Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, just as Labour's conference was beginning, PM Keir Starmer was asked whether he thought Reform's plan to scrap the right of migrants to qualify for permanent settlement was a racist policy.

"I do think it's a racist policy, I do think it's immoral - it needs to be called out for what it is," he replied.

"It's one thing to say we're going to remove illegal migrants, people who have no right to be here, I'm up for that. It's completely different thing to say we're going to reach in to people who are lawfully here and start removing them.

"They are our neighbours, they're people who work in our economy, they're part of who we are. It will rip this country apart."

The policy, which would abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), was announced by party leader Nigel Farage last week.

Watch the exchange between Kuenssberg and Starmer below:

Chris Mason & Jennifer McKiernan
Political editor & political reporter

A bit more for you now on what it is we're expecting Keir Starmer to say when he speaks today.

British people stand "at a fork in the road", Starmer will tell the Labour Party conference as he tries to inject some vigour into his vision for the country.

In a speech being seen by his team as "his clearest statement yet of his political creed", he is expected to spell out what he sees as the stark difference between Labour's vision for the UK and that of Reform UK.

With criticism of his leadership boiling over into an open challenge from Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Starmer will argue that his is a "hard path" but one of "renewal" and "decency", starkly set against an alternative he portrays as decline and division.

That route is one he has suggested belongs to Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party, which is attracting significant numbers of former Labour voters, and whose deportation policy Starmer branded "racist" at the start of the conference.

Starmer will seek to appeal to those beyond Labour, including those who have never voted for the party, and ask people to question whose side are they on - his or Reform's.

• This is an excerpt of a more in-depth report - read Chris and Jennifer's full story here

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will soon address the Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool.

By the time he takes the stage at 14:00 BST, we'll have already heard from a variety of Labour figures - including senior ministers - since the event got under way on Sunday. To give you a quick flavour of what we've heard so far:

• Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a new "hit squad" to recover money owed to the British people, as well as a new guarantee to secure work and training for young people
• Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said migrants would need to prove they are contributing to society to earn the right to remain in the UK, and also vowed to do "whatever it takes" to secure the UK's borders
• Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper spoke of the UK's recent recognition of a Palestinian state, as well as new international trade deals and international cooperation to tackle human smuggling and trafficking
• Defence Secretary John Healey issued a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin: "You will not win. Stop the killing, start the talks, agree a peace. We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes"
• Meanwhile, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced that maintenance grants are to be reintroduced for students in higher education in England

Today, we're expecting Starmer to spell out what he sees as the stark difference between Labour's vision for the UK and that of Reform UK (more on that in our next post).

You'll be able to watch his speech live at the top of this page and we'll bring you text updates right here. Stay with us as we get ready to hear from the PM.

Maia Davies
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

We've heard from a number of key players on the second day of Labour's annual party conference, including the home secretary who outlined a series of new conditions that migrants have to meet to remain in the UK.

One of a host of Cabinet ministers setting out the government’s plans in Liverpool today, Shabana Mahmood stressed the need to secure the UK's borders, warning that "working class communities [would] turn away from” Labour should they fail.

Her proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) came after the prime minister had dubbed Reform’s proposal to scrap ILR as “racist”. Reform said the British public were "sick and tired of having their concerns dismissed", while the Conservatives said calling the idea racist was “completely wrong”.

The threat from Nigel Farage’s party loomed large on the conference stage, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves also warned that his party's agenda was the "single greatest threat" to British standards.

Welfare spending and tax were also key features of her speech, as she insisted she wouldn't take risks with public finances but warned there were tough choices ahead made all the harder by "harsh global headwinds”.

She also refused to rule out extending the income tax threshold freeze. According to our economics editor, she appeared to be pre-emptively justifying tax rises ahead of the Budget next month.

It came after a busy morning media round in which Reeves announced a guarantee to offer work placements to unemployed young people - here’s a rundown of what we do and don’t know about the pledge.

We’re bringing our live coverage to a close, but you can read our full rundown of the chancellor's speech and of the home secretary's proposals here.

Branwen Jeffreys
Education editor

Universities in England are dismayed at the confirmation that a levy - expected to be 6% - will be applied to all their income from international students.

The idea was floated in government immigration plans earlier this year, and vice-chancellors thought it was still up for discussion.

One told me they are “livid”.

International students pay tuition fees two to three times higher than home students, and universities have become increasingly reliant on that cash.

Now they fear what is essentially a tax will make them less competitive in a global market for students.

It will hit both those research-intensive universities that largely recruit from China and universities with lower rankings who are seeking to grow recruitment from lower income countries.

