Starmer promises ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ in first conference speech as Prime Minister

Prime Minister Keir Starmer today set out his vision of the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ in his first party conference speech, following Labour’s general election victory in July. After spending much of the first two months warning of the difficult decisions to come in October’s Budget, and managing expectations in the face of difficult public finances, Starmer’s speech today sought to set out a clearer vision for what comes after this short-term pain.  

In a clear nod to that Gordon Brown speech from 2009 – the last party conference speech given by a Labour prime minister – Starmer reeled off what his government had already achieved, including the introduction of a new ‘Hillsborough Law’, the creation of GB Energy, planning reform, and a new bill for private renters. Starmer also announced plans for the first time to house all homeless veterans as a priority, while also talking up the role that Britain can play in bringing stability to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.  

Yet while Brown’s speech came after a decade of delivery in government, Starmer will be acutely aware of the need to get on and start delivering and rewarding the faith shown in his party at the election. Legislation will quickly be passed once Parliament returns in the coming weeks, and with some wins under his belt, Starmer will hope to regain control of the narrative.  

Within this context, this was not only Starmer’s most significant speech as Labour Party leader, but also an incredibly necessary one too.  

The speech followed a difficult few weeks for the party, with the ongoing stories around gifts for frontbenchers and tensions within Number 10 threatening to derail any potential honeymoon period for the new government. While there is no suggestion that either of these issues will be fatal, the government will nonetheless be keen to avoid this setting the tone for the next five years.  

It is true that MPs and Ministers have long accepted gifts from all sorts of private interests, seen as a perk of the job. It is also true that one of Starmer’s selling points had been his relative cleaner than clean image in opposition to the Conservatives and their series of scandals in government. At a time in which the government keeps reminding people of the bleak economic picture and the tough decisions to come in the Budget next month, it is little surprise that this story has attracted headlines.  

Yet all the same, Starmer reiterated in his speech that he was prepared to be an unpopular Prime Minister if it meant taking decisions in the country’s long-term interests; harking back to his central message of country first, party second.  

As conference begins to wrap up, Starmer will be hoping that today’s speech can galvanise the party and give them something to work towards, even with the October budget looming.