Five things to watch out for at Labour conference

Liverpool should be the site of Labour’s victory lap this weekend, as the party opens its first conference in government for 15 years.

Ellie Reeves, Labour’s party chairwoman, will walk onto the stage as a Labour minister, and will deliver the event’s central message: “Change begins now.”

But after two months in government, Sir Keir Starmer has already faced rebellions and scandals that have caused disquiet among MPs, unions and party members alike.

The conference will provide an opportunity for Labour to celebrate, and set out its plans to deliver on its flagship pledges such as GB Energy, NHS reform and stabilising the economy.

But with MPs and members coming together away from Westminster, it could also see simmering tensions over issues such as winter fuel, the two-child benefit and Gaza rise to the surface.

The Telegraph looks at what to look out for at Labour conference:

Winter fuel allowance
Some backbench MPs and unions were in uproar over Rachel Reeves’ announcement that she would end universal winter fuel payments to pensioners.

Although the policy was voted through Parliament earlier this month, 50 MPs defied Sir Keir by refusing to back the plan to strip ten million pensioners of the £300 benefit.

The Chancellor called for the party to “come together” to deliver a message of thanks to activists and to show that Labour will “deliver the change people voted for”.

Her remarks could be seen as a call for unity after rebellions and vocal criticisms from some MPs such as Rachael Maskell, who said the policy would cause some pensioners to die from the cold.

Union figures who have been critical of the policy will be rubbing shoulders with MPs in Liverpool, which could see tensions flare up again over the policy.

Two-child benefit cap
Another issue that has caused divisions within Labour in their first weeks in government is the two-child benefit cap, which is likely to come up at conference.

Both Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall are likely to face questions about the limit, which the Government has said it cannot afford to scrap in the near future because of the nation’s finances.

Seven MPs were suspended from Labour after rebelling against Sir Keir on the policy, but there are several remaining in the party who have publicly expressed disappointment that the limit is still in place.

The Work and Pensions Secretary is likely to face questions over when the policy could be scrapped at a fringe event hosted by the Child Poverty Action Group, a vocal advocate for the abolition of the cap.

There will also be questions to answer about the progress of the Government’s child poverty taskforce, which Sir Keir unveiled in a bid to stave off rebellion over the cap.

Gaza
Labour has been divided over the Israel-Gaza war for months, and despite recent foreign policy moves under David Lammy, pro-Gaza MPs do not believe that the party has gone far enough.

The Foreign Secretary reinstated funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), one of the key bodies delivering aid to Gaza, and suspended some arms licences to Israel in his first months in office.

But critics within Labour wanted Mr Lammy to go further with the arms licence restrictions so that all are suspended, a topic likely to come up on the fringes of party conference.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the organisation that has organised the weekly marches in central London since last October, has hosted a mass protest in Liverpool to coincide with the first day of conference.

The group is also hosting two fringe events inside the conference itself, with one Labour MP expected to speak at one of the events, which are likely to see calls for the Government to take further action.

‘Frockgate’
Sir Keir’s premiership has been rocked by criticism over his acceptance of thousands of pounds towards clothes and glasses from Lord Alli, a Labour peer.

It also emerged that Lady Starmer had accepted donations for clothing from Lord Alli, which had not originally been correctly declared.

The row over the donations dominated public discourse for days, with Downing Street defending the Prime Minister over accepting the freebies.

But he performed a quick U-turn in his position two days before the conference, as he promised not to take any more donations for clothes, a pledge matched by Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner.

Will the announcement be enough to stop the criticism? It appears unlikely, with Diane Abbott on X, formerly known as Twitter, on the eve of the conference claiming “leaders” of Labour are “in the pocket of millionaires”.

Discussions around standards in public life at the conference fringes, something the Prime Minister said would be a focus of his premiership during the election campaign, could see the donations row come up.

Starmer’s speech
Sir Keir will deliver his first keynote speech of the Labour Party conference as party leader and Prime Minister on Tuesday, and is a chance to put himself back on the front foot.

The address, which should represent a chance to celebrate Labour being back in government, will be an opportunity for Sir Keir to reset his image after weeks of scandal.

How the Prime Minister sets the tone of his speech will be something to look out for. He has been criticised for the “gloomy” picture of Britain that he and the Chancellor have set out since taking office.

Will Sir Keir use his speech on Tuesday to inject some hope into the party, or will he issue further warnings about the “painful” months ahead, particularly with the Budget imminent?