Inside Politics: Fuel crisis could last ‘for a month’ and Starmer to give conference speech

PM insists crisis easing as queues continue and Labour leader to set out his vision for the country, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

Following a difficult few days in Brighton, Labour leader Keir Starmer gives his first in-person party conference speech at lunchtime, where he is expected to subtly draw the curtain on the Corbyn era and set out his vision for the country. With the government embroiled in multiple crises, Starmer has plenty to go and is likely to attack Boris Johnson on the ongoing fuel supply crisis. Today’s address is being billed as a “make or break” moment for the leader. As he delivers his remarks, the voters he needs to win over are more likely to be going on their breaks at work than tuning into the news. And by the time the next election comes around, they will have long forgotten about the internal party rows that made news bulletins this week. For Starmer, today is all about winning the confidence of his party.

Inside the bubble

Keir Starmer will bring the Labour conference in Brighton to a close with a much anticipated speech in which he is under pressure to show voters who he is and what he stands for, and convince his own party he can win power.

George Eustice, the environment secretary, is due to set out the government’s strategy on gene editing. It is expected to make research and development easier to help farmers grow more resistant and productive crops that better protect the environment.

Coming up:

– Shadow justice secretary David Lammy on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am

– Shadow child poverty secretary Wes Streeting on talkRADIO Breakfast at 8.33am

Daily Briefing

RISE AND SHINE: Boris Johnson wakes up this morning to the fuel supply crisis again splashing several papers. The prime minister recorded a clip for broadcasters yesterday in which he urged calm among the public amid chaotic scenes at forecourts across the country, with brawls breaking out between motorists fighting over petrol and diesel supplies. He insisted that the situation is “beginning to improve” but industry sources say the problems could persist for up to a month even if people stop panic buying. Following reports that lorry drivers are now struggling to refill their vehicles, Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Association, has this morning revealed that 25 to 30 per cent of the LTA’s members said they were absent yesterday after failing to get fuel. Perhaps most concerning for Johnson is a story on the front of the Financial Times, which reports on fears of “looming stagflation” after the pound sunk to its lowest level in eight months.

FUEL FOR THOUGHT: Ministers have been accused of being “asleep at the wheel” during the crisis, with industry figures saying the government has been aware of Britain’s chronic shortage of HGV drivers – exacerbated by Brexit and the pandemic – for years. Now it has emerged that officials at top levels ignored specific warnings about the UK’s fuel supply chain itself. The government’s own documents and statements, dating back years, lay bare a host of concerns about the vulnerability of the systems supporting petrol and diesel supply. Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow business secretary, said in response that it was “appalling and wilful intransigence and complacency that has got us to this point”. A business department spokesperson hit back saying the country already had a number of powers to help ensure continuity of fuel supply, but that it recognised the need to “modernise them”.

LUNCHTIME CRUNCH: Starmer also appeared on the box last night, giving interviews to several broadcasters ahead of his big conference speech later today. He refused to directly say if this year’s event in Brighton was all about bringing an end to the Corbyn era and dragging Labour back to the centre ground, where it is more in tune with voters and capable of winning elections. But other comments from the leader were crystal clear: he said forming the next government was more important than party unity, amid a difficult few days on the south coast in which his office has been embroiled in a war with the left over the future direction of the party. Today’s speech is Starmer’s first in-person at a Labour conference and he will be hoping to give his leadership a much-needed boost of momentum. He is expected to say that addressing Britain’s mental health crisis and hiring more teachers will be at the heart of a future Labour government’s priorities.

CHANNEL FISHING WAR: The French government has reacted with fury after just 12 fishing licences for small boats to operate in UK waters were granted out of 47 applications. The UK was accused of taking French fishing “hostage” and warned of “retaliatory action” following the decision. The prospect of a new cross-channel fishing war came after the UK issued licences based on evidence of a boat’s track record of fishing in its territorial waters, in line with the Brexit deal. Some 47 applications were received from boats under 12 metres in length to be able to operate in the UK’s territorial sea. A Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said its approach has been reasonable and in line with commitments in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

LAW FIRM THREAT: Labour would deny law firms access to government contracts unless they meet a new target for free legal services, the party has announced. Shadow justice secretary David Lammy set out the party’s plan to create a state-run “national pro bono centre” to support those who can’t afford to hire a lawyer but are ineligible for legal aid. Labour says the policy would mean city law firms can only be considered for government contracts if they provide at least 35 hours of pro bono legal services, per lawyer, per year.“City law firms are making billions in profit, while low-paid workers see their tax bill rise and wages fall,” Lammy told the Labour conference on Tuesday. “This party recognises the importance of the private sector doing their bit in partnership with the public sector”, the MP said, adding that national service would mean “binding” pro bono targets for firms seeking government contracts. But legal experts criticised the Labour plan – claiming it would not necessarily fix the problem of access to justice for those who can’t afford lawyers.

On the record

“I didn’t come into politics to vote over and over again in parliament and lose, and then tweet about it. I came into politics to go into government to change millions of lives for the better. I stand by the principles and the values behind the pledges I made to our members, but the most important pledge I made was that I would turn it into a party that would be fit for government, capable of winning a general election, I’m not going to be deflected from that.”

Starmer says he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win next election.

From the Twitterati

“Surprise here that Keir Starmer hasn’t been shouting from rooftops about cost of living crisis. Yvette Cooper: ‘It’s what we should be talking about most. It’s going to be devastating for families right across the country. I don’t know how many are going to manage this Christmas’”.

Daily Mirror political editor Pippa Crerar gets the views of Labour MP Yvette Cooper in Brighton.

Essential reading

• Marie Le Conte, The Independent: Everyone’s itching for a fight at Labour conference – and why not?
• Tom Peck, The Independent: Corbyn is back on the sidelines and he’s never looked happier
• Daniel Finkelstein, The Times: The best Starmer can hope for is a coalition
• Rafael Behr, The Guardian: Labour looks aimless because it’s already searching for Starmer’s replacement

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