03/10/2012 Today at Conference

Good evening, and welcome back to Manchester for Today at Conference.

It is the night after the afternoon before, and Ed Miliband's speech,

especially that phrase, "One Nation", is still the talk of

conference. Yesterday he used the phrase 46 times during his speech,

and today the newly confident Labour Party leader was back on

centre stage fielding questions from party members. The Shadow Home

Secretary, Yvette Cooper, evoked the spirit of Robert Peel to

describe yes, One Nation policing. Elsewhere, he repeatedly emphasised

his comprehensive education to the people of Manchester - do the

people of Manchester think Ed Miliband is posh or not? There is a

new competition in the Shadow Cabinet. They're all trying to

adopt their favourite 19th century Conservative politician to show how

One Nation they all now are. Yesterday Ed Miliband chose

disreally. Today Yvette Cooper was on her feet. In Manchester this

morning people are gathering, family, friends and colleagues for

the funeral of the PC Nicola Hughes. Tomorrow the city will do the same

for the PC Fiona Bone. They answered a 999 call just as police

officers do every single day of the week never knowing what they will

find, and that is their job - a job their families said they loved.

They were shot down in a brutal act, and they showed bravery that they

and emergency services show every day and take for granted, but we

never must, and the police have gathered from across the country

and so have we. So we join them and the people of Manchester, the Prime

Minister, the Home Secretary and the whole country in paying tribute

to those brave officers, to all of our emergency services, and we bid

those officers farewell. We're all very proud to be back in

the city of Manchester. Down the road from here in Piccadilly

Gardens stands a statue. Sir Robert Peel, son of Barry, founder of the

British Police 180 years ago - Peel established powerful principles. Ed,

you could call them "One Nation" principles. They were a few decades

earlier than Disraeli's free trade haul speech. He said then, "The

police are the public, and the public are the police." Able to

uphold our laws not because of coercion but because of consent.

British police are not guards. They're guardians. Unlike so many

foreign forces they're unarmed, and like British police officers

themselves, we're proud of that tradition. -- and like. And

conference, as we heard yesterday, it's that One Nation tradition that

is part of Labour's vision today in that brilliant and inspiring speech

by our party leader and our next Prime Minister, Ed Miliband.

APPLAUSE I talked to a party member last

night who told me that she was arrested and fined as a teenager

because she swore at the police. We expect teenagers to show respect

for police. We expect drivers in traffic to show respect for police.

We expect each other to show respect for those we ask to uphold

the law on our behalf. It's just not what David Cameron expects from

his Cabinet, because this is about David Cameron, not just Andrew

Mitchell. He chose to back him, not sack him - just like the tax breaks

for millionaires. Once again, it's one rule for the Cabinet, another

for the plebs, so out of touch, they aren't fit to govern, so come

on, conference. Let's bring on the plebiscite. Plebs of the world,

unite. We have nothing to lose but this Government.

In six weeks' time, conference, the country has a chance to vote on

policing. We didn't support the introduction of police and crime

commissioners. We wanted more checks and balances, and we're

clear more reforms will be needed, but policing is too important to

turn our backs on these elections now. You have seen our talented

candidates experienced in policing, criminal justice, in counterterror

work and in community work, and here in Manchester, we all know the

much-respected Tony Lloyd - you heard today from the brilliant Jane

Kennedy and Jane Basham and, of course, the unstoppable campaign

phenomenon that is our own John Prescott.

APPLAUSE Police officers need to know.

Serious problems will be rooted out so they don't cast a shadow over

everyone else. We need proper checks and balances in a democracy,

but yet the system takes too long, and the powers often aren't strong

enough. It took too long to get a new investigation into hacking

under way. It took too long to find out the truth about what happened

to Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protest. And conference, it took

far, far too long for the truth to come out about the tragedy and the

awful senior police cover-up at Hillsboro. Liverpool needs justice,

but we also need to make sure no- one ever has to fight for the truth

for 23 years after losing a loved one or a child.

