Delegate Report on Labour Party Conference (28.9.25 – 1.10.25) to Wrexham CLP and shared with Coops Wales.
It’s a packed 3 ½ days in the conference hall & out in the fringes. Heavy on fraternal + regional greetings (Wales, Scotland etc) on Sunday.
Sunday (Fringe): 13.30: A New age of Work: How Labour can Seize the agenda on Dignity at Work? All the experts & the MP, Alison McGovern agreed that the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) was massive, dealing with systemic abuses in the Labour market. From day 1 people would have rights such as protection from dismissal & statutory sick pay. There will be new flexible working rules. The “Fair Pay Agreement” is a step forward in social care where there have been a lot of abuses. “Work life balance” now surpasses pay as the top worker demand when looking for work. Retail jobs are local and flexible, but these are being eroded. The ERB mustn’t undermine good employers. There has been wholesale wage stagnation (2010-24) and a NEET crisis with over 1million not in employment, education & training. Issues include persistent absence from school, SEND (special educational needs & disability) issues and mental health problems. Employers are reluctant to employ young people, who seem to be an unhappy generation. Alison, not a luddite suggests tech helps to grow both jobs & the economy, but it also removes a layer of basic jobs & young people need entry level jobs to get a “foot in the door.” The next generation will need a basic level of data/tech skills. Insecure work leads to stress; absence & people seek another job. I suggested that jobs must pay (rather than welfare covering substandard wages) & all too often loyalty wasn’t rewarded. Too many governments + bad employers seek to undermine trade unions. Answer: The Low Pay Commission has the remit to increase pay.
Sunday Conference 14.40: Welsh Report: Plaid would rip Wales out of NATO, whilst independence would cost us annually £21 billion.
Sunday Conference 14.50: Treasurer’s Report: In 2024 the party had a deficit of £3.4 million, which is more than planned but we had to pay for extra staff & software as part of the campaign & General Election victory. In govt the Party no longer receives the “official opposition” funding. We must plan, tighten budgets where we must & invest where it counts.
Card votes on motions, including the priorities ballot which selected the following:
| CLP selection:
Animal Welfare Cleaning Up Our communities High Streets NHS Dentistry Violence Against Women & Girls, Misogyny & Domestic Abuse Water Skills |
Affiliates Selection:
Guaranteed Hours (“gig economy”) Public Sector Workers Subsidiary Companies & Insourcing Public Spending AI and our Rights Industrial Energy Prices Staffing in Adult Social Care
|
Sunday (fringe) 17.00: Public Prosperity: the Case for Investing in Justice: There was a litany of details about our broken justice system; courts, prisons, probation etc inherited from the Tories. They think a reduction of short prison sentences and the Leveson Inquiry (Part1) will provide all the solutions. It refers to more efficient courts & cases being moved away from the Crown court. But it fails to appreciate that the magistrates’ courts (dealing with 97% of all crime) have also been neglected & misunderstood. I fear Labour still has a “blind spot” & is overlooking the practicalities in the magistrates’ courts. Crown court backlogs total 76,000 cases & in magistrates courts it’s 360,000 cases. This will still be a problem at the next General Election.
Sunday (fringe) 19.00: Media Launch & Showcase: Welcome to Liverpool; a Celebration of Creativity:The creative industries help to underpin economic growth. Lisa Nandy, Minister of Culture, Media & Sportsaid the creative arts are a pipeline for the skills we need, but there’s been a drop off from pupils pursuing these careers. Culture & the arts are the glue that holds the UK together & we are brilliant at this + it’s soft power & influence, which ripples across the world. There were performances from: local poets, (Joseph Roberts; scouse lang poet – Search) singers & the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company.
Monday (Fringe) 08.30: Powering Places: How the Industrial Strategy Can Deliver Nationwide Renewal:We desperately need to raise the skills levels of the workforce. Wednesbury is becoming the centre of sustainable air fuel. We need to put technical knowledge on a par with academic knowledge. The world’s largest centres of technology are (1) China, (2) USA, (3) UK. We should use immigration to bring in some science and technology experts & we must encourage indirect investment from other countries. Our open economy is advantageous for future trade.
