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As it happenedended

Labour conference conference - live updates: John McDonnell plans to nationalise key services as Jon Ashworth calls for £500m NHS cash injection

Benjamin Kentish
Brighton
,Joe Watts,Lizzy Buchan,Ashley Cowburn
Saturday 23 September 2017 16:23 BST
Comments
(Rex)

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John McDonnell has been outlining Labour's plans for widespread nationalisation of services - including the scrapping of the Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) and moves to bring existing deals back "in house".

The Shadow Chancellor made the announcement during his keynote speech at the party's annual conference in Brighton.

Mr McDonnell confirmed that Labour would nationalise water, rail and energy industries, as well as bringing Royal Mail back under public control.

Elsewhere, the party's National Executive Committee published a statement on its Brexit position after criticism that the issue will not be properly debated at the conference.

Delegates will now be given the opportunity to discuss the current policy but there will be no vote on contentious issues such as whether the UK should remain in the EU's single market.

The truce between Labour's warring factions seems to have held in Brighton so far, but it is clear that a debate over the party’s Brexit policy is looming behind the scenes. One Labour MP, Heidi Alexander, said the failure to fully debate Brexit made the party a "laughing stock".

Earlier in the conference, Jeremy Corbyn suggested he was ready to “listen” to party members who want the UK to stay in the single market. It came after 30 senior figures, including Labour MPs, signed an open letter calling for the party leadership to commit to full and permanent membership of the single market after Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Labour MP Chris Williamson tells @TWT_NOW that Corbyn would have "got over the line" at election without internal party divisions #Lab17

Ashley Cowburn25 September 2017 18:16

Chris Bryant, a former foreign affairs minister, is speaking at a fringe event on foreign policy. He jokes about Donald Trump saying he expected to get on well with Theresa May because she is a "people person".

Mr Bryant said: "If there is one thing in the world that Theresa May is not, it is a people person. And if there's one thing that shows Donald Trump is not a people person, it's him saying she is."

Kristin Hugo25 September 2017 18:17

Nia Griffith, the Shadow Defence Secretary, tells a packed room at Labour conference it is "utterly unthinkable" that anyone should think there is a military solution to North Korea's ongoing missile tests.

She calls Donald Trump's language on the issue "terrifying" and suggests "more professional people" in the US are dealing with the matter in a different way.

Kristin Hugo25 September 2017 18:24

the Brighton Pavillion = mosque strikes again https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKljMUIXoAIHqMo.jpg

Ashley Cowburn25 September 2017 18:33

Reminder: Osborne is paid £600k a year by Blackrock, which owns a chunk of Uber order-order.com/2017/07/11/osb… twitter.com/george_osborne…

Jim Pickard25 September 2017 18:46

The Labour debate on Brexit that didn't happen, with added "we won the election!" Nothing ever gets any less mad. independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi… https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKlm5AQW4AADrpo.jpg

tompeck100025 September 2017 18:49

does anyone have better Monday evening plans? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKluTSKW0AEEymy.jpg

Ashley Cowburn25 September 2017 19:22

An interesting side effect of Uber leaving London ow.ly/grnU30fpjoA

samaritans25 September 2017 19:38
Benjamin Kentish25 September 2017 19:55

"I'm not the best person to ask about the first 100 days of a Labour government," says McCluskey at @TWT_NOW . "I'll be drunk for 100 days". https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKl19cRXoAElUtw.jpg

Ashley Cowburn25 September 2017 19:55

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