:00:13. > :00:20.Good evening, and welcome to the highlights of the Labour Party
:00:20. > :00:26.conference. The weather in Brighton has been bright and sunny, but
:00:26. > :00:31.hanging over this conference is a cloud in the shape of a former party
:00:31. > :00:36.press officer called Damian McBride. We will hear from two
:00:36. > :00:40.former Labour spin this, Alastair Campbell and Charlie Whelan. At
:00:40. > :00:46.walls was in the spotlight, announcing an increase in free
:00:46. > :00:53.childcare for working families. He also cast doubt on a future Labour
:00:53. > :01:00.up and support for the HS2 High Speed Rail project. Izzard all is
:01:00. > :01:07.right for the job? We asked delegates who they think should be
:01:07. > :01:11.the shadow chancellor? A Dutch auction is underway between
:01:11. > :01:15.the political parties over who has the best ideas to help people with
:01:15. > :01:20.the cost of living. Last week the Lib Dems promised free school meals
:01:20. > :01:26.for five to seven-year-olds, and today the shadow chancellor, Ed
:01:26. > :01:30.Balls, promised more free childcare for working parents. But more
:01:30. > :01:35.importantly, he cast doubt over a future Labour government support
:01:35. > :01:38.over the HS2 High Speed Rail project. That came after Ed Balls
:01:38. > :01:48.cracked a joke about David Cameron's size, that was perhaps the
:01:48. > :01:55.wrong side. Didn't you feel sorry for our Prime Minister this summer?
:01:55. > :02:01.Didn't you? Back in August, on the beach, changing into his swimming
:02:01. > :02:08.trunks behind the Mickey Mouse towel, captured on the camera,
:02:08. > :02:13.unflattering pictures spread across the country. I have been there, I
:02:13. > :02:20.know what it is like. When Yvette Cooper saw the pictures she said,
:02:20. > :02:36.for a 46-year-old man, David Cameron looked rather slim! Slim! Who can
:02:36. > :02:39.she have been comparing him to? I just thought for our Prime
:02:39. > :02:48.Minister, it was a surprisingly small towel! But, let us all agree,
:02:48. > :02:55.after the last three years, the sooner David Cameron throws in the
:02:55. > :03:00.towel, the better. Conference, we support investment in
:03:01. > :03:05.better transport links for the future. We continue to back the idea
:03:05. > :03:12.of a new north to South rail link. But under this government, the
:03:12. > :03:17.high-speed project has been mismanaged and the costs have shot
:03:17. > :03:22.up to £50 billion. David Cameron and George Osborne have made clear they
:03:22. > :03:28.will go full steam ahead with this project, no matter how much the cost
:03:28. > :03:33.spirals. They seem willing to put their own pride and value above best
:03:33. > :03:39.value for the taxpayer. Maria Eagle and I are clear, we will not take
:03:39. > :03:42.this irresponsible approach. In tough times, when there is less
:03:42. > :03:46.money around and a big deficit to get down, there will be no blank
:03:46. > :03:51.cheque from me as a Labour Chancellor for this project, or any
:03:51. > :03:57.other project. The question is, not just whether a new high-speed line
:03:57. > :04:02.is a good idea or a bad idea, but whether it is the best way to spend
:04:02. > :04:14.£50 billion for the future of our country. In tough times, it is even
:04:14. > :04:19.more important that all our policies and commitments are properly costed
:04:19. > :04:26.and funded. The British people want to know if the sums add up. We will
:04:26. > :04:28.go one step further and ask the independent Office for Budget
:04:28. > :04:34.Responsibility, the watchdog set up by this government, two in deep
:04:34. > :04:39.tendon Lee ordered the costings of every single independent spending
:04:39. > :04:43.and tax measure in labour's manifesto at the next election. It
:04:43. > :04:48.is the first time any political party has ever said it wants this
:04:48. > :04:51.kind of independent audit. It is a radical change from what has gone
:04:51. > :04:54.kind of independent audit. It is a before, but it is the right thing to
:04:54. > :05:05.do to help restore trust in politics, and that is why we are
:05:05. > :05:15.going to do it. Conference, you know we need economic responsibility. We
:05:15. > :05:18.cannot write all the details of our first budget to date when we don't
:05:18. > :05:23.know the state of the economy and how bad the public finances are
:05:23. > :05:28.going to be we will inherit. But after three wasted years of Tory
:05:28. > :05:32.failure, people are asking what will Labour do differently? With 19
:05:32. > :05:37.months ago to the election, this week, today, tomorrow and the coming
