Starmer revels in the success of his speech as Truss’ terrible week continues

Labour conference ends at midday today. The leadership is happy with how things have gone and the show is wrapping up. Critics can claim motions on proportional representation, inflation-proof pay rises and a £15 minimum wage as victories, but there have been no explosive rows. It looks like Keir Starmer will leave Liverpool with a 17-point poll lead, a pretty drama-free conference (aside from Rupa Huq’s suspension) and having delivered a leader’s speech that has been well received both within his party and beyond.

You can read the full leader’s speech, which thankfully was not the 90-minute event we experienced in 2021, and my snap analysis. It was not a mind-blowing piece of oratory craftsmanship – but Starmer gave people a sense of what Labour would do in government, and a taste of the priorities his government would have. He drew clear dividing lines between the Conservatives and Labour, outlining the “political choices” being made – and crucially the different ones he would make – painting a clear picture of the havoc the reckless Conservatives are wreaking and juxtaposed that against his “responsible” Labour Party.

And his big reveal – that Labour in government would create a publicly owned energy company – went down well. The policy speaks to the two most pressing issues facing the country, the cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency, making it not just a good idea but also a salient policy and an effective way to make an outward facing appeal to the country.

Liz Truss’ terrible week continued its poor form last night; while Starmer revelled in the success of his speech, the International Monetary Fund openly criticised the government’s tax cuts, warning that the cuts could speed up the pace of price rises and will “likely increase inequality”. Starmer argued this morning that people would be angry because this shows the government has “lost control of the economy” and called on the Conservatives to “fix the problems that they have created”.

Starmer is benefitting as much from the implosion of the Tories as from anything his party is doing. The ‘mini-Budget’ was a well-timed gift for Labour, just before the party headed up to Liverpool. The statement could not have provided a more explicitly ideological picture against which Labour could contrast itself. The Labour leader’s speech on Tuesday, announcing a radical and popular piece of policy, is a good step towards ensuring that Labour can press home the advantage and actually win the next election.