Andy Burnham said that “broken” social care will eventually break the NHS as he outlined his plans to reform the system.
At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, the prime minister will pledge that his government will bring about radical change for Britain, and he told the BBC he would “grasp the nettle” of social care reform in England.
The former Greater Manchester mayor said he would put his plan for a national care service along the lines of the NHS, funded by the taxpayer and free at the point of use, to the public at the next general election.
Mr Burnham, whose father died earlier this month, told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “For me, obviously, coming in to this journey as prime minister as my dad was ending his, has been hard.
“But it pushes me on, and I’m going to grasp the nettle on social care.”
He described social care in England as being as “unfair as American healthcare, where the most vulnerable in society can lose everything.”
As the conference began in earnest on Sunday, Merseyside Police arrested two demonstrators outside it during a protest in support of Palestine Action.
Key Points
- Social care 'as unfair as American healthcare', Burnham says
- National care service to be put to the public at next general election
- Two arrested during pro-Palestine Action protest outside Labour conference
- Key timings for Sunday
- PM and Healey hint at tough choices to come, as Labour conference begins
Cutting UK out of Made in Europe plan not in anyone’s interest, says trade secretary
19:40 , Harriette BoucherJonathan Reynolds has warned against European protectionist measures, arguing they are not in “anyone’s interests”.
The European Union’s proposed Made in Europe scheme intends to focus public contracts and subsidies on manufacturers based within the bloc.
Mr Reynolds said it “wouldn’t be to the benefit of Europe to cut the UK out of that”, claiming the UK’s involvement would improve the scheme’s “resilience and autonomy”.
Formally known as the Industrial Accelerator Act, the scheme is intended to protect clean technology firms and electric vehicle manufacturers from cheap Chinese competition.
However, Andy Burnham has urged the EU to avoid causing “collateral damage” to British industry.
He said there was “considerable support” among EU member states for the UK’s position “because Europe’s argument is not with us”.
Speaking on the fringes of the Labour Party conference, Mr Reynolds told the Politico Pub: “Made in Europe – what is the intention on the EU side? They say it’s about greater resilience, greater autonomy for European industry in the face of very significant pressures from both the US and China.
“Now, if that is the objective, it stands to reason that the UK, as the second biggest economy in Europe, should be a part of that, because you will increase your resilience and autonomy by having a substantial economy like ours within there.
“If it is a essentially a very old-school kind of protectionist measure. Well, that would be very difficult for us. And frankly, isn’t in anyone’s interests in Europe.”
Watch: Palestine Action supporter removed from outside Labour Party conference in Liverpool
19:00 , Harriette BoucherLabour 'not in position' to call early election
18:39 , Harriette BoucherLabour is not “in a position where it could contemplate an early election”, polling expert Sir John Curtice has said.
Speaking at a fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Sir John, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, said it was a “message that the prime minister seems to have quite clearly learned”.
Asked if there should be an early election, he said: “No.”
Earlier he said: “You have heard a lot about the mega polls in recent days, and these, in a sense, put a clear sense of reality on the fact yes, the party is ahead.
“Yes, it’s now ahead of Reform, but that in itself… is not enough for anybody to contemplate the idea that this party is currently, at least, in a position where it could contemplate an early election.”
He also said Reform UK peaked in the polls “12 months ago” and if anyone would succeed in eliminating leader Nigel Farage “it’s going to be the Conservatives” not Labour.
Streeting hails RAF Fairford security services
18:13 , Harriette BoucherWes Streeting praised the “exemplary response” from the security services to the RAF Fairford incident, but refused to comment on “underlying motivations”.
Speaking at a Labour Party conference fringe event in Liverpool, he said it was “an example of what they do day in, day out, at all hours and all across the world, to keep us safe, so often going unnoticed and unsung, but we are glad that they do and we are glad that they are there to defend us.
He added: “We owe them a huge debt of thanks for today and what they do for us every day, every year.”
The defence secretary refused to comment on reports that police were investigating whether the alleged plot is linked to Iran.
