Conference opened with an address by a 14 year old climate striker, Uma Kreiger, calling for action by 2030 not 2050.

Rebecca Long-Bailey introduced the debate by giving a number of commitments including the following:

• the scale of our ambition is to “secure for workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their Labour”. It may not be on our membership cards but is in our hearts.
• 7 fold increase in offshore turbines in 12 years with majority share taken by people.
• Will use public buying power to support local business
• 20% of profits to be used in investing in held back local communities.
• Will use GND to usher in era of public luxury.
• Will secure automotive industry future by investing in electric cars.
• All Govt cars electric by 2025
• Will install charging stations for businesses who transfer totally to electric by 2025
• Will support infrastructure necessary for electric vehicle use to become a reality.
• Labour will invest in community car fund

There was then a point of order from Jeremy Corbyn commenting on the decision of the Supreme Court that Boris Johnson’s prorrogation of Parliament had been unlawful. He made the following points to wild applause:

• The Supreme Court has decided that PM has acted wrongly and abused his power.
• That the Speaker can now recall Parliament.
• I will immediately demand that it is recalled.
• I will demand that no-deal is taken off the table and that he call a General Election to allow the election of a Government who will act in the peoples interest.
• In the meantime Johnson should, in the old phrase, ”consider his position” resign and become the shortest serving PM ever.

Conference then went on to discuss the motions on a Green New Deal. LI delegate Kate Laycock spoke in support of the motion from LI which was one of the motions in the composite. Having identified the problems caused by climate change. Kate went on to point out that the approach of Labour was not to abandon people to their own devices bu to tackle the problems in a spirit of solidarity.

As a result of the Supreme Court decision Parliament will reconvene on Wednesday 25 September so the leaders speech was brought forward to this afternoon. The main points Jeremy Corbyn made were as follows:

– This is an extraordinary and precarious moment in our country’s history with Johnson acted unlawfully in prorogued Parliament. But he has failed.
– Tomorrow Parliament will return and it will hold Government to account. Johnson should now resign.
– Crisis can only be settled by a General Election.
– PM has no mandate for a no-deal Brexit.
– A no-deal Brexit is a Trump deal Brexit.
– Labour will sort Brexit in a democratic fashion by putting it to the people.
– As Prime Minister I Will carry out whatever the people decide.
– Brexit has dominated politics for far too long. Need to move on to the issues facing people.
– Johnson and co. are the establishment.
– In a General Election Tories have cash but we have people and will run the biggest people-powered campaign the country has ever seen.
– We will legislate for the biggest extension of rights at work ever.
– Scrap zero hours contracts and institute £10/hour minimum wage.
– Will scrap Tory TU Act within 100 days of coming to power.
– Bring Rail, Mail, Water and the National grid into public ownership.
– Will introduce generic versions of patented medicines. Research money will be conditional on making medicines affordable to all.
– Will end sell offs and privatisations of NHS and will make prescriptions free in England.
– Will make free education available to everybody throughout their lives.
– Will pay for this by raising taxes for the top 5% and largest companies as opposed to the tax cuts being provided to them by the Tories.
– Start largest council house building programme in a generation.
– Will build cross rail in the north and restore the bus services that have been decimated.
– Will invest in Green Industrial New Deal.
– Labour stands for the interests of the 99% of the people of the UK.
– When Labour wins everybody wins.

Message is one of hope and optimism.

On that note, and to yet another standing ovation, Conference ended for the day with the singing of the Red Flag.