Conference, the Independent Police Complaints Commission wasn't able

to sort out any of those cases. The authoritative new chair, I know,

has warned about its lack of powers, so we need reform. After discussion

with Lord Stevens, I believe we need a new stronger police

standards authority replacing the IPCC to raise standards, pursue

powerful investigations and ensure there are proper safeguards in

place. For Tories and Liberal Democrats are failing to act,

failing to set out plans to cut crime, help victims or back up

police, failing because in the end, they don't believe in the power of

public service or the strength of society, and they just don't value

the public servants we need to keep us safe. Whatever happened to the

party of Peel? People used to think the Tories were the party of law

and order - not anymore. Weak on crime, weak on the causes of crime

- that is David Cameron's Conservative Party, cutting the

police, undermining communities, swearing at officers, turning their

backs on victims. Conference, it is the Labour Party that is now the

party for policing, the party for law and order - Labour, the One

Nation party, and unlike the Tories, we will not let our communities

down. Thank you. APPLAUSE

Yvette Cooper there. Earlier, Andrew Neil spoke to one of the

Labour Party's better known candidates to be one of these new

police and crime commissioners, a certain Lord Prescott. As I

understand it, you, for the Labour nomination of the police commission

in Humberside you beat division commander Keith Hunter. In what way

do you know more about policing and crime than him? He knows an awful

lot about police work because he's had 30 years and a very experienced

man, and we thought - we had a little bit of division in the party

who should be the candidate. I won the vote, but his experience is

invaluable and is immediately lined up with me, and it's the

combination - it's the police experience and the community work -

two sides of the same coin. Therefore, we are offering an

opportunity that reflects both those experiences that produces a

partnership and police work which has led in the last 13 years to the

biggest decline in criminal offences. Do you when you look at

the Humberside police budget when you look at did current economic

climate and Government spending, do you think if you become Police

Commissioner, you're going to have to preside over cuts in the

Humberside budget? Well, we have made it very clear that the

Government require us to produce a five-year plan within five weeks if

I am elected. I have looked a that plan that has been prepared on the

Government's orders, and I'm bound to say, for example, they're going

to reduce the police by 400. The independent constable -

Inspectorate has said that is actually reducing these resources

twice as fast as anywhere else, so I say to my police authority that

people want police. They don't want to see 400 cut, and I'm not

prepared to accept them in the new plan that I'm now proposing. So we

could be up for a clash between Police Commissioner Prescott and

the Government in London? Well, that's what the Government have -

well, that won't be unusual, will it? But leaving that aside, that

isn't the point. The Government have come along and said, look,

there will be a Commissioner. He will negotiate with the chief of

the police, and they will organise the plan between them. Labour were

against the creation of police commissioners, but the coalition

has introduced them, and you're standing as a candidate. Do you

think that Labour - if Labour wins the election this 2015, should they

make you redundant? Well, I voted against this as well. I don't like

the idea, quite frankly, of a lot of power in one person's hands. Now,

I'd like to say I might do it different from some other

councillor. I have candidates against me who will actually say

they want to get rid of speed cameras and all those things. There

is a difference. Sure, but should Labour get rid of them? Should the

next Labour Government get rid of them? We've asked the ex-Chief

Constable to review and look at how police affects it. What we're going

to do now at the moment is fight the election and try to prevent the

damage that is inevitably coming from this Government reversing

Labour's successful policy. If we're going to change it, wait

until the election. At the moment, let me get on the with the fight.

understand that. I am asking should Labour in the next election promise

to get rid of police commissioners? We will certainly look at it. See

how it operates. Now, before that two-and-a-half year, we'll have

seen how it's working, make the decision then. All right. Now, tell

me - you have been reading up on your Benjamin Disraeli? You must be

over the moon your party leader supports a 19th century Tory.

Well, you know I'm not an intellectual. I proved that over

the years, haven't? I who the hell is Disraeli? Look, the Labour Party

changes. Ed did a brilliant speech there. Look, I've always judged it

from the arguments we have had New Labour, old Labour, all sorts of

Labour. I'm just Labour, traditional values in a modern

setting, and what Ed was talking about today was identifying himself

as a leader - a process of change. Look, I was an MP when he was born.

Things are changing, and the I am the old man in this. But I still

think when he talks about the Health Service and he talks about

getting our people back to work, making changes, having a go at the

banks - sounds traditional values to me. Robert Blake wrote the great

biography of Benjamin Disraeli. You don't fancy a read of that? Or

Cybill, one of Disraeli's novels - wouldn't that be good best-time

reading? I am not a bed-time socialist. I am a guy who lives by

my experience. I think it's different to what people experience

today, and I live by that. That's what I call the roots of my belief.

It will be different for Ed. He has to stay in the modern times. The

traditional values of my life - the modern times change. And that's

what Ed has reflected today, so I won't be back to books. I'll live

on my experience and judgment. you live in your experience, are

you now a One Nation Labour man? One a one Labour man. One country,

one Labour, one leader - I remember that. Yeah. I'm not going to

comment on that. I'm one Labour - that's all I am. I am only teasing

you. You know I like to make you smile because you don't do it so

often, and I always succeed. I know the second question behind that one.

I have forgotten it. John Prescott, thanks for joining us from

Manchester. John Prescott there speaking to Andrew Neil. Earlier

this afternoon Ed Miliband was back in the conference hall, again,

speaking without notes, this time in shirtsleeves taking questions

from, I have to say, a largely supportive audience of party

members. His aides now insist that after yesterday's speech, he has

political momentum, or, as they claimed, "the big mo." Yesterday's

speech was important not just because I think it's another year

of a conference speech but I think it sets a very clear direction of

travel for us as a party, and you'll see on the backdrop behind

you the phrase One Nation. I think you heard it 47 times yesterday.

