“A fairer, greener Wales”– Keir Starmer’s speech to Welsh Labour conference

Below is the full text of Labour leader Keir Starmer’s speech to Welsh Labour conference over the weekend.

I’ve always felt a proper party conference should be near the sea. Though, in the Labour Party leaders’ handbook it does say in big red letters… be careful of the sea! And conference, speaking of Neil, can you believe it’s now 40 years since he was elected leader of our party? Which means it’s 40 years since he went to Bridgend and gave a speech that echoes through the years to speak directly to the country before us today. Remember that speech? He said: “I warn you not to be ordinary. I warn you not to be young. I warn you not to fall ill. I warn you not to be old.”

Conference, you won’t find a better way to describe the pernicious effect of the last 13 years. The anxiety that has gripped our communities as we lurch from crisis to crisis, gnawing away at our sense of hope, our belief in a better future. Don’t forget what this feels like. Don’t forget how the Tories meted out the pain to Wales over 13 years. Don’t forget Neil’s words.

Because, conference, we’re going to need them on the road ahead. No complacency, we’ve got to work for every vote. Use the determination those words can inspire to build a better Britain. A fairer, greener, more dynamic country where working people succeed, aspiration is rewarded and where, together, we unlock the pride and purpose in every community.

Conference, that’s the spirit of devolution. The foundation for everything you’ve achieved here in the last two decades. It’s time to use it to transform Britain. Give the communities and great nations of this country the powers they need to control their destiny. Now, here in Wales, it’s fair to say you know the difference Labour can make better than other parts of Britain. I mean, you don’t stay the largest party in a nation for over a century, without doing a lot right. And under Mark and Carolyn’s outstanding leadership – still producing record results in the Senedd. Don’t forget that either.

And Mark, on behalf of the whole Labour Party, I want to say how grateful we are for your dignified service to our party and to Wales, and how pleased we all are to see you here this weekend. There are lessons for my Labour Party, for the whole Labour Party, from your success here in Wales. Your clear love for the Welsh nation. The embrace of a distinctively Welsh cultural vision. The collective patriotism of public service and the pride that comes with that. Never – in Mark’s words – taking “the Welsh public for granted”.

These are all qualities of Welsh Labour that have guided me in the changes we’ve made to the wider party. Don’t underestimate how important those changes are. We had to make our Labour Party fit to serve our country. That’s why we had to show our support for NATO is non-negotiable. Understand the importance of sound money. Tear antisemitism out by its roots. Country first, party second.

But also – don’t underestimate how important your qualities are for renewing the bonds of a Labour Britain. Nobody should pretend the case against Britain, against our union, is as advanced here as it is in Scotland. But nor should we ignore the fact that it does find a voice in this nation as well. Yes, those qualities help keep it at bay. But to defeat it comprehensively we need something else. We need hope.

Not a grandiose, utopian dream, kind of hope – I don’t mean that. I mean the basic, ordinary hope, we used to take for granted. The sort of hope you can build your future around, that aspirations are made of. That was shared by working people across the United Kingdom in good times and bad. And which reached through the generations to say: Britain will be better for your children. Now, I worry that people right across our Britain don’t believe that anymore. That’s the deeper cost of Tory rule. A growing sense that hard work isn’t rewarded. That you aren’t guaranteed a fair chance in Britain. And that the bonds which tie us together, community to community, across our home nations, have been allowed to unravel.

Conference, this is what drives me – it’s what my five missions for a better Britain are about. We’ve got to get our sense of hope and possibility back.

They’re not just words for me. It’s the story of my life. The journey I’ve been on, from a working class family to head of the Crown Prosecution Service. But it’s also the story of our union. Because the case for the union rests – has always rested – on the solidarity of working people, pushing Britain forward, in search of that ordinary hope. But when families worry like this about their children’s future, when hard work no longer guarantees fair reward or even that your contribution is respected? Then yes, that case becomes harder to make.

Conference, that’s what we’re fighting for across our country. We need to meet the forces of division with renewed hope. That’s what our five national missions are all about. I will never accept that this country is destined for decline. That our best days belong to the past. Success is all around us – it just needs direction.

People have huge ambitions for their community – they just need it matched. I do believe there is a yearning to come together, to be part of something bigger. An impatience for change. For national renewal. And yes – as they’ve done throughout our history, the British people are turning to Labour to provide it.

Five national missions. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7. Make Britain a clean energy superpower. Build an NHS fit for the future. Make our streets safe. Break down the barriers to opportunity at every stage, for every child. Five missions that will define the ambition of the next Labour government. Five missions that will rekindle that shared hope in every corner of the UK. Five missions that raise our sights and free us from Tory poverty of ambition.

