Summary

  • Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer attempts to reposition the Labour Party in a major speech to conference in Liverpool

  • Sir Keir promises a "fresh start" for the UK, and pledges to invest in the NHS, green energy and "spread opportunity to all"

  • He says the Conservative government has lost control of the economy with its tax cutting agenda - "don't forget, don't forgive", he says

  • He says they "crashed the pound" and vowed to get the UK out of an "endless cycle of crisis"

  • He says the war in Ukraine was the spark that caused rising energy costs, but that the country was not in a position to deal with it

  • He pledges to set up a publicly-owned green energy company within a year if he is elected, with 100% clean power by 2030

  • And he vowed that a Labour government would "make Brexit work" and "deliver change" in Scotland - but would not do a deal with the SNP

Live Reporting

Edited by Nathan Williams and Dulcie Lee

  1. What is a party conference?

    Labour's party conference got going on Sunday, and is due to close on Wednesday. But what exactly is a party conference?

    Every autumn, politicians and party members a gather to discuss, debate and vote on party issues. The main event is usually a speech by the leader of the party.

    For all of them, conferences are an opportunity to allow members to connect with politicians and each other, as well as to gather media attention for their ideas, and are a way of raising funds.

    Many conferences also have "constitutional significance"- particularly for Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, who hold votes among delegates on which policies to adopt (although how binding these are varies).

    The Conservative Party conference, which is due to run from 2 to 5 October in Birmingham, does not vote on policy but instead focuses on key speeches by senior politicians.

    This year, the Liberal Democrats' conference fell victim to events – they cancelled it following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

  2. Sense of optimism here in Liverpool

    Nick Eardley
    Chief political correspondent, at Labour conference

    The context to everything here in Liverpool is the situation in the markets and fears about the economy.

    Labour see that as an opportunity. The party, we're told, relishes the chance to have an ideological debate about how to grow the economy.

    Expect to hear a lot of that from Sir Keir Starmer this afternoon. He wants to be seen as a political centrist in the mould of Tony Blair. It's a non-too-subtle way of telling voters Labour has changed from the Jeremy Corbyn years.

    There's a mood of optimism here. Maybe even confidence. Labour thinks it's in a good place politically and has a strong chance of forming the next government.

    There's a question though: is that because its ideas are exciting the electorate, or is Labour's popularity more because of concern about the government and the economy?

    This is only the second time Sir Keir has addressed Labour conference as leader. He'll strike a personal tone, talking about how being a father inspires his politics.

  3. What's happened in Liverpool so far?

    Rachel ReevesPA Media

    Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has promised to bring back the top rate of income tax

    Here's a recap of what's happened at the Labour conference so far.

    Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves promised to bring back the top rate of income tax and spend the money raised on hiring more NHS workers.

    Labour members backed calls to change the voting system for general elections - they voted in favour of the party including a commitment to introduce proportional representation in its next manifesto.

    The shadow rail minister confirmed Labour Party policy is to take the railways back into public ownership.

    And former England footballer Gary Neville urged Labour to "get behind" its leader to win power in a star appearance.

  4. Welcome

    Keir Statmer and shadow chancellor Rachel ReevesPA Media

    Hello and welcome to our live page, covering Keir Starmer's big speech at the Labour conference in Liverpool.

    During his speech, he's expected to say that Labour is now offering a fresh start.

    Labour's conference comes against the background of economic turmoil, as the markets reacted to Conservative Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's plan to borrow billions to fund tax cuts.

    Starmer's speech is at 14:00 BST today, the penultimate day of the conference.

    Stay with us for the latest.