"Major political announcements from the government were scarce, with speeches from ministers Lisa Nandy and Shabana Mahmood doing little to energize party members or shape discourse. Starmer's keynote speech, intended to define his agenda against the populist right Reform UK and lay out a plan for national renewal, assuaged few fears about the direction of his government. On the conference floor, a housing policy lobbyist based in northern England remarked to me, "It's like seeing a tsunami heading to your house and closing the kitchen window.""
"On the conference floor, delegates rejected a leadership-supported motion that falsely framed the UN Commission of Inquiry into Gaza as warning of a "risk" of genocide. Despite conference's pro-Starmer chair's selecting nine speakers for the motion and none for a motion calling for an arms embargo on Israel, the embargo motion carried. Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and government minister Jonathan Reynolds partied at a Labour Students event sponsored by TikTok, a company accused of union-busting, walking past protesting workers on their way into the venue."
The Liverpool conference showed markedly reduced enthusiasm compared with last year’s post-election optimism. Attendance and exhibitor presence declined and major government announcements were scarce. Ministerial speeches failed to energize members, and Keir Starmer's keynote did little to allay doubts about the government's direction. Delegates rejected a leadership-supported motion framing the UN inquiry into Gaza as warning of a "risk" of genocide, and an arms-embargo motion carried despite the pro-Starmer chair's speaker selections. Senior figures attended a TikTok-sponsored event while passing protesting workers. After a year in government, the party displayed limited accomplishments and growing member disillusionment.
Read at The Nation
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