Monday Conference 10.05: Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary: People are proud of our flag; pride, justice, a trusted trading partner, arts & culture. Renewing Britain with Europe & NATO. Foreign Affairs Debate: Motion: Peace in the Middle East: A stronger emergency motion was carried which called out the “genocide” in Gaza. It also called for a ban on all arms sales to Israel + a “roadmap” to peace. There was continued strong support for Ukraine.
Kickstart Economic Growth Debate: Peter Kyle, Minister for Business & Trade was clear about £1.5 billion of support for Jaguar Land Rover, support for Scunthorpe Steelworks & the need for ID cards to stop a shadow workforce from undermining pay. A composite motion on Guaranteed hours was also carried. We supported the Banks (2008) so we must support the workers now.
Monday 12.00: Rachel Reeves: 1700 primary schools don’t have a library. Govt will commit to a library in every Primary school. We’ll have a closer relationship with our European partners & we’re launching Britain’s 1st National Wealth Fund. We’re supporting Doncaster Airport, Welsh railways and Northern Powerhouse rail. She announced a “Youth Guarantee” of either: (1) A place in a college, (2) an apprenticeship or (3) employment.
Monday (fringe) 13.00: How Can a Preventive Approach to Health Strengthen the Economy & the NHS:Start to change the Dr diagnosis & put more effort into asking patients “what do you need?” Marginalised groups including disabled need to be catered for better. We need to roll out osteoporosis treatment on a preventive basis & to recognise that for every £1 invested in prevention Saves £34. We must look at outcomes, assess & measure so that we know what is working. The Chancellor should view the nation’s health as integral to growing the economy & every minister should consider the health implications of their departmental policies.
Monday Conference 14.00: Break Down Barriers to Opportunity Debate: Bridget Phillipson, Minister for Education: in addition to free breakfast clubs in schools, she made the pledge that child poverty would be lower at the end of the Parliament than at the beginning.
Pat McFadden, Minister for Work & Pensions: Stated that security must extend into old age & that we didn’t want a “dependency” welfare state, but an “opportunity” welfare state.
14.50: Safer Streets Debate: David Lammy, Minister of Justice: We’ll modernise justice, repairing Probation, reforming sentencing practice & expand the use of intensive supervision orders. We’ve passed the “Hillsborough Law” which imposes a “duty of candour” for those in public service.
15.45: Liz Kendall, Minister for Science, Innovation & Technology: She announced the launch of “AI Growth zones” & new “tech scholarships” + a “women’s tech taskforce.”
Lisa Nandy, Minister for Culture, Media & Sport: Reminded us of women’s football & “the lionesses” & the rugby “red roses.” She announced the launch of the “Town of Culture” as well as £25 million grants for cities & regions in the north. There is to be a £132 million fund for an “Every Child Counts” strategy to be spent upon arts, youth clubs & music etc.
All motions were carried including support for our public services. Sharon Graham (UNITE) and Dave Ward (CWU) + other TU’s gave critical speeches demanding policies that supported the workforce but pursued the wealthiest elite.
Monday (fringe) 17.00: Anand Menon in Conversation with Emily Thornberry: The UK must operate between the USA & Europe, which is uncomfortable but the right place to be. The EU has a lack of influence upon Israel which is very sad, but we’re (EU + UK) trying to get a plan together. It looks like “genocide” in Gaza to me. Labour’s first year in government is a mixed picture; we need a clear guiding light & the govt lacks a narrative. I stood for the Deputy leadership of the Party as you can’t be sacked from that job & I’m willing to “speak truth to power” but the Party wanted a northern woman. Whilst we can focus upon reform, we’re losing more votes to the left & we can’t “out Reform” Reform. It makes some sense to allow immigrants to volunteer in the community & be active. The justice system has been decimated by the Tories & in answer to Chris; “the government may have a blind spot over the magistrates’ courts.”
Monday (fringe) 18.00: Restore Our NHS: There’s a real risk of “PFI” or another version thereof, although there had been a promised “roll back” of outsourcing. There are already many private businesses sitting on committees contributing to the 10-year NHS Plan. Good community care is expensive & there’s faith in AI but that’s hype. Social care should be at the top of the agenda for reform. The causes of ill health are poverty, poor housing, poor jobs & no jobs. 10,000 trainees applied to be Dr’s; we need more Dr posts to be created. Emerging Physician Assistants (Associates); pose a threat to the creation of a two-tier system. Private health care over medicates and over operate, in pursuit of cash & profit; cataracts being an example. We risk market driven healthcare rather than planned healthcare.