:05:37. > :05:43.days is the right time to set out labour's alternative. Conference,
:05:43. > :05:46.when people get into work, they should always be better off, it
:05:46. > :05:51.should always pay more to be in work than on benefits. We must do more to
:05:51. > :05:58.make work pay. The National minimum wage is a Labour achievement. It was
:05:58. > :06:03.opposed by the Tories every step of the way. Even now, some
:06:03. > :06:07.conservatives say the minimum wage should be suspended and its value
:06:07. > :06:13.has fallen by 5% in real terms since 2010. We must fight to protect the
:06:13. > :06:18.national wage, increasing the fines who exploit workers, strengthening
:06:18. > :06:20.the National minimum wage, restoring its value, catching up the ground
:06:20. > :06:24.the National minimum wage, restoring lost over the last three years. And
:06:24. > :06:34.encouraging employers to go further and paid a living wage. -- pay the
:06:34. > :06:39.living wage. Conference, to move Labour on from the past, put Labour
:06:39. > :06:44.where it should always be on the side of working people, we will
:06:44. > :06:49.introduce a new starting rate of tax, a tax cut that 25 million,
:06:49. > :06:59.hard-working people on middle and lower incomes.
:06:59. > :07:08.We will pay for it by introducing a mansion tax on properties worth over
:07:08. > :07:13.£2 million... Introduced in a fairway, so that foreign investors
:07:13. > :07:16.who buy property in London to make a profit will finally make a proper
:07:16. > :07:26.who buy property in London to make a tax contribution to our country. But
:07:26. > :07:32.for many families, high childcare tax contribution to our country. But
:07:32. > :07:38.costs are a real problem and can mean it does not even add up to go
:07:38. > :07:42.to work. Childcare is a vital part of our economic infrastructure. That
:07:42. > :07:47.alongside family support and flexible working, should have
:07:47. > :07:50.parents the choice to stay at home with their children when they are
:07:50. > :07:57.very small and balance work and family as they grow older. To make
:07:57. > :08:00.work pay for families, we must act it. Stephen Twigg set out yesterday
:08:00. > :08:06.how we will guarantee childcare available for all primary school
:08:06. > :08:11.children from 8am to 6pm. And today, I want to go further, because we
:08:11. > :08:17.need to do more for families with nursery age children also.
:08:17. > :08:21.Conference, here is how we can. After the financial crisis, it is
:08:21. > :08:27.right the banks make a greater contribution. In the last financial
:08:27. > :08:31.year the banks made a staggering £2.7 billion less in overall tax
:08:31. > :08:36.made in 2010. Over the last two years the government angler the
:08:36. > :08:40.rated 1.6 billion less even than they said it would. At a time when
:08:40. > :08:45.re-sources are tight and families are under pressure, that is not
:08:45. > :08:49.right and we will act. The next Labour government will increase the
:08:49. > :08:54.bank levy rate to raise an extra £800 million. We will use the money
:08:54. > :08:57.for families were all parents want to work and who are in work to
:08:57. > :09:01.increase free childcare for three and four-year-olds from 15 hours to
:09:01. > :09:19.25 hours. The parents in work, free childcare
:09:19. > :09:25.for three and four-year-olds from 15 to 25 hours a week, for the first
:09:25. > :09:30.time parents able to work part-time without having to worry about the
:09:30. > :09:36.cost of childcare. That is what we mean by making work pay. That is
:09:36. > :09:40.what we mean by attacking the cost of living crisis. It is a radical
:09:40. > :09:46.con -- transformation of childcare in our country. Let us not be the
:09:46. > :09:53.Labour generation that flinched in the face of hardship. Let us show we
:09:53. > :09:59.will not duck the great challenges we are going to face on spending and
:09:59. > :10:03.the deficit. Let us build an economy that works for all working families
:10:03. > :10:07.in every part of our country. In the coming weeks and months, when people
:10:08. > :10:13.ask what would a Labour government do, let's go out and tell them dash
:10:13. > :10:17.jobs for young people guaranteed. Expanding free childcare, a British
:10:17. > :10:22.investment bank, infrastructure delivered, green and thrust meant a
:10:22. > :10:29.lot, tax cuts are millions, not for millionaires. Performing our banks,
:10:30. > :10:36.the minimum wage raised, rail fares, the bedroom tax scrapped,
:10:36. > :10:40.building the homes we need. That is what a Labour government could do.