It all comes back to ambition. When I say we’ll get the highest sustained growth in the G7. Or that Britain will have zero-carbon electricity by 2030, that should invite a sharp intake of breath – I make no apologies for that. Take our clean energy target. I’m already talking to CEOs, investors, entrepreneurs, unions, energy workers about how we can get this done. And yes – the conversation does start with a shake of the head: “This is a bit much, Keir. Clean energy by 2030, that’s going some.”

But we do need leadership with ambition, do need hunger to take on the big challenges, belief in the possibilities of the future. So when I say back to them: “Here’s the ambition, here’s the plan and here’s the opportunity for you.” Trust me – there is a powerful urgency to make it happen. A new determination. That’s what mission-led government is about.

But conference, the change we offer must also be credible. Working people have had enough false promises to last a lifetime. And that means the politics of restoring our hope will be hard. I mean, honestly, where do you begin? The damage they’ve done, the pain they’ve inflicted, to our economy and public finances, to our reputation around the world, to our NHS and public services. It’s immense. You know, when Mark said words not all that different to those last October, that display of righteous emotion in the Senedd, he didn’t just speak for Wales. He spoke for Britain. The Tories aren’t capable of the change Britain needs. The Tories aren’t capable of delivering a better future for Wales. They made the mess.

And as for the cynicism of what they’ll do at the general election, to try and claim political credit for the sacrifices of working people now, we’ve got to rise above that. Spend each day earning the trust of our communities. Meet their attacks with hope.

To the people of Wales, we must show that our pride and purpose has not lost any vigour. That there will be a clear choice at the next general election between more decline and division with the Tories or credible change with Labour. Change for Britain that brings with it change for Wales and your community. But to the British people, everywhere, we must show how this spirit combines with the solidarity we offer across the United Kingdom.

How, together, we can deliver something even more precious. A Britain once again on the front foot. With a sense of hope, possibility and ambition. A Britain that gets its future back. So imagine, just for a moment, what that might look like. Imagine the better Wales we would see after ten years of national renewal. Labour governments in Westminster and Cardiff. What does it look like? I’ll tell you.

Our economy is stable. Growth is high and sustained. Across the country and here in Wales – north and south. Businesses have the certainty to invest. The NHS is back in good health. Crime is down. There’s more opportunity, more affordable housing, better paid jobs. Families feel they can get on again, look forward with hope again.

We’re leading the world on climate change. People from across the globe come to marvel at the floating offshore wind farms of the Celtic Sea. Bills are cheaper. Homes are warmer and well insulated. Cutting edge science and world-class services are driving economic growth. New jobs, industries, technologies emerge that benefit every part of Wales.

There’s a thriving green steel sector that stretches from Llanelli through Port Talbot and up to Newport. A cyber cluster on the North Wales coast, as well as in the south. Some of the most vital semiconductor components in the world – they’re still made here. Tourism booming. Welsh agriculture has gone from strength to strength. Working people are respected as the wealth creators that drive Britain forward. And Wrexham – Hollywood’s Wrexham. Not quite in the Champions League, but not far off!

Conference, seriously – there’s no reason why we can’t reach for this. A fairer, greener Wales. In a fairer, greener, Labour Britain. It can be ours. But it requires a whole new way of doing politics. A total overhaul of the Westminster system. We have an economy that hoards potential and a politics which hoards power.

No similar country puts so much decision-making in the hands of so few people. And that leads to more inequality across our country than anywhere else in Europe. That’s not a coincidence. I’m utterly convinced by this – economic reform and political change must go hand-in-hand. Pick any of Britain’s current problems. Energy security. Productivity. Immigration. Honestly – we could be here all day…

But it wouldn’t matter. The pattern is always the same. Distracted by the short-term obsessions that fixate Westminster, blinkered to the possibility of an active government that sets the direction. We lurch, from crisis to crisis, always reacting, always behind the curve. A sticking plaster, never a cure. ‘Sticking-plaster’ politics. It’s why every crisis hits Britain harder than our competitors. The only country in the G7 still poorer than before the pandemic. And the harm it does to the prospect of bringing Britain together. It’s vast. So we’ve got to take it on.

Only Labour will fix this. Only Labour will unlock the pride and purpose of all our communities. Only Labour will devolve economic power and control out of Westminster. The argument is simple. The decisions which create wealth in our communities should be taken by people with skin in the game.