He said: “I’m not going to comment on the underlying motivations of those who’ve been arrested today, or indeed the sort of the genesis of their activity, I think it’s far too early to comment or speculate, and it would be irresponsible for me to do so.”
'Ship has sailed' on future leadership bid - Streeting
17:56 , Harriette BoucherWes Streeting has ruled out a future Labour leadership bid, saying the “ship has sailed” on the goal he claims he had since he was 15.
When he resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet in May, he announced he would enter any potential Labour leadership contest, but later backtracked after endorsing Andy Burnham.
He told a fringe event at the Labour Party conference that he had “zero regrets” over his decision to resign.
“It’s not how I wanted Keir’s premiership to end,” he said, but added: “But I think it was necessary, and I do feel a sense of vindication in terms of how things have unfolded since.
“I am, for the first time since I was probably about 15 years old, not running to be leader of the Labour Party, and it’s quite a liberating position to be in.”
Asked if that was just the case “for now”, he said: “No, that ship has sailed.”
He rejected that he had done any kind of deal with Mr Burnham to get his defence post.
“I didn’t ask for a job. I didn’t lobby for a particular job, and I certainly didn’t do a deal for a job with Andy,” he said.
Burnham meets Norwegian counterpart Jonas Store for talks on European security
17:47 , Harriette BoucherAndy Burnham met Norwegian counterpart Jonas Store for talks on European security while in Liverpool for the Labour Party conference.
The two leaders held a formal meeting before Mr Store became the international guest speaker at the Labour gathering.
The football-loving prime minister joked that Norway’s close ties with the UK included Manchester City’s star striker Erling Haaland.
Mr Store referenced football in his conference speech.
Prompting laughter from the audience, he said: “Relations between Norway and England have been slightly strained since July – you did knock us out of the World Cup.”
“We may win or lose in football. On everything else, I’m … very glad that we are on the same side”, he added.
At the pair’s meeting, Mr Burnham said the two countries had a “warm friendship that goes back for so many years”, but now faced “new challenges” together.
“We will talk about our common challenges in relation to defence and security,” Mr Burnham said.
“We are collaborating on defence investment and that is very beneficial both for our security needs, but for industry in Norway and here in the UK.”
RAF Fairford incident 'deeply concerning', says Burnham
16:25 , Alex RossAndy Burnham said the incident near RAF Fairford was “deeply concerning” and the government will “always take every step necessary” to protect people.
Five men were arrested for “preparing a terrorist act” near the airbase used by US.
He posted on X: “I know today’s incident near RAF Fairford will be deeply concerning for local residents and for many people following developments across the country. My thanks go to Gloucestershire Police, Counter Terrorism Policing, our Armed Forces and all those working to keep the public safe.
“I am especially grateful to those residents who have been asked to leave their homes while precautionary checks are carried out. The safety and security of the public is our first priority, and I want people to know that we will always take every step necessary to protect our communities and keep our country safe. The investigation remains ongoing, and I would urge people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.”
Comment: Allowing football fans to drink in the stands is an own goal, Andy
16:00 , Liam JamesI enjoy matchday drinking as much as the next Spurs supporter, but I’m against the prime minister’s plan to lift the booze ban, says Liam James – and not for the reason you might think.
Read below.
Allowing football fans to drink in the stands is an own goal, Andy
In full: Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest
15:45 , Dan HaygarthTwo demonstrators have been arrested by police outside the Labour Party conference during a protest in support of Palestine Action.
Over 200 protesters gathered outside the conference in Liverpool, with many holding homemade banners reading: "I support Palestine Action," the proscribed organisation.
Dozens of officers monitored the scene before stepping in to arrest an elderly man sitting under a tree.
Police executed another arrest after informing a demonstrator he was holding a banner supporting a banned group, leading him away after asking whether he planned to continue holding it.
Further protesters are expected to occupy the same spot as those who were taken into custody.