:10:40. > :10:47.Let's together go out there and make it happen. Thank you, conference.
:10:47. > :10:54.That was Ed Balls big moment, but did he do enough to convince, not
:10:54. > :10:58.just his party, but the electorate that he is capable of running the
:10:58. > :11:03.economy, or should somebody else be in charge. Adam Fleming took his
:11:03. > :11:09.mood box round right on. Let's find out who Labour delegates
:11:09. > :11:16.would want in charge of shadow policy? Alistair Darling was an
:11:16. > :11:22.underrated Chancellor, but he will not be the next Chancellor, Ed Balls
:11:22. > :11:31.is. He gets my vote. Who would you like to see in charge of economic
:11:31. > :11:36.policy? Ed Balls. He has got the intelligence to take it forward. Do
:11:36. > :11:45.you think Ed Miliband should ring up Alistair Darling back? In some
:11:45. > :11:50.capacity. I like Ed Balls but Alistair Darling has this barrier of
:11:50. > :11:55.safety around him and I trust him. Would you rather he were shadow
:11:55. > :12:06.chancellor? Oh dear. You are allowed to say. Yes. We are doing a survey
:12:06. > :12:12.about you. It is about you. Are you sure I cannot tempt you with a ball.
:12:12. > :12:17.How about your wife? It is true, Alistair Darling is modest. He won't
:12:17. > :12:22.even vote for himself. You have gone Fred Halls, what do you think about
:12:22. > :12:30.the admission he made about being too much of. -- Ed Balls. Hopefully
:12:30. > :12:38.the Labour Party have moved on from that period. Ed Balls is not too
:12:38. > :12:45.much of a bruiser? Who knows what damage he would do on the back
:12:45. > :12:56.benches. Who would you rather hang out with?
:12:56. > :13:03.Ed Balls. He is very hunky. I am too busy eating my Apple. It is
:13:03. > :13:09.nearly finished. What do you want me to do? Ed Balls or Alistair Darling?
:13:09. > :13:14.I am not playing these games. Alistair Darling did a fantastic
:13:14. > :13:20.job, but now it is a new challenge and we need new ideas and new
:13:20. > :13:34.proposals, Ed Balls at the moment. Would you like to add to our survey?
:13:34. > :13:41.I didn't realise this was real. You have seen it in action. You are part
:13:41. > :13:43.of it. I will vote for Ed Balls but I am a big fan of Alistair Darling
:13:43. > :13:48.of it. I will vote for Ed Balls but as well. Did you hear he confessed
:13:48. > :13:54.to cry while watching the sound of music? He is a very sensitive soul.
:13:54. > :14:01.Do you get to see that? We work with him on all types of different levels
:14:01. > :14:08.for stop it doesn't surprise me. We have got a massive fountain of
:14:08. > :14:14.walls for Ed Balls. -- mountain. One of the big issues is welfare. At
:14:14. > :14:18.the Conservative conference we will hear a lot about their plans to
:14:18. > :14:23.clamp down on welfare spending. The Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary
:14:23. > :14:28.the ones to abolish the housing benefit cuts -- Liam Byrne 's. He
:14:28. > :14:35.also promised unemployment benefit would go up for older claimants.
:14:35. > :14:42.Once upon a time they let us had the Tory party say they care, although
:14:42. > :14:48.speeches in Easterhouse, people gave them the benefit of the doubt. We
:14:48. > :14:50.will promised Tory party who cared about the poor, we were promised the
:14:50. > :14:55.poor, we were promised welfare revolution, we were even promised we
:14:55. > :14:59.were all in this together, and three years on I tell you now, the jury
:14:59. > :15:04.is, cost of living crisis, 1 million young people out of work, long time
:15:04. > :15:08.an appointment at a record high, disabled people living in fear,
:15:08. > :15:12.child poverty rising, promised that started in Easterhouse has ended up
:15:12. > :15:16.with the spectacle of a Tory minister, Michael Gove, blaming the
:15:16. > :15:18.poor for the temerity to turn up at a feedback. He should be ashamed. --
:15:18. > :15:34.food bank. Three years on, I tell you, this is
:15:34. > :15:41.the verdict, these Tories have let them prejudice destroy their policy.
