rather be a child of Thatcher than a son of Brown. Whilst he's taken

some hits, he's also had some notable successes. He was statesman

like on Libya. He was strong on issues like cancer sufferers, DNA

and of course, the hacking scandal and David Cameron's decision to

hire Andy Coulsonment -- Andy Coulson. He's got to admit he made

a catastrophic error of judgment by bringing Andy Coulson... Into the

heart of his Downing Street machine. On reflection, I think Ed's had a

good year. On personal issues, he's got a new wife, new baby, a

different nose and a brother less estranged than he seemed to be a

year ago. I think Ed Miliband's done extremely well. I think he'll

grow in confidence and in stature, as his turn unfolds. Alan Johnson

with his take on Labour's year. What about this week? What's it

been like? The weather's been good. It's been hot for most of us. What

about the kopbsfrepbs -- conference itself. Our old friend Quentin

Letts from the Daily Mail has been taking the temperature.

It's Liverpool. It's Labour, but is it leadership? That was Ed

Miliband's task when he arrived at the start of the week, to establish

himself aiz character with his movement. Who is this guy,

Miliband? I'm not Tony Blair. line went down really well. They

don't like Tony here. Mr Miliband had a reasonably successful

afternoon, I feel, particularly when he did some old Labour-style

Tory bashing. Only David Cameron could believe that you make

ordinary families work harder by making them poorer and you make the

rich work harder by making them richer.

APPLAUSE It's wrong, it's the wrong priority.

It's based on the wrong values. How dare they say we're all in it

together? CHEERING

Of course, if Mr Miliband is going to establish a relationship with

the British people, he'll have to make friends of the British media.

We had this speech from Denise Lewis. The industry -- Ivan Lewis.

The industry should consider whether people guilty of

malpractice should be struck off. In other words, any journalist

misbehaving could be banned. Oh, dear, that's me to the knacker's

yard. I'm going have a word with the police, make sure they're OK

with that sentence. Now sport. Who's that portly fellow? He

tackles pretty low in politics too, they say. As for his speech, it was

toying with the idea of an apology, but a politician as tribal as Mr

Balls was never going to find that particularly easy.

When they say we made mistake in Government, they're right. We have

to admit them and show we've learned. The 75p pension rise, that

was a mistake. So was abolishing the 10p tax rate. We didn't do

enough to get employers to train their workforces. We should have

adopted tougher controls on migration from Eastern Europe. We

didn't spend every pound of public money well. Yes, we didn't regulate

the banks toughly enough and stop their gross irresponsibility here

in Britain and around the world am If we don't pay off the deficit now,

it will be left to future generations. Lo and behold up one

popped in the form of Rory Wheel, 16 from Maidstone. The home I lived

in since birth was repossessed. We had nothing, no money, no savings.

I owe my entire well being and that of my family to the Welfare State.

That is why I join the Labour Party. That same Welfare State is being

ruthlessly ripped apart by a vicious and right-wing Tory-led

Government. We later learn that young Rory

wasn't quite up to some of the proletariat. He'd been to private

school and his dad was a property developer. Never mind, he's a face

for tomorrow. Where have been the faces of the past? No Tony Blair

there. No Peter Mandelson. No Gordon Brown. Not even a John

Prescott. It's almost as though, these security fences have been

designed to keep New Labour out. Oh, well, it's Manchester next, the

Tories, see you there. As you can see people pack ago way.

That's about it from the Labour Party Conference, where Ed Miliband

said he wanted to build a new society, and move on from the

Brown/Blair years. Did he manage it? You can be the judge of that.

Now the conference road show moves to Manchester and the Tories get