Read more:
Two arrested at pro-Palestine Action protest outside Labour conference
Louise Haigh tells businesses looking for defence contracts that they will be judged on commitment to British jobs
15:10 , Dan Haygarth
Ms Haigh told the hall: “The chancellor John Healey and I have been very clear, if your business is bidding for government contracts to defend our country, then you will be judged on your commitment to backing high quality, British jobs.
“And just in case Kemi Badenoch is watching - that’s what we mean when we say social security and national security go hand in hand. That’s the Labour way.”
Labour conference will debate emergency motion condemning Glasgow council
14:55 , Dan HaygarthScottish Labour leader Michael Marra has said the conference will debate an emergency motion condemning Glasgow City Council after the fire-and-rehire incident this week.
Mr Marra said: “This conference will debate an emergency motion condemning the council, backing our trade unions, and calls for the threat of fire and rehire to be taken off the table for good. Conference, I ask you, back that motion, send a clearest possible message that the Labour movement will never accept threats to working people.”
SNP should 'hang heads in shame', Scotland secretary says
14:50 , Dan Haygarth
Secretary of state Douglas Alexander said the SNP “should hang their heads in shame” over the Glasgow City Council fire-and-rehire incident this week.
Speaking at the Labour Conference he said: “Conference just last Thursday, the SNP-led Glasgow City Council attempted to fire and rehire more than 20,000 of their employees.
“This is happening not in 1926, conference, not 1926, but in 2026 conference. The SNP should hang their heads in shame.”
Protesters call for end of ban on Palestine Action
14:40 , Dan HaygarthA spokesperson for Defend Our Juries, which organised the protest, said: “We had hoped the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, would do the sensible thing and bin the ban on Palestine Action given the weight of public pressure to do so and the escalating amount of resources required in enforcing it.
“Continuing the charade of the proscription of Palestine Action is illogical, unsustainable and immoral.
“Hundreds of people, from professions including teachers, pensioners, and healthcare workers, are willing to be arrested today to let Andy Burnham know that it is not enough just to say that Israel is committing war crimes including ethnic cleansing in Gaza, he must take meaningful action to end UK complicity with Israel’s crimes.
“The first step the PM could do today, from the podium of his inaugural party conference is to commit to ending the prosecution and jailing of people as terrorists just for standing up against war crimes and genocide.”
Powell calls Farage 'modern-day love child of Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher'
14:30 , Daniel Haygarth
Labour’s deputy leader took aim at Reform and the Conservatives in her speech.
She told the hall at ACC Liverpool: “Nigel Farage wants us to all blame immigrants for our country’s ills. He wants a race to the bottom on workers’ rights and deregulation. Especially for his Billionaire crypto mates. He believes in trickle-down economics, that never actually trickles down.
“Conference, he’s just a modern-day love child of Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher. And quite bizarrely, for someone who seems to hate foreigners so much, he really does love their money, doesn’t he?
“And as for the Tories … well, they seem somewhere between an identity crisis and collective amnesia.
“But we won’t forget - the British people won’t forget - the damage they did in 14 years of government. They left this country worse off, our public services hollowed out, and now they’ve got the nerve to lecture us on the crises they created.”
Two arrested during pro-Palestine Action protest outside Labour conference
14:24 , Dan HaygarthPolice have arrested two demonstrators outside the Labour Party conference during a protest in support of Palestine Action.
Protesters were also removed by officers.
Louise Haigh on stage in main hall
14:05 , Dan HaygarthThe first secretary of state is on stage at ACC Liverpool and begins by paying tribute to Rachel Reeves for ending the two child benefit cap.
BREAKING: Two arrested during pro-Palestine Action protest outside Labour conference
13:45 , Daniel HaygarthPolice have arrested two demonstrators outside the Labour Party conference during a protest in support of Palestine Action.
More than 200 protesters sat outside the conference in Liverpool, many holding home-made banners which read: “I support Palestine Action,” the banned group.
Scores of police stood by before moving in to arrest an elderly man who was sitting under a tree.