Take the scandal of what has happened here in Wales with what used to be EU structural funds – the Shared Prosperity Fund. Funds that have been essential for Welsh businesses and communities for years. Powers that have been exercised here since the inception of devolution. The Tories have used the Brexit process to take back control of that money. Not from the EU – from Wales. It’s an outrage. The Welsh government used those funds to get unemployment down, for wage subsidies, redundancy support, investment in the green opportunities of the future, the UK’s first regional bank, supporting your world class universities, modernising the Welsh economy. Now they have to watch the Tories sit on their hands as a global supply chain crisis hits key Welsh industries, from steel to semi-conductors. Well – no more.

Today, I can announce that the next Labour government will return power over its economic destiny to Wales. The decision-making role for the Welsh government on structural funds, will be restored. It’s time for Wales to take back control. That’s the change Wales and Britain needs. Change which comes from unlocking the pride and purpose of communities, everywhere, which spreads power and opportunity out of Westminster, puts people in control and ends sticking-plaster politics. A new approach to politics and democracy, everywhere in Britain. Built on new approach to growth and our economy. Because, conference, you can’t overstate the importance of economic growth.

It’s the oxygen for our ambitions – the lifeblood of a strong society and a dynamic economy. But look – I say again, this will be hard. The lesson of the last year is stark. Lose control of the economy and its businesses and working people who pick up the bill. We can’t let that happen – even when it puts a brake on things we might like to do in power. Sound money in our public finances must come first. Constraints must be accepted. Institutions – respected. A rock of economic stability. Our mission for growth must be built on that. But alongside it, we must still be bold on reform, on reconstruction, on national renewal. That’s what people expect from a Labour government – and we will deliver.

We will give working people growth from the grassroots, with good jobs, productivity growth in every part of our country. Growth which makes everyone, not just a few, better off. We’ll get us moving forward on science, technology and innovation. With a more powerful British bank that can help scale businesses – new and old – and a modern industrial strategy which gets everyone round the table and removes barriers to investment.

We’ll create jobs that are well-paid and secure. End the Tory era of low pay with our new deal for working people. We’ll reform procurement to nurture more resilient supply chains. Project a more open stance to the world. And yes, fix the broken Brexit deal – that’s a vital part of raising our ambitions on growth. And conference, so is tackling climate change – head on. I come at this not just as leader of the UK Labour Party, but also as a dad. And as a dad, I am spurred on by the voices of our children. The cry of indignation, demanding our generation act before it’s too late.

It’s a matter of justice. About the fairness and better society that I came into politics to create. But also, the biggest opportunity we’ve had in decades to make this country work for working people.

Conference, this is why we need a collective sense of mission across our home nations. We’ve got to come together and write a new chapter in our national story. About how our generation tackled the climate emergency and used it to create the jobs, the industries, the opportunities of the future.

That’s what our green prosperity plan is all about – turning the UK into a green growth superpower. With investment in wind, solar, nuclear, hydrogen, green steel and carbon capture. Insulation for 19 million homes. And GB Energy: a new company that will take advantage of the opportunities in clean British power and turn them into good, secure, well-paid jobs.

And yes, conference, because it’s right for jobs, because it will help us tackle climate change, GB Energy will be publicly owned. And let’s be crystal clear about the benefits which will flow to the Welsh people from this plan. Let’s show how Welsh businesses and families will get cheaper bills – forever. How Wales can get real energy independence from tyrants like Putin – forever. And how we can give every community, from Anglesey to Aberdare, a fair shot at the jobs and prosperity of the future.

Conference, for 13 years now, you have been a bulwark against the Tories here in Wales. The same length of time as the last Labour government spent in power. What do they have to show for it? What is the list of achievements they can rattle off, the legacy for our country they can be proud of?

Where is their minimum wage, their Equality Act, their slashing of child poverty rates, the regeneration of our cities, the rebuilding of our public realm, the investment in culture, sport, technology, infrastructure, education, the devolution of power and control to this nation? Where is it?

Britain needs change – people know that. And the people of Wales know Britain needs to change for them. They know our economy needs to work better for working people. That our public services need to be fixed. That the emergency of climate change needs bold action. And that our political system needs a total overhaul, with communities finally in the driving seat. We must say to them: none of this can be achieved through more division. But if you place your faith in Labour – this is the change we offer. To Wales and Britain.

The case for a new Britain. Where communities control their own destiny. Climate change is defeated. Growth supercharged. Politics, a force for unity and good. A Wales that is proud, confident, ambitious and successful, thriving in a better Britain. A Britain with its hope and future back. A Britain with a new sense of mission. Thank you.