Keir Starmer speech - live: Labour leader shakes off glitter ambush and unveils ‘mission for government’

The protester who disrupted Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s conference speech was wearing a t-shirt which appears to tie him to a group called People Demand Democracy.

The group’s website says: “People Demand Democracy is a group of people from all across Britain calling for an upgrade to our current political system and using civil disobedience to get our message across.

“We are calling for a fair, proportional voting system for Westminster elections and a permanent, legally-binding national House of Citizens, selected by democratic lottery.​

“People Demand Democracy has written letters to the leaders of the two leading political parties, Labour and the Conservatives, with an ultimatum: implement our demands by September 1 2023 or we will take proportionate action to get our message across.”

Changing the rules on tax breaks for private schools could help pay for mental health staff in every school, Sir Keir Starmer said.

The Labour leader said: “People will say ‘don’t rock the boat, we’ve always done it like this, is this really necessary?’

“I’ve reformed a public service before, I know how it goes. But it’s our responsibility to do it, and across our public services the prize is huge.

“Because if we call time on wasteful police procurement then we can have a community policing guarantee. More police in your town, fighting anti-social behaviour, taking back our streets.

“If we ignore appeals for the status quo on private school tax breaks or outdated national curriculum, then we can have mental health staff in every school, more expert teachers in the classroom, more creativity, speaking skills, confidence.”

Sir Keir Starmer has promised an end to government contracts being awarded “by the backdoor”, Archie Mitchell reports.

The Labour leader took aim at the Tories’ record through the pandemic, which saw contracts awarded using a “VIP lane” to those recommended by ministers.

He also attacked the Conservatives over Partygate and promised a crackdown on profiteering and pollution by water and energy firms.

Sir Keir said: “No more bonuses for people pumping sewage into our rivers.

“No more people Freezing while energy firms make record profits.

“No more government contracts awarded by the backdoor.

“No more cleaners bought as they scrub the mess off the walls of illegal parties.”

Keir Starmer has suggested Boris Johnson was a liar, but attacked Rishi Sunak for being “shallow” and failing to understand the lives of ordinary people, Adam Forrest reports.

“Some people say to me, ‘We were lied to – these politicians are liars’. But that’s not it – well, maybe for one of them was it. But for politicians like Rishi Sunak it is more than they cannot see the country before them.”

He said Sunak and his team treat people as “pieces on their board”. He said the Tory leader “and the shallow men and women of Westminster” do not understand Britons’ daily struggles.

“They actually believe what it is coming out of their mouths, when our public services were cut to the bone and they said ‘We’re all into together’ – when they told you to your face that Brexit would only bring benefits to your business.”

He also had a dig at the Tories over Partygate, saying “they couldn’t even change during a pandemic” and broke the “rules that they set”.

Starmer said under Labour there would be “no more cleaners mocked as they scrub mess off the walls of illegal parties in Westminster”.

Sir Keir Starmer claimed that many people in the conference hall would have “heard a nagging voice inside, saying no this isn’t for you”.

He added: “You don’t belong here. You can’t do that. Working class people certainly hear that voice, trust me. In some ways , it’s the hardest class ceiling, of all.

“But conference, imagine if instead a whole country said – you do belong. Imagine if a whole country said we back your potential. Imagine if a whole country commits, properly, to unlocking the pride you have for your community.

“Then look what we could build. A country where every contribution is equally respected. Where you don’t have to change who you are just to get on. Where whatever your background you feel secure, valued. Certain that things will be better for your children.

“A Britain strong enough, stable enough, secure enough for you to invest your hope, your possibility, your future. A Britain built to last.”

He had earlier contrasted Labour with the Conservatives, referring to “Rishi Sunak and the shallow men and women of Westminster” who he claimed were “unable to see, unable to listen, unable to stand in your shoes and serve this country”.

The protester who interrupted Keir Starmer’s speech appears to be a supporter of the group People Demand Democracy – a slogan which was written on this shirt, Jon Stone reports.

The goals of the group are to replace the House of Lords with what they call a "permanent citizens assembly".

This effectively means the upper house would be selected at random like a jury, or what the group refers to as a "democratic lottery".

They also support proportional representation for Commons elections.

The group is currently rather niche and only has around 40 followers on Twitter, though that number has climbed somewhat since the stunt.

Sir Keir Starmer has directly blamed Tory decisions for households facing higher energy bills, Archie Mitchell reports.

The Labour leader called on Rishi Sunak to “look around Britain” and “look at the bills working people are paying now”.

“They are more expensive because you did not build the gas storage, you did not invest in clean British energy, you scrapped home insulation.

“And you are doing it all again.”

He warned the PM not to row back on Britain’s climate commitments, adding: “I say speed ahead.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, on his vision for Britain, said: “No more bonuses for people pumping sewage into our rivers. No more pensioners freezing while energy firms make record profits.

“No more government contracts awarded via the back door. No more cleaners mocked, as they scrub mess off the walls of illegal parties in Westminster.

“A future where we believe workers’ rights are good for growth, inequality corrosive, communities should have a bigger stake.

“Climate change is an opportunity we can’t pass up, young people’s aspirations must be met. Britain is respected again around the world.

“That’s our future conference. Let’s get it back.

“Because government can be a force for good. We can fight alongside working people in the name of justice and opportunity. That’s why I came into politics.”

Keir Starmer said homeownership had become a distant dream “out of reach for millions”, Adam Forrest reports.

Without a Labour government takes action it will become “more distant – a luxury for the few not the privilege of the many,” he warned.

Starmer said building a series of promised new towns would not mean “tearing up the green belt”. But he said there was a “grey belt – sometimes within a city’s boundary” made up of disused land that can be built upon. He added: “We will take this fight on. That’s a Britain built to last.”

He added: “No more land bankers sitting on brownfield land. No more inertia in the face of resistance.”

The Labour leader invited Conservative voters to join his party’s cause. He claimed that the Tories had been taken over by “populism and conspiracy” and the Sunak government’s attitude was now “don’t solve problems – exploit them”, Adam Forrest reports.

“If you are a Conservative voter who despairs of this, if you look in horror at the descent of your party into the murky waters of populism and conspiracy – with no argument for economic change – if you feel our country needs a party that conserves, that fights for our Union, our environment, the rule of law, family life, the careful bond between this generation and the next, then let me tell you: Britain already has one.

“And you can join it. It’s this Labour Party.”