:15:41. > :15:46.Just as bad as the prejudice is the incompetence. You know they say to
:15:46. > :15:51.our is human, but if you want somebody to really screw it up, then
:15:51. > :15:56.you send for Iain Duncan Smith. Conference, that is why we need to
:15:57. > :16:00.fire him. Those in their 50s who have worked the most and cared the
:16:00. > :16:05.most and save the most and serve the most, what do they get? They get
:16:05. > :16:11.practically nothing. Let's bring back an idea from William Beveridge,
:16:11. > :16:15.extra help for those who have paid their dues but are desperate for
:16:15. > :16:19.extra help to work again after a lifetime working or caring it is the
:16:19. > :16:27.least we could do. It is a modest step but I tell you, it is a big,
:16:27. > :16:35.big so. -- signal. Like most families in this country I know from
:16:35. > :16:39.first-hand experience that disability can affect anyone,
:16:39. > :16:45.therefore it affects us all. Yet today, disabled people of Britain by
:16:46. > :16:53.therefore it affects us all. Yet hate crime, atolls, and bedroom tax.
:16:53. > :16:58.We deny them peace of mind, a job, care, and we need to be the party
:16:58. > :17:00.that changes that. We will change the law so that hate crime against
:17:01. > :17:15.disabled people is treated just the same as any kind of hate crime. I
:17:15. > :17:20.say to David Cameron, ATOS is a disgrace and you should sack them
:17:20. > :17:24.now. We say to this Prime Minister this out of touch pad minister, the
:17:24. > :17:33.bedroom tax, you should axe it and acts it now -- by minister.
:17:33. > :17:38.Now to Damien but ride's book, lifting the lid of years of
:17:38. > :17:43.infighting -- McBride. It is the talk of the conference. Earlier
:17:43. > :17:49.today Andrew Neill on the daily politics spoke to a brace of former
:17:49. > :17:54.Labour spin. This, Alistair Campbell and Charlie Whelan. Let's hear from
:17:55. > :18:00.Mr Whelan. What people wanted about is jobs,
:18:00. > :18:04.living standards, NHS, minimum wage, they are not interested in
:18:04. > :18:08.books by Damien or Alistair Campbell or anybody else which is why I never
:18:08. > :18:13.wrote the book. I am interested though.
:18:13. > :18:19.Most of the delegates will not recognise Damien Wright, they don't
:18:19. > :18:25.know who he is, -- Damian McBride. The only thing the media were
:18:25. > :18:29.talking about was him. I went into the conference area, stated
:18:29. > :18:32.delegates, nobody mentioned him. The people are not interested, they are
:18:32. > :18:36.interested in jobs, living standards and the NHS.
:18:36. > :18:44.I don't think they are quite as brave as me. Did you know that he
:18:44. > :18:51.got up to this sort of thing? As you probably well know, when I
:18:51. > :18:55.worked for Gordon Brown in opposition and a few years at the
:18:55. > :18:59.Treasury I never even met him, he wasn't around. He didn't come on the
:18:59. > :19:04.scene until three years after I had left front line politics.
:19:04. > :19:07.He was there when you were political officer for Unite.
:19:07. > :19:14.He was indeed. Did you know he was officer for Unite.
:19:14. > :19:22.undermining the medical careers of Labour colleagues like John Reid,
:19:22. > :19:27.Charles Clarke? I am sure they can look after themselves. I know you
:19:27. > :19:32.are really interested in this but if you want to carry on talking about
:19:32. > :19:36.him, go back to Alistair Campbell who is waiting downstairs. I don't
:19:36. > :19:44.want to talk about M and neither do the delegates.