One Nation is incredibly important to us as a country and us as a

party. Old Labour, as I said yesterday, is not going to answer

the challenges that we face because it can't stand up for the whole

country, but nor is New Labour because it's too silent about the

responsibilities of those at the top and too timid when it comes to

the vested interests of our country. Let me just say one other thing

before we start - I had that list yesterday of the incompetence of

this Government. Little did I know LAUGHTER

- that the list would be incomplete within less than 24 hours.

APPLAUSE I mean, what can you say about the

West Coast Main Line fiasco? What can you say about a Government that

is so incompetent that they can't even get the awarding of a

franchise right? I'm Eileen Weir, and I happen to be a great-

grandmother. I'd like to know... You definitely don't look old

enough. That's very generous of you. Flattery will get me everywhere I

hope. I gave you a kiss at the south-east conference. You probably

have forgotten me. I remember. I remember! I promise. I'm going to

take the chap in the hard hat - waving the hard hat.

Thank you very much. I am Lacklin more fris UCAP. In recent years we

have seen a fall in turnout with the general election. In order to

reconnect with the electorate I am of the opinion we need more

builders, more mechanics, more plumbers, more shop workers into

Parliament, so my question to you, Ed, is how are we practically going

to do that within the Labour Party? Great question. It's something you

know from our discussions that I have made a big feature of my

leadership. We're right to say we need more women in Parliament, and

we need 50% of our MPs being women, in my view. That is the only way we

can be a truly representative country. We need a more diverse

party in terms of ethnic minorities, but also it has to be diverse in

terms of class back bround. That is absolutely essential. And there

will be some people who will say just saying person X is going to

get selection Y - I think I would get into trouble with constituency

Y if I said that so I am not going to start saying we're going to

decide who the candidates are but we have responsibility to make sure

it's not just people from middle class backgrounds who get into the

kind of selection contest. there. I listened yesterday to your

speech about sticking together and fighting cuts against the Tories,

One Nation, you said. My question is when the nation stands together

on the 20th of October in the streets of London, Glasgow and

Belfast, will you be there to help assure us - (Indiscernible) Against

this Government? Yes, I will be there. Jean Butcher from Unite. I

am a very proud public service worker. Why is it that when we look

to Labour to support us, we hear you and Ed Balls supporting this

Tory pay freeze? I totally get the frustration that public sector

workers feel about what is happening on pay. If we were in

Government now and we were faced with the choice of - there will be

some people who say - I mean, you know - I won't name names, but some

people will think we could make no cuts at all if we were in

Government no, cuts in public spending. I am not one of those who

believes that. There are some people who say I should go along

with what the Government say. I am not in that camp. If we were making

some cuts, the point Ed Balls and I were making was a simple one that

if it's a choice in the cuts between public spending, jobs and

pay, jobs should come first, but that doesn't mean it's the same as

under the Tories. They're imposing a 1% pay norm essentially across

the board making no account whether you're low paid, middle paid or

higher paid. Of course, fairness in the way we handle public sector pay

will be absolutely central to what a Labour Government did.

Miliband speaking earlier today. One thing that Mr Miliband has been

very keen to do this week is to emphasise that he went to a

comprehensive school. Do you get that, in other words, not like

David Cameron, who went to Eton. But is Mr Miliband posh, or is he

not? Adam took his balls into the city centre here in Manchester to

find out. Well, we have left the conference

centre and come to Manchester's Arndale Shopping Centre to find out

what real people think about Ed Miliband - specifically, do they

think he's posh or not? Do you know who Ed Miliband is?

Yeah, that guy with the red nose. You could say that. Do you think

he's posh or not? No. I heard on the news about what school he went

to, so... It was a comprehensive school. So no. There you go. You

put it in the not slot. Compared to me, he's definitely posh, so yeah.

It's about Ed Miliband as the Labour leader. He's not posh.

How much do you know about him? much. How do you know he's not posh

then? Because he's an MP. MPs aren't posh.

Who is posh, then, if MPs aren't? The Queen. Posh Spice. He's less

posh than his brother. But didn't they have the same upbringing?

did, but... There you go. He's less pretentious. Who would like to do

our BBC survey? You just grab a ball, put it in the slot.

Not posh compared to the others. Like who? David Cameron. Nick Clegg.

He's not an Eton person like David Cameron. I know he didn't go to a

private school and that, but you don't need to go to a private

school to be posh. How posh is Ed Miliband? He's quite posh, but not

posh enough we can't all relate to him. Is Ed Miliband posh or not?

would say he's more posh than not - half and half. If I was his dad, I

would be disappointed with him. What makes you say that? I don't

know who he is. Leader of the Labour Party. If I say the name Ed

Miliband, what do you think of? that the guy with the white hair

who was at the Olympics? No, that's Boris Johnson. What would you say,

man with the umbrella? No speak English. Someone just said, "I

think Ed Miliband's really posh, and I don't like him," then waited

a sec and went, "You're not him, are you?"