Kate McGough
Education producer

Image source, Getty Images

Maintenance grants are to be reintroduced for students in higher education in England. The pledge was made by the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in a speech at Labour’s party conference today.

The new grants will be available to students from poorer backgrounds who are studying for university degrees or higher technical qualifications in a number of priority courses. The government says it will be courses that support their industrial strategy, although they’ve not outlined exactly which ones in the announcement today.

Maintenance grants were abolished and replaced by maintenance loans in 2016 in England. Students can currently get a maximum maintenance loan of £10,544 if they live away from home outside London. But recent research from the Higher Education Policy Institute suggests that this only covers about half of the living costs, external that students face.

The plan is for the new maintenance grants to be in place by the end of this Parliament and they will be funded by a new levy on international students. More details will be set out in the Budget this autumn.

The student campaign group “Save the Student” has welcomed the announcement, but says they’d like to see the grants offered to all students, not just those in priority courses.

Shabana Mahmood has just wrapped up her speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Here's what the home secretary had to say:

• Immigration: Mahmood said more work is needed to secure UK borders, pledging to do "whatever it takes" and "break" the business model of people-smugglers. She said people "will not always like what I do, but until there is control of borders, we won't be the tolerant country we believe in"
• Indefinite leave to remain: Mahmood said migrants will have to prove they are contributing to society to earn the right to remain in the UK, including being in work, having a clean criminal record and a good standard of English. The government plans to double the period it takes to gain the status from five years to 10
• Reform UK: She said if Labour doesn't succeed, "working class communities will turn away from us", referring to the threat from Nigel Farage's party

Shabana Mahmood says that contribution to the UK will be a condition of being welcome in the UK.

The home secretary confirms that the threshold to get indefinite leave to remain will rise from five years to 10 years, adding that the government will be consulting on this soon.

There will be a set of conditions that those hoping to get indefinite leave to remain will need to meet, Mahmood says, including being in work, making National Insurance contributions, "not taking a penny in benefits", learning English to a good standard, not having a criminal record and volunteering to a local cause.

"Time spent in this country alone is not enough," she adds, "just like my parents, you must earn the right to live in this country for good."

You can read more about this in our main article.

Mahmood talks about illegal crossing attempts into the UK, sending a message to smugglers: "We will break your business model."

She praises the government's "historic" one in, one out agreement with France.

She aims to discourage those considering a small boat crossing, saying "it's just not worth it", adding that she will send those home who have no right to be here and ending the use of hotels.

Reiterating her clamp down on illegal migration, Mahmood says she "will do whatever is takes to secure our borders".

She adds: "You will not always like what I do, but until there is control of borders we won't be the tolerant country we believe in."

• For context: Under the "one in one out" deal, France agreed to take back migrants who had travelled to the UK by small boat. For each person returned to France, the UK will accept someone with a case for protection as a refugee who has not attempted to cross the Channel.

Mahmood says that people feel the country has "lost control", that the system is "rigged" and that they are unsafe, naming small boat crossings, illegal working and "unchecked" crime.

"If we do not rise to this challenge," she says, "our vision of an open, tolerant, generous country will wither".

"Working class communities will turn away from us," Mahmood says, referring to the threat from Reform UK.

She adds that challenge is not just winning the next election but keeping the country together and "fight[ing] for our belief in a greater Britain, not a littler England".

Mahmood says the work begins at our borders, giving refuge to those fleeing peril but also being able "to determine who comes in and who must leave", adding that there is more work to be done.

Shabana Mahmood begins by referencing a protest organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson on 13 September when up to 150,000 people marched through central London, during which 26 officers were injured.

The home secretary says some people in the crowd that day chanted racist slogans, making it "clear that in their view of this country, I have no place".

She says dismissing what happened would "be to ignore something bigger, something broader".

"The story of who we are is contested," she continues, as she says patriotism is "turning into something smaller, something like ethno-nationalism".

The home secretary says it's time to understand why "so many people think this country is not working for them".

Image source, Reuters

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is addressing the Labour Party conference, where she's expected to set out a tougher migration policy.

We'll bring you the top lines from her speech here and our correspondents will break down her remarks as we hear it - you can also watch live at the top of this page.

Image source, Reuters

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham - who has been subject to speculation that he could challenge Keir Starmer's leadership - says "the only thing I've launched is a debate" about how to beat Reform UK.

Speaking at an event in Liverpool hosted by The Guardian, Burnham is asked about his potential leadership pitch. He says that he "can't launch a leadership campaign, I'm not in Parliament, so that is the bottom line".

The "populist right" is "putting big things on the table", Burnham says, adding Labour "have to do the same thing the other way".

The mayor adds: "While the government's done good things, I don't think it's come together yet as that powerful story of the future of Britain."