:19:44. > :19:48.But you were pretty tough that got in -- or anybody that got in Gordon
:19:48. > :19:54.Brown's way. I was from a fairly different
:19:54. > :20:00.mirror. Most of the time I was working in opposition, a hard fight
:20:00. > :20:07.to win an election which is why both Eds are finding it difficult. The
:20:07. > :20:10.because we have got to deal with people like you and people like
:20:10. > :20:13.Alistair Campbell did a good job and people like you and people like
:20:13. > :20:18.I think I did. That was many moons ago for stop thank you for joining
:20:18. > :20:24.us. Let's go to Alistair Campbell. What
:20:24. > :20:32.did you make of him? He never did anything wrong, just doing his job,
:20:32. > :20:41.this is all a waste of time. Well, I think I would say
:20:41. > :20:44.dishonest. He is right that the delegates don't want to talk about
:20:44. > :20:46.it, people would rather focus on jobs, the economy, because these are
:20:47. > :20:50.it, people would rather focus on the issues that matter to people,
:20:50. > :20:57.but I think you cannot go through the decade we did with people like
:20:57. > :21:01.Charlie Whelan and Damian McBride and the politics they operated and
:21:01. > :21:03.expect him to come along and say I don't read books and I don't know
:21:03. > :21:07.what is going on for stop I thought don't read books and I don't know
:21:07. > :21:11.you were absolutely right to press him with some of those questions.
:21:11. > :21:18.The idea he hasn't read all of these is borderline dishonest as well. The
:21:18. > :21:21.point is when he talks about we want to get on and get a Labour
:21:21. > :21:24.government, one of the reasons we don't have a Labour government is
:21:24. > :21:28.because of the way people like this don't have a Labour government is
:21:28. > :21:34.behaved when we were in Edmond. A narrative was fed to the public that
:21:34. > :21:42.Tony Blair wasn't good at his job, any minister who was very good and
:21:42. > :21:47.seen as a threat were consistently briefed against, and as you know,
:21:47. > :21:51.you have been around politics long time, it can get very tough, things
:21:51. > :21:59.can get heated, because the issues matter. The reason why I am still
:21:59. > :22:01.angry with people like them, and a lot of the journalists who are now
:22:01. > :22:07.running around saying how terrible these people are who were the ones
:22:07. > :22:12.taking this poison, I have no time for them, I never will, because they
:22:12. > :22:16.are among the reasons we have got a Conservative government screwing up
:22:16. > :22:20.the recovery, the health service, punishing people on welfare and with
:22:20. > :22:24.a foreign policy in a shambles and that is the stuff that matters and
:22:24. > :22:30.they are partly responsible for the Conservatives being in power and is
:22:31. > :22:34.being out of power. If he can come down and think you can have his 15
:22:34. > :22:38.minutes of fame, sell thousands of books, but he should have it on its
:22:38. > :22:41.conscience one of the reasons we have a Conservative government is
:22:42. > :22:46.because he spent his whole time inside government at taxpayers
:22:46. > :22:54.expense on the payroll frankly undermining the effectiveness and
:22:54. > :22:58.performance of that government. Public sector workers are
:22:58. > :23:02.experiencing a on any pay rises. Today Labour delegates voted to get
:23:02. > :23:08.rid of that, in breach of party policy. They voted to support a
:23:08. > :23:12.union motion lifting the 1%, even though the Labour leadership want to
:23:12. > :23:19.stick to the coalition spending plans if they were elected in 2015.
:23:19. > :23:23.Our people need hope, they need to know now that when our party will
:23:24. > :23:31.end the pay which is blighting so many lives. It is not rocket
:23:31. > :23:36.science. If this is the cost of living conference the pay freeze
:23:36. > :23:41.must end. No ifs, no buts. A clear commitment to end the Tory pay
:23:41. > :23:45.freeze. We know Labour makes a difference, our people in our
:23:45. > :23:49.freeze. We know Labour makes a communities have to believe it as
:23:49. > :23:52.well. Millions hate this coalition but believes there is no
:23:52. > :23:58.alternative. We have to be bold, more than a PR machine, if we are
:23:58. > :24:02.bold we will give people hope, and our rallying cry, our rallying call
:24:02. > :24:07.bold we will give people hope, and has got to be Labour stands for fair
:24:07. > :24:13.pay and Labour will end the six-year pay freeze which is destroying so
:24:13. > :24:17.many families. That will show that their political party, our party is
:24:17. > :24:25.brave, bold and that we will be back in power in 2015. Can I see those in
:24:26. > :24:30.favour Mr Mark and it against? Carried.