Police then made another arrest after telling a protester he was holding up a sign supporting a proscribed organisation.
After asking the man if he was going to continue holding up the sign, police led him away.
More protesters are expected to sit in the same spot as those who have been arrested.
Tories say welfare should be cut to fund social care
13:28 , Daniel HaygarthShadow home secretary Chris Philp told the BBC that welfare should be cut to fund social care.
He said: “It looks like Andy Burnham is not prepared to make those difficult decisions, is not prepared to reduce the welfare budget that is totally out of control.
“Instead, he’s going to reach for tax increases that will simply cause even more damage to our economy.”
Recap: PM to put plan for national care service to public at next election
13:15 , Dan HaygarthAndy Burnham said he would put his plan for a national care service along the lines of the NHS, funded by the taxpayer and free at the point of use, to the public at the next general election.
The PM told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg he was prepared to take unpopular decisions to draw up the new system.
He said: “When I was in Parliament first time round, in fact, when I was a new MP, my gran was going through the care system.
“And as health secretary I remember saying ‘we shouldn’t let what happened to my grandparents’ generation happen to my parents’ generation’ and it’s devastating actually to be here, and it has happened.
“Parliament just ignoring this issue because they consider it too difficult.
“Is there any wonder that politics is in such low esteem with the public when it can’t fix something as basic as the care that we give to each other?
“So it can’t carry on. Somebody needs to grasp the nettle. I will be the one to do that and I realise it might require me to spend some political capital. That it might make me unpopular with some, but that isn’t going to stop me. “
Ed Davey reponds to PM's social care plans
12:59 , Dan HaygarthI really hope the PM is serious about fixing care, and he can show it by getting on with the cross-party talks we started in July.
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) September 27, 2026
This can’t just be a series of No10 headlines with no real action.
I’ll do everything I can to put family carers at the heart of any solution. https://t.co/OYLWkQ7N4Z
Bridget Phillipson delivers her speech
12:58 , Dan Haygarth
No row with Home Secretary over migration reform, Rayner insists
12:38 , Dan HaygarthAngela Rayner has insisted she is not getting into a row with her Cabinet colleague Shabana Mahmood over plans to tighten migration law.
The Communities Secretary hit out ahead of Labour’s conference at plans to lengthen the period of time before foreign care workers can claim permanent settlement in the UK from five to 15 years.
It sets her at odds with Ms Mahmood, the Home Secretary who is spearheading the reforms which would apply to all carers who have arrived in Britain since 2021.
Speaking on Sunday, Ms Rayner insisted she is not causing trouble on the Government frontbench.
Asked about her opposition to the migration plans, Ms Rayner told Sky News: “Shabana had a consultation on the transitional arrangements, and she’s been really clear that we’ve got to have a fair system that is fair for people that contribute today, and those that come to this country to contribute.
“I have absolute support for Shabana in that, and I’m sure she’ll come to a good conclusion on that.
“I contributed to that consultation, and I’m on the record for that.
“We’re all united. We’ve seen on illegal migration, those figures coming down, so I think that she’s doing a fantastic job.
“So there’s no split story there, unfortunately.”
The Communities Secretary was also asked if collective responsibility, the idea that all Cabinet ministers show a united public front on Government policy, is dead as a result of her vocal opposition.
She replied: “No. The Prime Minister was really clear that we are going to do politics differently, and that means reaching out to other politicians as well and having that conversation.
“Our Home Secretary was really clear about that, and I think she’s done a fantastic job.”
Watch: Andy Burnham says social care is as 'unfair as American healthcare' and will break the NHS
12:07 , Dan HaygarthTimings on the main stage for Sunday
11:44 , Daniel Haygarth1100 - Steve Rotheram
1140 - Hollie Ridley
1150 - Joe Fortune
1220 - Bridget Phillipson
1230 - Lucy Powell
1400 - Louise Haigh
1410 - Douglas Alexander
1420 - Michael Marra
1430 - Stephen Kinnock
1440 - Ken Skates
1515 - Pat McFadden
In pictures: Proceedings begin in earnest at ACC Liverpool
11:35 , Dan Haygarth
Heckler heard shouting 'get on with it Andy' before Steve Rotheram responds
11:31 , Dan Haygarth
A heckler could be heard shouting “get on with it, Andy” as the Labour Party conference opened in Liverpool.
