Summary

  • Labour Party conference is taking place in Manchester

  • Sessions from: 09:30-12:45 and 14:15-16:00

  • Shadow chancellor Ed Balls set out range of policy pledges

  • Also debates on foreign affairs and Northern Ireland

  • Questions remain about UK devolution after Scottish referendum

  1. Two cratespublished at 10:24 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    It's over to shadow international development secretary Jim Murphy now - who Mr Vaz says campaigned in 100 open-air street meetings across Scotland during the referendum campaign. Mr Murphy tells the hall he's grateful to be standing on a stage bigger than "two Irn-Bru crates".

  2. European campaignpublished at 10:23 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Setting out Labour's plans on Europe, Ms Willmott says the party's MEPs will refocus the EU budget to deliver jobs and growth, reform the energy markets, and work to get rid of zero-hours contracts. She receives her biggest cheer for pledging that Labour will not support any EU-US trade deal "that endangers our NHS". Ms Willmott goes on to aim fire at the PM - whom she dubs "desperate Dave" - and claims he is putting party interests ahead of the national interest.

  3. Fancy dress snapspublished at 10:22 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Brian Wheeler
    Political reporter

    Caroline Flint with Friends of the Earth campaigners

    Caroline Flint seems to like fancy dress. Here is the shadow environment secretary with Friends of the Earth campaigners who want schools to run on solar panels (not to open on Sunday, as one dozy conference-goer thought). Just seconds earlier she was posing with Ready Teddy - the plush mascot of a campaign to ban payday loan TV ads before the watershed.

    Caroline Flint with Ready Teddy
  4. A voice from Europepublished at 10:20 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Labour's leader in the European Parliament, Glenis Willmott, has taken to the stage, and is praising Labour's performance at the recent European elections in May. She says the party's MEPs are "among the strongest" in the European Parliament - and welcomes that nearly half of them are women.

  5. Welsh powerspublished at 10:09 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    The Welsh first minister stresses that the Wales Bill - which devolves some tax-varying powers to Cardiff and is currently going through Parliament - must be delivered, and that progress needs to be made on the Silk Commission's latest recommendations.

  6. Viewpoint on minimum wagepublished at 10:09 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Libertarian think tank The Adam Smith Institute

    blogs:, external £8 minimum wage hype: political trick, economic disaster, moral outrage

  7. The future of the UKpublished at 10:05 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Carwyn Jones adds to criticism of Mr Cameron's UK-wide devolution plans following the Scottish referendum, branding the PM's response "panicky". He says the future promised to Scotland must be delivered - and also calls for a constitutional convention to address the future structure of the UK.

  8. Postpublished at 10:04 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Politics Home

    tweets:, external Kicking off the second day of #Lab14 conference, @OwenSmithMP says Cameron's 'effing Tories' comment was a "treasured moment of sincerity"

  9. Postpublished at 10:04 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    The Telegraph's Executive Editor (Politics), James Kirkup,

    blogs:, external English Home Rule: Ed Balls accuses David Cameron of "English nationalism". Is that a bad thing?

  10. Postpublished at 10:04 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Bob Roberts

    The usual increases in the minimum wage from now to 2019 will reach 8 pound an hour in any event, so the poverty rates will continue. People need the increase now, not in six years time.

  11. First ministerpublished at 10:02 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Owen Smith welcomes to the stage Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones - and in doing so nominates him for the infamous ice-bucket challenge to raise money for charity. There are two buckets back stage "full to the brim", he informs the hall.

    Owen Smith
  12. English votespublished at 09:55 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    The shadow Welsh secretary attacks David Cameron's plans to limit the voting rights of Scottish MPs as a "tawdry trick to buy off" Tory backbenchers - and restates Labour's proposal for a constitutional convention to discuss devolution plans.

  13. Minimum chatpublished at 09:54 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith says Labour can deliver change, by rebuilding and rebalancing the economy, and making work pay by increasing the national minimum wage to £8 a hour - by Labour leader Ed Miliband yesterday. We're getting the feeling that's a pledge which is going to get a lot of mentions this week.

  14. Owen Smithpublished at 09:53 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith opens by declaring Labour as the party of Wales. Espousing the virtues of the United Kingdom, he welcomes Scotland's rejection of independence in last week's referendum. But he said the key message from Scotland was that Britain wants change - political, economic and no more "divisive, elitist, out-of-touch Tory government".

  15. Welsh matterspublished at 09:46 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    The conference arrangements report has been agreed, and business now turns to the Welsh report - with shadow Wales Office secretary Owen Smith taking the stage.

  16. Nitty-grittypublished at 09:40 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    It's over to Conference Arrangements Committee chair Harry Donaldson now, to set out today's conference agenda.

  17. Kick-offpublished at 09:38 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    And we're off. Labour MP and Home Affairs Committee chair Keith Vaz begins proceedings - and makes reference to Leicester City's 5-3 win over Manchester United at the weekend. Anyone who can get the score into their speeches will get an extra 30 seconds from the chair, he quips.

  18. Business warningpublished at 09:34 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Ahead of his speech this morning, shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has had to defend Labour as a "pro-business party" after former Labour trade minister Digby Jones - now a crossbench peer - warned that the party has made a "persuasive case" it is not business-friendly.

  19. Postpublished at 09:33 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Jodie Hope, Edinburgh

    Really disappointed that this is how Labour have decided to cut the deficit, targeting the ones who cannot speak up for themselves. I agree with their move to cut the deficit instead of spending money we don't have - but I disagree this hit on future generations is the "fairest" way to do it! I had always been a Labour supporter too.

  20. Postpublished at 09:33 British Summer Time 22 September 2014

    Rachel Clarke

    tweets:, external Finally made it past the gauntlet of leafletters to enter Manchester Central for the Labour Party Conference.