Image source, PA Media

Reeves used her conference speech to draw a contrast between the Labour government and its Conservative predecessor, and we're now getting some reaction to the chancellor's speech from senior figures within the Conservative Party.

Though she says she won't risk the public finances, Reeves is "already doing just that" says Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, through "more borrowing, higher spending, and more taxes".

He argues that Labour is "refuse to tackle rising welfare costs" and "won't commit" to keeping the two-child benefit cap.

Meanwhile, Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch says that Reeves' speech "set the groundwork" to lift the two-child benefit cap.

While Reeves has not suggested that she would lift the cap, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said earlier this month that it was "on the table" as part of her campaign for Labour deputy leadership.

The two-child cap, introduced under the Conservatives, prevents households on universal or child tax credit from receiving payments for a third or subsequent child born after April 2017 and has been a divisive issue in the Labour Party.

We've been hearing from James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury. He says that the chancellor's fiscal rules are "fundamental" to Labour's plans.

The party wants to build more affordable homes, renew Britain's energy supply, and invest in areas including transport and defence, Murray tells the Politics Live programme.

But this "investment is only possible" because of Reeves' fiscal rules, and the "stability she brought to the economy" he says.

Murray says "we need to keep going" with economic investment into Britain, pointing to a recent £150bn investment in UK tech by the US as a sign of Labour's policy successes.

Image source, PA Media

It's been a busy day at the Labour conference so far - and it's not over yet. More members of cabinet are expected to take the stage to outline the party's plans.

Here's who we're expecting to hear from this afternoon (though timings are subject to change):

14:40: Secretary for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden

14:50: Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy

15:30: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood

15:45: Science Secretary Liz Kendall

16:00: Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy

Stick with us as we bring you the latest.

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

Rachel Reeves has a decision to make on whether to extend the freeze on income tax thresholds. This morning, she refused to rule it out.

What would be the financial impact were she to continue the freeze (started under the Conservatives) to 2030?

This would depend on quite a few things, including individuals' wages and the rate of rising prices.

Based on average wage and price rises under forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility, the investment platform AJ Bell has come up with an estimate for somebody on a relatively high wage.

It says someone who was earning £50,000 at the start of the freeze in 2021-22 will have paid an extra £23,449 in tax by 2030 than if the tax thresholds had gone up in line with inflation.

As Reeves pledges to end youth unemployment - which sectors need workers?published at 14:01 BST 29 September

14:01 BST 29 September

By Tamara Kovacevic

Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her speech talked about plans to "abolish long-term youth unemployment" by guaranteeing a paid work placement for young people who have been out of employment or education for 18 months.

On BBC Breakfast, Reeves said young people could get jobs "in the retail sector, they could be in our cultural industries, they could be in government".

The announcement follows the government’s "youth guarantee", announced last November, which promised every 18 to 21-year-old in England access to an apprenticeship, training, education opportunities or help to find a job.

The latest ONS job vacancies data, external show there were 728,000 unfilled job vacancies in the UK for the period covering June to August. Of those, 48,000 were in retail while 29,000 vacancies were in the "public administration and defence and compulsory social security" sector.

There is no heading for "cultural industries" but "arts, entertainment and recreation" had 14,000 vacancies.

The highest number of job vacancies – 128,000 – were in health and social care followed by 78,000 in accommodation and food service.

Merseyside Police says there was “no police involvement” after a protester holding a Palestinian flag interrupted Rachel Reeves’ Labour conference speech.

The chancellor had started addressing conference when the audience member in Liverpool began shouting about “mass starvation of Palestinians”.

Police say the protester was removed from the hall and the incident was dealt with by internal security staff.

Image source, Reuters

Rachel Reeves used her speech at the Labour Party conference to insist she wouldn't take risks with public finances, but warned there were tough choices ahead made all the harder by "harsh global headwinds".

After being interrupted by a pro-Palestinian protester, Reeves said Labour was "not a party of protest" and reminded the crowd that the UK was one of several countries to recognise a Palestinian state last week.

The chancellor announced:

• A new "hit squad" tasked with recovering money owed to the British people, which was misspent on PPE contracts during the Covid pandemic
• The government will fund a new "youth guarantee" which will see every young person guaranteed either a place in college, an apprenticeship, or one-to-one support to find a job
• The government will "push ahead" with its plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail
• A commitment to providing a library in every primary school in England by end of parliament
• The government is working with the EU to secure an "ambitious agreement" on youth mobility

Reeves also criticised Reform UK, saying Nigel Farage's agenda is the "single greatest threat" to British standards, and repeatedly made the point to "never let anybody tell you that there’s no difference between a Labour government and the Conservatives".