:24:30. > :24:35.There was also time for the Shadow Foreign Secretary to talk about his
:24:35. > :24:41.idea for Syria, Afghanistan and Europe.
:24:41. > :24:49.We have, as a party, learned the lessons of the past. Intervening
:24:49. > :24:53.immediately and asking questions later would have ill served our
:24:53. > :24:57.country. As Labour we are prepared to support force where we must, as
:24:57. > :25:04.we did in Libya just two years ago, but we should support diplomacy
:25:04. > :25:10.where we can. Now, thankfully, a new diplomatic path is open to eradicate
:25:10. > :25:16.chemical weapons in Syria. In part, due to those votes in Westminster.
:25:16. > :25:22.For Britain to now try to retreat from the world would be as futile as
:25:22. > :25:26.it would be foolish. And that, conference, is why Britain's
:25:26. > :25:35.continued membership of the European Union matters so much. The fantasy
:25:35. > :25:40.of written, as some kind of North Atlantic Singapore, is just that. It
:25:40. > :25:45.is a fantasy. British jobs, British exports, British influence in the
:25:45. > :25:51.world, all benefit from Britain's continued membership of the European
:25:51. > :25:56.Union. Also the leader of Labour at the European Parliament addressed
:25:56. > :26:00.delegates in Brighton. She accused David Cameron of being
:26:00. > :26:05.too much and urged Labour to go on to the attack ahead of the European
:26:05. > :26:09.elections next year. With David Cameron and his ministers
:26:09. > :26:14.under threat from UKIP reacting by making a stewardess stories like
:26:14. > :26:25.this supposed attack on our British rebate by scheming Europeans --
:26:25. > :26:30.spurious stories. Did you see how much about what the macho per
:26:30. > :26:34.minister said in Brussels, in this town you have to be ready for an
:26:34. > :26:39.ambush at any time, that means lock and load and have won up the spout
:26:39. > :26:43.and be ready for it. David Cameron, a disturbing cocktail of John
:26:43. > :26:59.Wayne, and Alan Partridge. The mind boggles, doesn't it? He is
:26:59. > :27:06.out of touch at home and he is isolated abroad. But I am getting
:27:06. > :27:11.fed up. I am fed up with David Cameron making up pretend fight with
:27:11. > :27:23.Europe, fed up with Nigel Farage getting more airtime than briefs for
:27:23. > :27:29.five -- Bruce Forsyth. I am fed up with intelligent journalists failing
:27:29. > :27:35.to challenge what UKIP stand for. A vote for Labour will mean a strong,
:27:35. > :27:38.prosperous written, working with our neighbours to play a full part in
:27:38. > :27:43.the world affairs, not sulking on the sidelines. It needs all of us
:27:43. > :27:47.here in this whole to be knocking on doors up and down the country and
:27:47. > :27:53.giving that message. A good result for Labour in next year 's Euro
:27:53. > :27:59.elections is also a key staging post on the road to numbered ten. --
:27:59. > :28:04.another ten. Next year 's elections matter more than ever. If we want to
:28:04. > :28:09.make a difference to people 's lives, if we want a fairer, more
:28:09. > :28:14.prosperous society, we need Labour in the European Parliament, Labour
:28:14. > :28:21.in councils across the country, and Labour in government in 2015.
:28:21. > :28:26.That is all for tonight from Brighton as the Labour Party down if
:28:26. > :28:32.you buy it and absorb everything they have been told. Tomorrow
:28:32. > :28:34.morning we will hear from the shadow transport secretary, the Shadow
:28:34. > :28:40.Secretary for energy and employment change, the big moment of the day is
:28:40. > :28:46.Ed Miliband's leaders speech in the afternoon. The conference special
:28:46. > :28:51.will be on BBC Two at midday and again at 2pm for Ed Miliband's big
:28:51. > :28:53.speech will stop I will be back tomorrow evening for this programme
:28:53. > :28:57.but good night.