Monday (fringe) 20.00: Co-operative Party & Co-operative Group Reception at Hard Day’s Night: Music, food & drink + speeches from Joe Fortune, Jim McMahon, MP & Shirine Khoury-Haq (CEO Co-operative Group).
Tuesday (fringe) 08.30: Leading the Charge; the Next Stage of the EV Transition: There’s been progress around air quality thanks to London mayor Sadiq Khan, but govt departments need to push it up the agenda. There’s a small group of very vocal protestors (e.g. Jeremy Clarkson etc). Poor quality air stunts children’s growth, internal organs & their long-term health. But there’s been a decline of national health campaigns. Local campaigns result in fragmented messages, but they need to be NHS branded (national). The “walking bus,” “school streets” & “parklets” with seating & cycle hangars, as part of low traffic neighbourhoods are good solutions but appear to be very fragmented or patchy across the UK. We should take out car parks & plant more trees. Air quality monitors are very expensive. We need “co-production” & co-design of our streets & community spaces, so that we maintain them together. I suggested they had a good message & should talk to the Co-operative Party about this campaign.
Tuesday (fringe) 09.30: BBC World Service (Invite Only; but I got in): The USA govt has de-funded their public service broadcasters. China is making broadcasting headway into Nigeria & slowly squeezing the BBC (World Service) out, bit by bit. Our education services in Afghanistan for women & girls have been invaluable, but the Taliban have been banning numerous services. There is a BBC Russian service in Riga, but we can’t broadcast on the war in Ukraine. YouTube is available but it’s slowed down & extremely poor quality. Anything broadcast by the BBC receives the mark “foreign agent” status which can affect the reporter or anybody they speak to. BBC WS work in 43 languages. Russian disinformation is becoming a big issue. If the internet goes down women & girls lose the service, we provide. In June 2025 we launched BBC Polska from nil audience to 250,000. We’re planning to launch Hungarian BBC & Romanian BBC in November 2025. It’s becoming more difficult to deliver trusted information as media become weaponised. So, our role becomes more important & we’ve moved from niche to mainstream. It gives us a lot of insight. Myanmar – During the recent earthquake crisis we were on the boarder & got some info from internal staff via the Burmese service. BBC WS provides a lifeline as the military rule restrict the flow of information & civil servants have been ordered not to listen to the BBC. Emily Thornberry (sat next to me) gave a “call to arms” to support the BBC WS to deal with a new type of warfare, to counter misinformation/ disinformation. The BBC WS should be our gift to the world. Moldova for example could benefit from the BBC Romanian service. In government we have stopped the slide in BBC funding, but we must deal with lies & misinformation. With the budget approaching the BBC has again reduced its costs & we’ve pulled out of BBC Arabian; but the Russians have moved in. The cost of BBC WS is £137 million & the licence fee generates £237 million. We’re asking the government for just £30 million extra funding; noting we make a big commitment to the defence budget in addition to our “soft power.” So, should we get some funding from the defence budget? I made a few suggestions; (a) perhaps re package the “intro” & “outro” of programmes. The intro needs to be badged more specifically with a logo to identify it as current affairs, investigative, sport, or geography etc. As programmes are replaced (e.g. Hardtalk & Dateline London) by “Global Eye” the audience can be alerted by the intro/outro transition. Outro’s should give a post event update in terms of social or environmental impact with money saved by preventing a further scandal etc. These could cumulatively be presented to the government as part of the budget application each year.
- I spoke with Alex Forsyth, Matt Chorley (Newsnight presenter) & Iain Watson each separately about the magistrates’ courts & the defective Common Platform software system, another IT disaster.
Tuesday Conference 11.10: Wes Streeting, Minster for Health: Farage wants private healthcare. I want the NHS publicly funded & free at the point of use. We promised 2 million extra GP appointments & have delivered 5 million. We’re reforming General Practices so patients can book appointments at any time (in England). We’ve delivered the first ever “fair pay” deal for care workers; a success for UNITE, UNISON & GMB. We want to build a National Care Service. We live longer lives but in poorer health.
