The Spectator

Full text: Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour conference speech

Thank you for that welcome. I want to start by thanking the workers, the fantastic staff at the Conference Centre and hotels, the Labour Party staff who make this possible, and the people of Liverpool who have made us feel so welcome this week. And I want to thank my family, but in particular my wife Laura. Tu eres mi fuerza y mi apoyo. Gracias Laurita. And congratulations conference, to all of you on what’s been a great conference. A conference of a Labour Party that’s ready to take charge and start the work of rebuilding our divided country.

This year we mark the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which saw eight million women getting the vote for the first time, along with five and a half million working class men.

We now have more women members of the Labour Party than the entire membership, male and female, of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties put together. And we mark that centenary with Jennie Formby as our new General Secretary. I have known Jennie for many years. Her integrity and her determination are real assets for our Party.

Since Jennie took over, we have registered significant electoral successes. In May, we saw the only bit of blue in Greater Manchester turn red as Labour won back control of Trafford Council.

And just for balance – as I know the Liverpool-Manchester rivalry can be a bit of a thing – there is not a single Conservative council on Merseyside either, and not a single Tory councillor in the city of Liverpool.

Across the country we built on the gains Labour made in the general election. In the South West we won back Plymouth, in the north, Kirklees, and we had our best council results in London since 1971.

In Scotland too, Labour is once again offering a message of hope and real change.

The choice is now clear: investment and a fairer society under Labour, or austerity under the Tories, timidly accepted by the SNP.

We have also been raising more money for our party.

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