SpIrIt, a polItIcal correspondent for the tImes and Andrew FIsher who wrItes for the I. Thank you both for beIng wIth us. Tell me lara what do you thInk KeIr Starmer has do today . When you speak to people In labour about what they want to achIeve, they want KeIr Starmer to put a stamp on thIs conference and say what he belIeves In and what the government Is for, we have had ale dIffIcult couple of weeks for the government, we have had storIes about donor gate, freebIes and dIffIcult storIes about the salary of chIef of staff. Some are sayIng that Is because there a voId that starmer has left and Into that voId he needs to state what It Is he needs. So we need to see from hIm today there Is a real sense he needs to stamp hIs authorIty on thIs conference. Another thIn andrew was the sense we got from the government about tough decIsIon, the WInter Fuel Payment whIch was a contentIous decIsIon about that for mIllIons and we have heard from some sayIng you need to Inject more optImIsm whI
Welcome to the World Today an hour of international news from the bbc. The Israeli Military says it will step up its offensive against hezbollah in lebanon, after mondays intense bombardment which s killed more than 560 people. Bombardment which has killed more than 560 people. It was the deadliest bombardment the country has seen in decades. President biden has warned the United Nations General Assembly of the need to prevent a Full Scale War. Fierce Cross Border clashes are continuing with hezbollah Launching Dozens of rockets from lebanon, shown here in purple. The locations of Israels Air strikes are marked in red. In the past few hours, the Israeli Military says it has killed a senior Hezbollah Commander in its strike on beirut. These pictures show the extent of the destruction and the wreckage in the aftermath of that attack. Its led to a Mass Escape of civilians from their homes, causing gridlock on the roads. Tens of thousands of people have been trying to move further north. W
Insists there will be no return to austerity. Welcome back. The Chancellor Rachel reeves was striking a very different Tone Today on that Painful Budget coming up in october. In her address to the Labour Party Conference, she was focusing on the long Term Prize she promises will follow if labour can restore some stability. The much promised change in emphasis follows a Report Week that suggested a Consumer Sentiment had dropped last week that suggested a Consumer Sentiment had dropped Like A Stone through august a number of Business Leaders blaming the governments messaging for that. Today, though, the chancellor said any tax rises she introduces will not affect hard pressed working families. Therell be no return to austerity and she has pledged to continue spending on infrastructure. There will be no return to austerity. Conservative austerity was a destructive choice cheering Conservative Austerity was a destructive choice for our public services and for investment and growth, too. W
Labours first conference in 15 years as the party of government has begun with ministers attempting to wrest back control of the political agenda. It follows days of questions over leaks about the downing street operation, and senior Ministers Judgement in accepting free clothes. The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, rejected the suggestion that she broke rules when she stayed in the new York Flat of a Labour Donor and she told the bbc that the government was open and transparent about donations. Our political editor Chris Mason has more from liverpool. In the wilderness of opposition for a decade and a half. Now, labour is in power, but the political weather is a bit nippy, blustery and grey. Make no mistake, though, there is a pride here in a big victory, and the chance to actually d0 stuff, not just talk about it. I will Say Britain is back. Britain is back, my friends, britain is back. The very first clause of our constitution, written by the founders of the Labour Party, commi