Tuesday (fringe) 12.15: Things Can Only get Hotter: Is Ambition on Climate & Nature a Route for Electoral Success? Where there are trusted voices, the public will listen (David Attenborough, WWF). We need to bring the public on a “just transition” economically, but the faster we move the better innovation in terms of jobs, buildings with lower energy bills, lower food prices or healthier food options. UK carbon emissions would have been lower if we hadn’t been using fertilizers in the fields to boost crop yields. We need more positive voices & positive solutions. Need organic fertilizers for example. As the economics come into sharp focus, we need to restate the case for climate action. People do care about both their inheritance & their legacy. UK produces 1% of global carbon emissions & China 33%, but we can take a lead & show leadership around the world getting an economic advantage from being first. China is investing massive amounts in solar energy, so criticism of China is a lazy argument. China is acting for their perceived security & industry. There can also be a wedge between the climate agenda -v- the nature agenda, which we must avoid. We need transition plans for nature & we must find ways of growing food amid droughts & floods.
Tuesday Conference 14.15: Kier Starmer’s Leader’s speech: Britain’s choice is between division & decline -v- unity & renewal. It’s not cost free or easy. We need to grow our wealth; it’s the antidote to division. We must get our public services back up off their knees. The new deal to build the Norwegian frigates is an investment in the talent on the Clyde. We’ve invested in childcare enabling families to take advantage of 30 hours free childcare in future. With our free school meals, we’ve lifted 100.000 children out of poverty. This is a different age (from 1997) so I am scrapping the target of 50% of children to go to university; instead, 2/3 should either to university or take a gold standard apprenticeship. I spoke with a lady from Oldham who felt the need to prove she wasn’t racist before she explained; people want secure borders & we will control the people who come here (migration). National renewal takes time & we cannot have unfunded spending; that’s a “Truss budget” We will give people more agency over the state; AI will help us deliver a better more effective NHS.
Tuesday (fringe) 15.30: Health Care Forum: Obesity or malnutrition: 2 million people are taking weight loss jabs, but other options include physical activity before we must use weight loss jabs. The issue is mostly that people are eating food of poor nutritional value. Therefore, people who take the weight loss jabs & lose weight are still eating food of bad nutritional value; nutrition is key! Over the last 30 yrs obesity has doubled. We need good health targets; not calories but increasing fibre uptake would create a healthier nation bit by bit.In Camden people come together & cook together making healthy food & this is good practice which becomes habit. Breakfast clubs & free school meals should help alleviate malnutrition. Malnourished people stay in hospital 3 x longer than the norm. Government has been able to shift the food environment with voluntary agreements on the levels of both salt & sugar in foods. People who are “time poor” end up picking convenience foods, which are ultra processed. We must encourage people to eat more wholefoods & more plants but less meat. 96% of the population don’t eat enough fibre, which fills you up, so reducing obesity. If you have a choice between a smoothie or an apple; just eat the apple as the smoothie destroys the fibre & so, you’ll soon be hungry again. As between the American or Mediterranean diet we should choose the latter, because we can’t afford the bad health impacts of the former.
Tuesday (Policy Seminar) 16.15: Build an NHS Fit for the Future: Wes Streeting suggests sub-contracting can be a way to “insource” back into the NHS, but it takes time & a lot of money. We’re trying to use social care capacity to get better outcomes for patients. We shouldn’t call them care workers, but “care professionals” & our “Fair Pay Agreement” framework (like living wage) is just a start. Boys need to hear about the menopause & get to understand it. We must use the social model of disability & enable people to thrive not just survive. Unfortunately bullying has been the guilty secret of the NHS. We need long-term planning to recruit & retain Dr’s. We need a mental health Bill which will help protect people who should never have been on the streets, being a danger to themselves & to others. We need a 10-yr health plan & we’re developing a workforce plan. We need to move out of the hospital into the community, toward more prevention and using more digital technology. We’ve brought NHS England back into the NHS.
