i haven t learned this in some political seminar, i learned it around the kitchen table, from my dad. that is why i am so proud to lead a party whose name is labour! applause. but all week, there has been noise here, angst that keir starmer s abandoning jeremy corbyn s principles. heckles were hurled at him from the floor. i have no regrets! he had lines ready. shouting slogans or changing lives, conference? then, a new chant. go keir, go keir! he had the hall. he spoke for nearly 90 minutes sustenance required. with plans for mental health, insulating homes, education and technology, and a real departure from the man who used
would never again ask for people s support without having a serious plan for government. that message was delivered by the party leader sir keir starmer in a conference speech widely seen as a significant moment in labour s quest to get back into government. sir keir set out new policies on education, housing and mental health but he also talked about his own background and values. he told the conference in brighton that the country faced a big moment that demanded leadership and he dismissed borisjohnson as a trickster and a trivial man. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg listened to the speech. a blast of fresh air? that s how keir starmer wants you to see him. labour s week s been bumpy. and he had to show today that he really is in charge, impatient for the chance. i ve waited 17 months, 25 days and two hours to appear in front of you in this hall as leader of our great party. applause.
where people feel disconnected, that s exactly what labour needs to overcome. but this local butcher isn t convinced keir starmer is yet speaking the right language. i liked him at first, and i ve become a little bit undecided. what would you want to hear from them? common sense. and the local barber? all they can do is - criticise everybody else. you get nowhere in life byjust l criticising and having no answer. at the book shop, though, there are higher expectations. he s a good man, he s forthright. i think there s room for a good, skilful, organised opposition party. i think there s a lot of opportunity here. the local labour party has spoken to hundreds of people, trying to work out why they turned away. what do you make of what you re hearing from the national labour party at the moment? are they saying the right things to win back places like dudley? well, it s a work in progress and i think what we have seen today, and over the course of this week, is some positives. what we ve
to embrace him yet. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, brighton. the labour leader has acknowledged the scale of the challenge faced by labour to get back to office at westminster for the first time since 2010. winning many marginal seats especially in the midlands and the north of england will be essential. dudley north in the west midlands which turned conservative in 2019 is one of those seats. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has been asking local voters for their response to keir starmer s message. once the heart of industrial britain, dudley north was a labour seat for years. i always said that labour was for the working class. i don t know about that now. but i ll still vote labour, anyway. but plenty here have turned away from the party. this brexit backing town voted tory last time round. i ve always been labour but we ve turned to the conservatives. we like boris. that s what the labour leader is up against. what about keir starmer? no.
he didn t mention jeremy corbyn by name. he didn t have to, because it s obvious in this hall, in brighton this week, the power of the left has drained away, giving him a new sense of confidence in a changing party and a bolder voice that labour has been desperate to hear. it was a great speech. it showed that he cares about work and he cares about family. absolutely smashed it. i mean, this is the keir starmer that we all know. you wanted to hear more? that s what i was calling for, that genuine alternative. - they were delighted. the vast majority of the crowd seemed pleased relieved, maybe. doubts on the left, though, will linger. i didn t think that was his moment. i thought it was quite uninspiring. keir starmer leaves the stage not his party s darling, nor its hero, but perhaps having proven himself a leader walking taller, with a conviction to win. the leader s team, more than content tonight. but the party s problems remain profound, and he can t know if the country is read