Why did you go posh? I think he's not telling us the truth about the

way he is. The way he comes across - the way he walks and talks I

think suggests posh, but because he's Labour he doesn't want to say

that. What's he got going for him? He's good looking. He has a good

personality. I think he's funny. Miliband, the leader of the Labour

Party? Yeah, yeah. I think he's a loser. So after almost two hours,

we've discovered that the public in Manchester are almost exactly

evenly split, and most people don't seem to think it matters whether he

is posh or not, so that was worth Adam Fleming reporting there. Also

on the stage today was the Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham. As

ever, talking about the NHS is a subject that is guaranteed to get a

Labour conference going. Conference, a year ago I asked for your help -

to join the fight to defend the NHS, the ultimate symbol of Ed's One

Nation Britain. You couldn't have done more. You helped me mount a

drop-the-bill campaign that shook this coalition to its core. Dave's

NHS breakup bill was dead in the water until Nick gave it the kiss

of life. As Robert said, NHS privatisation courtesy of the Lib

Dems - don't ever let them forget that.

APPLAUSE We didn't win, but all was not lost.

We reminded people of the strength there still is in this Labour

movement of ours when we fight as one - unions and party together for

the things we hold in common. And I know you want us to hit them even

harder, and we will, but conference, I have to tell you this:

It's hard to be a shadow when you're up against the invisible man.

Hunt, Jeremy - LAUGHTER

The search is on for the missing Health Secretary. A month in the

job, but not a word - not a single word from him about the thousands

of nursing jobs being lost - not one word about the crude rationing

older people left without essential treatment - not a word about moves

in the south-west of England to break national pay.

APPLAUSE Jeremy Hunt might be happy hiding

behind trees while the NHS front line takes a battering, but

conference, for as long as I do this job, I will support frontline

staff in the NHS, and I will defend national pay in the NHS to the hilt.

APPLAUSE To all patients and staff worried

about the future, hear me today - the next Labour Government will

repeal Cameron's act. We WILL stop the sell-off, put patients before

profits, restore the "N" in inn. -- NHS. Conference, I want you to do

something now - put it on every leaflet you write, every leaflet

you put out, mention it on every doorstep - make the next election a

referendum on Cameron's NHS betrayal, and we can save it

without another structural reorganisation. I've never had any

objection to doctors being more involved in commissioning. It's the

creation of a full-blown market I can't accept, so I don't need new

organisations. I will simply ask those I inherit to work differently.

Now I need your help, conference. My team needs your help to build a

Labour vision for the 21st century, for health and care in the century

of the ageing society, reflecting on our time in Government. We left

an NHS with the lowest ever waiting lists, highest ever patient

satisfaction. Conference, always take pride in that record, but

where we got it wrong - APPLAUSE

But where we got it wrong, let's say so, so while we rebuilt the

crumbling, damp hospitals we inherited and provided world-class

facilities for patients and staff, some PFI deals were poor value for

money. APPLAUSE

At times, care of older people simply wasn't good enough, and

while we brought waiting lists down to record lows, with the help of

the private sector, at times, we let the market in too far.

APPLAUSE It's not about new money. We can

get better results for people if we think of one budget, one system -

caring for the whole person with councils and the NHS working

All options must be considered, including the full integration of

health and social care. APPLAUSE

Conference, the NHS is at a fork in the road - two directions -

integration or fragmentation? We have chosen our path, not Cameron's

fast track to fragmentation, but whole-person care, a One Nation

system built on NHS values putting people before profit, a Labour

vision to give people the hope they need to unite a new coalition for

the NHS. The NHS desperately needs a Labour win in 2015 - you, me, we

are its best hope, its only real hope. It won't last another term of

David Cameron - NHS - three letters, not here soon. The man who promised

to protect it is privatising it. The man who cut the NHS, not the

deficit - Cameron, NHS conman, now more than ever -

APPLAUSE Conference, now more than ever it

needs folk with the faith to fight for it. You're its best hope, its

only hope. You've kept the faith. Now fight for it, and we will win.

Thank you, conference. Well, that's it for today. It's

been, I think, probably a pretty solid day for the party. They have

had some well-received speeches on the floor, and there's still a

sense here in the bar that they're having a pretty reasonable week.

Tomorrow on the final day of the longest of the party conferences,

we'll hear from the Shadow Education Secretary, Stephen Twigg,

and in the traditional closing slot, the Deputy Leader of the party,

Harriet Harman. The Daily Politics conference