The Labour Conference in Liverpool came to an end today after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivered his highly-anticipated closing speech.
Whilst such annual events are often used as an opportunity to re-focus policy agendas and clarify the official stance, Labour’s conference arguably continued to expose divisions.
We’ve rounded up five of the biggest talking points from this year’s conference.
1.The shadow chancellor rules out remain
Ahead of the party conference, shadow chancellor John McDonnell said a second referendum vote should only go ahead if ‘remain’ was not included as an option.
During an interview with Radio 4’s Today programme, McDonnell said regarding another vote:
“If we are going to respect the last referendum, it will be about the deal, it will a negotiation on the deal,”
He added: “Parliament will determine the nature of the question that will be put, but the first stage of that is to see if we can get a deal that is acceptable and brings the country together again. And I’ve always thought we could.”
McDonnell, a longtime ally of leader Jeremy Corbyn, finally seemed to offer clarification with regards to Labour’s position on Brexit.
But then…
2. To remain or not to remain? Sir Kier Starmer’s speech
Just when the party looked to be crystallising its position on Brexit, Sir Keir Starmer’s speech suggested that the fight to remain was not necessarily dead in the water after all.
Sir Starmer, who is also the shadow Brexit secretary, made the following remarks:
“If [a general election] is not possible, we must have other options. And, conference, that must include campaigning for a public vote. Conference, it’s right that parliament has the first say. But if we need to break the impasse, our options must include campaigning for a public vote and nobody is ruling out remain as an option.”
The comments prompted applause from various Labour delegates, exposing once more internal party divisions with respect to Brexit.
Notably, around 90 percent of Labour’s support base voted to remain in the June 2016 referendum.
However, Starmer’s comments no doubt added to confusion regarding the party’s official stance on Brexit negotiations.
3. Labour Jewish event canceled after bomb scare
In recent months the Labour party has been criticised for its inability to effectively quell anti-semitism within the party.
Earlier this month the party finally adopted a complete definition of anti-semitism.
As a result, Labour is set to incorporate the 11 examples of anti-semitism outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s code of conduct.
However, Labour continues to be under intensifying pressure to address mounting concerns from the Jewish community about Corbyn’s leadership.
In an unprecedented move, three Jewish newspapers in the UK published the same front page back in July, condemning Labour under Corbyn.
Consequently, a crucial aim of this year’s Labour conference no doubt included addressing anti-semitism once and for all.
Nevertheless, the party was dealt a blow when a Jewish party event had to be abandoned after a bomb scare.
The Jewish Voice for Labour Group decided not to go ahead with the event, which was set to showcase a film focusing on the case of Jackie Walker, a former Momentum vice-chair who was suspended from the party over antisemitism claims.
Still, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry was applauded for her rousing speech against fascism and racism.
Addressing anti-semites within the party, Thornberry made clear parallels with fascism.
She said:“If we want to root out fascism and racism and hatred from our world, and from our country, then we must start, we must start, with rooting it out of our own party.”
Similarly, Jeremy Corbyn took an opportunity to address anti-semitism in his closing speech, vowing to fight with “every breath”.
Specifically, Corbyn said:
“The Jewish people have suffered a long and terrible history of persecution and genocide. I was humbled to see a memorial to that suffering two years ago, when I visited the former Nazi concentration camp at Terezin.”
“The row over antisemitism has caused immense hurt and anxiety in the Jewish community and great dismay in the Labour Party. But I hope we can work together to draw a line under it.”
“I say this to all in the Jewish community: This party, this movement, will always be implacable campaigners against antisemitism and racism in all its forms.”
Corbyn also criticised ‘Tory hypocrites’ on the issue of anti-semitism.
4. Labour embraces ‘green jobs revolution’
Labour also announced its plans to further commit itself to environmentally friendly policies.
In his speech, Jeremy Corbyn vowed to commit the party to net-zero target of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, as the party looks to kick-start its so-called ‘green jobs revolution’.
The leader of the opposition announced plans for the development of green technology, with the aim of building 13,500 onshore and offshore wind turbines, encouraging the use of solar panels and wide-scale home insulation.
Corbyn also pledged to created some 400,000 ‘green’ jobs as a result of the initiative.
The party will no doubt be attempting to appeal to the growing support base of the Green party.
5. Labour MP calls for union strike to topple the Conservative government
Labour MP Laura Smith courted controversy during a speech, where she called for a general strike to bring down the Conservative government.
Smith, who is the MP for Crewe and Nantwich, said: “Today we’ve heard calls for a true people’s vote. A general election.”
She continued: “Comrades, we must topple this cruel and callous Tory government as soon as we can. And if we can’t get a general election, we should organise with our brothers and sisters in the trade unions to bring an end to this government with a general strike.”
The comments were made during a Momentum organised The World Transformed event in Liverpool, which coincided with the party conference.
However, Deputy leader Tom Watson has since distanced the party from her remarks.
Watson ultimately said that “not particularly helpful”, suggesting that Smith “got a little carried away” with her comments.
So, as the Labour Conference for 2018 draws to a close, one thing is for certain – the party still remains utterly divided, particularly with respect to Brexit.
