Hecklers interrupt Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ speech at Labour conference
Hecklers have interrupted the chancellor’s speech at the Labour conference as they appeared to call for a halt to arms sales to Israel and for action on the environment.
Rachel Reeves was telling the conference in Liverpool how proud she was to be the UK’s first-ever female chancellor when shouting came from the hall.
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A young man in the middle of the audience stood up and could be heard shouting: “We are still selling arms to Israel, I thought we voted for change Rachel, climate breakdown is on our doorstep.”
Others shouted: “Free Palestine.”
Shouts of “stop oil” were also heard from around the audience.
Another man in front of the first heckler appeared to be trying to roll out a banner but an audience member in front of him grabbed it.
Security guards in the hall ran to the men and bundled them out quickly as the audience booed and shouted “down, down”.
The protester was from Climate Resistance
Ms Reeves appeared stony-faced as she responded by declaring Labour has become “a party that represents working people, not a party of protest”.
She was cheered by the audience, who gave her a standing ovation.
Campaign group Climate Resistance has claimed responsibility for the protest and accused security of “violently” apprehending one of their protesters.
A statement from the group said campaigners argue “donations from polluting industries and Israel lobbyists to Labour are to blame for the government’s inaction”.
Earlier this month, the government suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel.
They said three of their members, who are also Labour Party members, were arrested and questioned by police for 30 minutes before being driven away from the venue and “de-arrested”.
Rachel Reeves was heckled during her speech
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‘No return to austerity’
The heckling lasted just a few moments and Ms Reeves continued with her speech, in which she attempted to strike a more optimistic tone than the months of doom and gloom from her and Sir Keir Starmer about the UK’s economy.
She said: “Because I know how much damage has been done in those 14 years, let me say one thing straight up: there will be no return to austerity. Conservative austerity was a destructive choice for our public services and for investment and growth too.
“Yes, we must deal with the Tory legacy and that means tough decisions but I won’t let that dim our ambition for Britain.
“So it will be a budget with real ambition, a budget to fix the foundations, a budget to deliver the change that we promised, a budget to rebuild Britain.”
The autumn budget will take place on 30 October, with the chancellor expected to impose some tax rises.
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Speech’s only policy surprise was breakfast club pilot
Ms Reeves used her conference speech to announce £7m of funding for a pilot scheme to introduce breakfast clubs to 750 primary schools across England this summer term.
The government will then look to expand the scheme to provide breakfast to all state school pupils aged four to 11 in England – one of Labour’s manifesto pledges. The pilot will be used to find out the best way of rolling out the policy.
Rachel Reeves announced a breakfast club rollout. Pic: iStock
The chancellor said it is “an investment in our young people, an investment in reducing child poverty and investment in our economy”.
“I will judge my time in office a success if I know that at the end of it, there are working class kids from ordinary backgrounds who lead richer lives, their horizons expanded, able to achieve and to thrive,” she added.
About 12% of state schools in England already offer a taxpayer-subsidised breakfast club for schools with at least 40% of pupils from income-deprived areas through the National School Breakfast Club Programme (NSBP). But this funding ends in July 2025.
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Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield quits Labour – criticising Sir Keir Starmer in resignation letter
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has resigned from the Labour Party.
The 53-year-old MP is the first to jump ship since the general election and in her resignation letter criticised the prime minister for accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts.
She told Sir Keir Starmer the reason for leaving now is “the programme of policies you seem determined to stick to”, despite their unpopularity with the electorate and MPs.
In her letter she accused the prime minister and his top team of “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice” which are “off the scale”.
“I’m so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party,” she said.
Rosie Duffield. Pic: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via Reuters
Sir Keir has faced backlash after a Sky News report revealed he had received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader.
Since December 2019, the prime minister received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
Ms Duffield, who has previously clashed with the prime minister on gender issues, attacked the government for pursuing “cruel and unnecessary” policies as she resigned the Labour whip.
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She criticised the decision to keep the two-child benefit cap and means-test the winter fuel payment, and accused the prime minister of “hypocrisy” over his acceptance of free gifts from donors.
“Since the change of government in July, the revelations of hypocrisy have been staggering and increasingly outrageous,” she said.
“I cannot put into words how angry I and my colleagues are at your total lack of understanding about how you have made us all appear.”
Ms Duffield also mentioned the recent “treatment of Diane Abbott”, who said she thought she had been barred from standing by Labour ahead of the general election, before Sir Keir said she would be allowed to defend her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat for the party.
Her relationship with the Labour leadership has long been strained and her decision to quit the party comes after seven other Labour MPs were suspended for rebelling by voting for a motion calling for the two-child benefit cap to be abolished.
“Someone with far-above-average wealth choosing to keep the Conservatives’ two-child limit to benefit payments which entrenches children in poverty, while inexplicably accepting expensive personal gifts of designer suits and glasses costing more than most of those people can grasp – this is entirely undeserving of holding the title of Labour prime minister,” she said.
Ms Duffield said she will continue to represent her constituents as an independent MP, “guided by my core Labour values”.
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