Starmer to address first party conference since election

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will tell the British public that there is "light at the end of the tunnel" but that a "shared struggle" through short term pressures will have to be endured.

Mr Starmer will address his first Labour Party conference since taking power in July later today in Liverpool, England.

He will say he wants to "build a new Britain" with faster economic growth, shorter hospital waiting lists and safer streets.

But he will warn there are no easy answers, and he could not offer "false hope" about the challenges ahead.

Mr Starmer will attempt to set out his positive vision of "national renewal" but the speech comes against a backdrop of anger within the Labour movement about the decision to means-test winter fuel payments, stripping them from millions of pensioners.

That decision, along with in-fighting behind the scenes in No 10 and rows over donations to Mr Starmer and other senior Labour figures, has contributed to a party conference with a more subdued mood than might have been expected after July's election landslide.

He will use his speech to acknowledge that many voters were motivated by despair at the Tories and warn his party that it needs to deliver "decisive" government without putting a heavy tax burden on workers, which will mean reforming public services.

Read more: Controversies dog Starmer ahead of Labour Party speech

The opening weeks of Labour's government have been characterised by a gloomy outlook on the public finances, with the claimed £22 billion (€26 billion) "black hole" left by the Tories blamed for the decision to squeeze winter fuel payments.

But Mr Starmer will attempt to set out his end goal of creating "a Britain built to last, built with respect and built with pride".

And he will honour a commitment to the people of Liverpool by promising that a Hillsborough Law will be introduced before the next anniversary of the April 1989 football stadium disaster which claimed the lives of 97 fans.

The law will introduce a legal duty of candour on public bodies, with the potential for criminal sanctions for officials or organisations which mislead or obstruct investigations.

He will say: "A law for Liverpool. A law for the 97. A law that people should never have needed to fight so hard to get."