Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Labour conference sets stage for potential return to power

Experts say the primary objective of Labour’s meet is a simple one: do nothing that jeopardises its lead.

Labour conference sets stage for potential return to power

LABOUR gathers this weekend for its annual conference, with the centre-left party currently on course to return to power in a general election expected next year.

Labour, led by Keir Starmer, goes into the four-day event -- which starts on Sunday (8) in Liverpool, northwest England -- well ahead of the governing Tories in opinion polls.


After this week's chaotic Tory conference, which hampered prime minister Rishi Sunak's bid to kick-start a resurgence of his beleaguered party, experts say the primary objective of Labour's meet is a simple one: do nothing that jeopardises its lead.

"The main thing will be don't cock up. No hostages to fortune, no signs of dissension," said political scientist Anand Menon.

Labour last held the keys to 10 Downing Street in 2010 and is readying itself to govern again following a vote that must be held by January 2025 at the latest.

Starmer, 61, has revived the fortunes of a party that suffered a landslide defeat to the Tories at the last election in 2019 under former far-left leader Jeremy Corbyn, by pulling it back to the centre ground.

A recent European trip, including a meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron, was seen by many as Starmer projecting himself as a prime minister-in-waiting.

Labour has enjoyed double-digit poll leads for months, with Britain locked in a cost-of-living crisis and plagued by strikes, and with Tory infighting leading to three prime ministers in little over a year.

Recent surveys, though, have showed the gap narrowing after the announcement of populist policies by Sunak that attempt to draw clear dividing lines between the Tories and their opponents.

Starmer, a former chief state prosecutor, is regularly accused of being too cautious, and observers are keen to see whether he adopts a bolder stance in Liverpool.

"The only interesting thing I think will be the degree to which Starmer feels pressured into trying to be a bit more assertive in terms of spelling out a vision," Menon said.

Starmer has dropped several pledges made during his successful 2020 leadership bid, including plans to scrap university tuition fees, citing the economic climate.

Labour has also backed away from tax increases, allowing Conservatives to accuse Starmer of flip-flopping on several issues.

Starmer has ruled out taking Britain back into the European Union but has pledged to seek "a much better deal for the UK" with the bloc. The post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation agreement struck by former premier Boris Johnson is due for review in 2025.

In July, he laid out his party's "five missions for a better Britain" that will form the backbone of its election manifesto.

They include making Britain a green energy superpower and building a national health service "fit for the future".

Political experts expect the Labour leader to put more flesh on the bones of these policies when he speaks at the conference Tuesday, which could be the last annual gathering of the party before voters go to the polls.

"One would expect one or two quite symbolic policies from the conference, things to associate Starmer with over the next few months. I think that will be important," said Karl Pike at Queen Mary University of London.

But with opinion polls suggesting that only Labour can blow the party's chances now, Starmer may feel it is wiser to keep his cards close to his chest until nearer the election, which experts have speculated could occur in the spring or autumn of 2024.

Economic constraints mean Labour may also be reluctant to commit to major spending pledges they might not be able to meet if elected.

Starmer will also have to decide whether to engage with the Tories over so-called "culture wars" on immigration and gender rights, which home secretary Suella Braverman ramped up with her conference speech on Tuesday (3).

"The question for him is how safety first is he going to be, at the conference and over the next few months," said Pike.

"How much is it going to be about what Labour wants to do for the country? And how much is it going to be about just attacking the Toris?"

(AFP)

More For You

Strike-Muridke-Pakistan-Reuters

Rescuers remove a body from a building after it was hit by an Indian strike in Muridke near Lahore, Pakistan, May 7, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Who are LeT and JeM, the groups targeted by Indian strikes?

INDIA said on Wednesday it had carried out strikes on nine locations in Pakistan that it described as sites "from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed." The action followed last month’s deadly attack in Kashmir.

India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, have fought two wars since their independence from Britain in 1947 over the disputed region of Kashmir, which both countries control in part and claim in full.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Outpouring of emotion’ as Zia returns after treatment abroad

Khaleda Zia

‘Outpouring of emotion’ as Zia returns after treatment abroad

BANGLADESH’S former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, who is also chair of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), returned home to cheering crowds on Tuesday (6) after months abroad for medical treatment.

Zia, 79, led the south Asian nation twice but was jailed for corruption in 2018 during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, her successor and lifelong rival who barred her from travelling abroad for medical care.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK-India FTA hailed as historic milestone in ties

Jonathan Reynolds with Piyush Goyal in London last week

UK-India FTA hailed as historic milestone in ties

BRITAIN and India finalised a long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) on Tuesday (6), which both countries hailed as a historic milestone in their bilateral relations.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer described it as “a landmark deal with India – one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, which will grow the economy and deliver for British people and business.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Tuberculosis-iStock

UKHSA said 81.6 per cent of all TB notifications in the first quarter of 2025 were in people born outside the UK, a figure similar to the previous year.

iStock

Tuberculosis cases up by 2.1 per cent in England in early 2025

TUBERCULOSIS cases in England rose by 2.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to provisional data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

A total of 1,266 notifications were recorded between January and March, continuing an upward trend for the third consecutive year.

Keep ReadingShow less
india pakistan tensions  Flight delays and cancellations hit Across Asia

Passengers are advised to remain updated through official travel advisories and airline communications

Getty

Flight delays and cancellations hit South and Central Asia amid India–Pakistan tensions

Travellers planning international or domestic journeys are being urged to brace for disruptions, as escalating tensions between India and Pakistan have led to widespread flight cancellations and rerouting across South and Central Asia.

The situation follows a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, two weeks ago, which killed 25 Indian civilians and a tourist from Nepal. In response, India launched a military operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor, targeting sites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on 7 May 2025. As a consequence, air travel in the region has been significantly affected.

Keep ReadingShow less