Tuesday (fringe) 17.15: How Can the Government Rebuild the Criminal Justice System? We need a cross-cutting approach; health, a good job, the Gauke sentencing reforms & the Leveson review will all help the justice system. We need an appropriate response to women (victims & defendants) in criminal justice so that it ripples out into other aspects of life. Communities are losing faith in the justice system so that between favourable 51% v 49% unfavourable we’re at a tipping point & the Probation service is on its knees. By using AI, we can reduce the amount of paperwork used by the Probation service. The new Sentencing Bill will ensure that prison sentences under 12 months will be suspended for 12 months; presumably this will reduce the prison population. We recognise that it’s crazy to put a woman in prison for 47 days (the average) because of the disruptive impacts upon family, work & a positive future. Backlogs of cases are horrendous so that trials are already being fixed for 2029. It’s been difficult for the PCCs to work with prisons, courts & Probation if there’s a lack of “co-terminosity.” Community sentences could be a good solution, but re-offending rates are high & we need quicker interventions to stop problems arising with defendants upon release. We note that the Prison to Probation hand off (release) of prisoners isn’t working well. The demand in courts has been up & down, productivity has fallen & there aren’t enough criminal lawyers to help boost the throughput of cases. I suggested there’s a “blind spot” around the magistrates’ courts & equivocation about the magistracy, which deals with 97% of all crime, but has a backlog of 360,000 cases. They are haemorrhaging Legal Advisers & “Common Platform” is an IT disaster. Vera Baird will clear out the CCRC (Criminal Cases Review Commission) which let down Malkinson & other wrongful convictions. The Hillsborough Law puts in place a “duty of candour” for those in public services + national standards for the police & making the magistrates courts a “court of record” should boost confidence, transparency & fairness in the justice system. We also need to improve JP’s training, but the loss of court funding prevents us from opening more courts together with the lack of admin staff & listing officers.
Tuesday (fringe): 19.00: Green Groups Reception featuring: SERA, Chester Zoo, Greenpeace, National Trust, RSPB, Woodland Trust, WWF, Green Alliance, Uplift & Sustainable Nitrogen Alliance:Transitioning lots of industries, fighting profiteers & building solidarity. We must continue campaigning.
Tuesday (fringe): 20.00: The Rethinking Rural Reception (Fabian Society & CPRE): We must unlock potential via our “Best Start” hubs, in Lowestoft for example. Rural poverty & social isolation are major problems with some farmers on UC whilst doing three jobs. Many farmers are really struggling. At the next General Election, the far right will have a nostalgia for market towns. We must watch Richard Tice who led the battle on fox hunting & made it toxic. We must be the voice for rural Britain.
Wednesday Conference: 9.35: Joe Fortune, General Secretary, Co-operative Party: We want common purpose & common ownership community across Britain. We must save assets of community value & double the size of the co-operative economy, in this the UN Year of Co-operatives.
9.40: Motions on Animal Welfare and Water: Both motions were carried.
Ed Miliband, Minister for Energy, Security & Net Zero: “Trickle-down economics” of the past didn’t work & neither has “austerity” (2010-2024). During 30 of the last 40 years governments have transferred wealth away from the working classes. We’re supporting hydrogen power generation, carbon capture & storage + offshore wind. The Scottish government have blocked nuclear power. We believe in a fairer economy & we’ll take the unions with us. We’ll use public money to serve the public interest. Under the Tories, if you worked 12 miles out at sea on an oil rig, you were in “no man’s land” & not protected by employment law; we’ve changed that. By switching to clean energy, you will be better off. Great British Energy makes a difference & many schools are getting rooftop solar energy, whereas Reform would pursue “fracking.” We mustn’t tinker around the edges; we must face the battle of our time against Reform.
The Red Flag + Jerusalem were sung in closing conference.
12.00-12.50: Deputy Leadership Q & A: Lucy Powell & Bridget Phillipson: This came across as a battle between the “outsider” Lucy Powell who would speak truth to power on behalf of the membership; whereas Bridgit Phillipson, would speak up in the cabinet with the power & ability to change things on members behalf. Lucy emphasised the Deputy leadership role would be her only job & her focus upon campaigning every day on issues that the members care about & that we shouldn’t try to “out reform” Reform. Bridget said she would undertake a similar role to Angela Rayner, combining a cabinet post with a campaigning role & speaking in a forthright manner on behalf of the membership whilst ensuring we have a united party.
Christopher Hall, Wrexham CLP delegate. 14-10-2025.
