Labour conference 2025 live: Starmer calls Farage’s migrant plans ‘racist’ as he ramps up attack on Reform – UK Times

A government minister has said there have been positive signs of movement within ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.

Middle East minister Hamish Falconer told a fringe at the Labour conference: “There are some signs from New York that there is movement towards more serious negotiations” on a ceasefire in recent days.

However, he added a note of caution, saying that in his time in the job “there have been moments where it has felt closer”.

Earlier on Sunday the foreign secretary Yvette Cooper suggested the world was on the brink of securing a peace deal for Gaza that could finally bring an end to two years of conflict.

She said the a “moment” had been reached “where the world wants to end this war” after US president Donald Trump indicated a peace deal could be done.

The Conservatives “crushed the dreams of families” who struggled to access housing, Steve Reed has claimed.

The housing secretary told the Labour conference: “The Tories spent 14 years blocking the homes that people need.

“They didn’t just hold back the economy, they crushed the dreams of families who couldn’t afford a decent home.

“Well conference, no more. We will fight the Tory blockers and give working people the key to a decent home they can afford to live in.”

Referring to plans for a tranche of new towns in at least 12 locations, Mr Reed later added: “I will do whatever it takes to get Britain building again, and we won’t just build homes, we’ll build communities.

“And not just communities but entire towns.”

The upcoming Budget is a “critical point” for whether Unite members choose to disaffiliate from Labour, the union’s leader has said.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham warned last month that workers could turn their backs on the party if they do not change course.

As Labour’s party conference began in Liverpool, she said it was getting “harder and harder to justify” affiliation with Labour and that the “time is getting close” to make a choice.

“My members are scratching their heads and they’re asking, ‘how does a Labour Government allow two oil refineries to shut with absolutely no plan? How have we got a net zero plan that has workers at the end of the queue? Where is the plan for workers? Where is the transition? Where is the money?’,” she told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News.

“And so for my members, whether it’s public sector workers all the way through to defence, are asking ‘What is happening here?’

“Now when that question cannot be answered, when we’re effectively saying ‘look, actually we cannot answer why we’re still affiliated’, then absolutely I think our members will choose to disaffiliate, and that time is getting close. “

Ms Graham was asked how long Sir Keir Starmer has before Unite makes that decision.

“The Budget is an absolutely critical point of us knowing whether direction is going to change,” she said.

She called for a loosening of the fiscal rules Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to stick to.

“Those fiscal rules need to be changed. Other countries are doing it. We should stop dancing around our handbag and do that.”

New housing secretary Steve Reed has begun his speech to Labour conference by paying tribute to Angela Rayner, saying she is a “real working class hero”.

“The Tories spent 14 years blocking the homes that people need.. they crushed the dreams of families who couldn’t afford a decent home,” he said.

He vowed to “fight the Tory blockers”. “We will once again build new towns with homes fit for families,” he pledged.

Mr Reed said he would “restore the dream of home ownership to thousands of families right across our country”. He announced that Labour would go ahead with work in at least 12 locations.

Reform UK are “importing failed Tories” to write their policies, Ellie Reeves told the Labour Party conference.

The former party chairwoman said: “Until recently, their party was literally owned by one individual: Nigel Farage, a man who, when asked about his policies, said, and I quote ‘if you ask me how you’re going to do this, I can’t really give you an answer’.

“So how do they solve that problem? By importing failed Tories to help them write their policies.

“If the answer is Nadine Dorries, then you’re asking the wrong question.”

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted digital IDs will help stop people working illegally and deter migrants from coming to the UK.

BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg quizzed the prime minister on Sunday morning, saying that those who were prepared to hire people illegally will not ask for ID. Sir Keir responded: “We must be really clear. You must have ID, mandatory digital ID, in order to work, because we have to stop illegal working.

“If you look at any of the raids – we’ve massively increased the number of raids on working premises – it is absolutely clear that people are working illegally.”

Labour Party activists joined the Liverpool Show Choir in singing You’ll Never Walk Alone, to mark the tabling of a Hillsborough Law.

Attendees, including the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy David Lammy, stood as they sang the song from the musical Carousel, which has been adopted by Liverpool FC fans as their anthem.

Three men, two of whom wore Liverpool FC ties, held up a red and ochre scarf as they belted out the lyrics.

Ellie Reeves said from the stage she could not “ever remember a moment quite like that” at her party’s conference in the past.

The song came after Charlotte Hennessy, whose father James, known as Jimmy, died in the 1989 football stadium tragedy, spoke on stage.

“Our input hasn’t ended just because it started its journey through Parliament,” she said.

“We will be watching, we will be listening, and we will continue to follow its progress until it is passed in its entirety.”

Sir Keir Starmer said achieving a Hillsborough Law was an “unacceptably long and hard fight for the campaigners, for the families and victims”.

In his first speech at the Labour Party conference, the prime minister said: “For the past few years, we – as a party – I – as an individual – have vowed to do what we can to bring a measure of justice to the families affected by this.

“And I say a measure of justice because nothing can ever replace the loss.”

He added: “I am delighted to say that this year we do not have to make any more vows – we have a law, the Hillsborough Law.

“A law which shows that this Government is on the side of justice, that we will do the hard yards for working people, and that we’re building a country which sees and respects everyone.

“It’s an incredibly important moment for the 97, for Liverpool, but most of all, for the whole country. And conference, we must recognise that it was an unacceptably long and hard fight for the campaigners, for the families and victims of Hillsborough to get us to this point.

“And so it’s not the Government that should be thanked, it’s not me that should be thanked. It’s the families and campaigners, who after such unimaginable loss, had almost every obstacle put in their path to get to justice.”

Reform UK has responded after Sir Keir Starmer accused the party of promoting a “racist” policy on immigration.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s head of policy, said: “Labour’s message to the country is clear: pay hundreds of billions for foreign nationals to live off the state forever or Labour will call you racist.

“Reform’s plan will ensure only British people can access welfare and that migrants contribute to society.”