Andy Burnham was present in the conference hall when the heckle was made.
It came as Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram spoke about Labour’s plans to build social homes.
Mr Rotheram responded to the heckle saying: “That’s me, Dad, that.”
He gave a thumbs-up, before adding: “Me ma says she’s put the kettle on for ya.”
Concluding his opening speech, he said: “Over the next few days, enjoy the debates, the speeches, the fringe events, the hecklers, but also enjoy this city.”
Burnham 'receiving updates' on Gloucestershire incident
11:14 , Dan HaygarthPrime minister Andy Burnham is receiving updates on the incident near RAF Fairford.
A Government spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister is being kept updated on the incident in Gloucestershire.
“We are grateful to the emergency services, who have acted quickly to detain several suspects and put measures in place to keep the community safe.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing.”
Read our report below:
Major incident declared near RAF Fairford as bomb squad called out and men arrested
Watch: Andy Burnham appeals for 'calm on all sides' over Orange Order parade in Drumcree
11:07 , Dan HaygarthIn full: Burnham to put plan for free national care service to the public at next general election
10:25 , Daniel Haygarth
Burnham to put plan for free national care service to public at next general election
"Hard to conclude” that Daniel Thomas is “anything other than someone who has racist views”, PM says
10:12 , Dan HaygarthAndy Burnham said it is “hard to conclude” far-right activist Daniel Thomas, known to his supporters as Danny Tommo, is “anything other than someone who has racist views”.
Asked if he thinks the founder of anti-migration group Patriot Platform is a racist, he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “Well, it’s hard to conclude that he’s anything other than someone who has racist views.
“I hesitate always before I, you know, I’ve not read everything that he said, I’ve not followed everything that he’s done. So I’m just going to say that because I don’t just throw labels on people.
“But given everything and the way he’s behaving and what he’s seeking to whip up, I mean this is the worst kind of hateful behaviour.”
Analysis: Burnham preparing for a big gamble
09:59 , David MaddoxAndy Burnham's appearance on Laura Kuenssberg's Sunday morning show on BBC was a classic in the style of our new prime minister at the start of his first Labour conference in the role.
There was lots of empathy, great presentation and plenty of direction of travel - but very little in hard detail, particularly on how he will pay for things.
A lot of "wait for my speech on Tuesday."
He hesitated to call the far right activist Danny Tommo a racist, he could not commit to a third runway at Heathrow, and he could not say if he would get the welfare bill down.
But under some excellent questioning the prime minister did reveal one important matter - he plans to fight the next election on a plan to overhaul social care in England and Wales.
The new PM could not hide that this would come through taxation for a country that is already highly taxed.
It also rules out an early election because he will need time to put his plan together.
But Mr Burnham more than any politician knows from his experience of "death tax" allegations in 2009 that he will be taking a risk. Theresa May also ran aground on the issue in 2017.
He feels passionately about this issue because of his late father's experience with Alzheimer's.
But by making this admission he probably has guaranteed there will not be cross party consensus on social care if it is defining the next election and he will be taking a brave but huge gamble.
Watch: Social care 'as unfair as American healthcare', Burnham says
09:40 , Dan HaygarthBurnham would not say whether he backs Heathrow third runway
09:38 , Dan HaygarthAndy Burnham would not say whether he would back a third runway at Heathrow.
Asked if he would back the move on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, he said: “Principally, it’s a matter for London and Londoners.”
Pressed further, he continued: “It’s not right for me to just jump straight in on the back of the consultation.”
He added: “I think it’s right that we hear what people have said through the consultation, and then then consider the way forward from there.”
Burnham does not want 'narrative of doom'
09:36 , Dan HaygarthPrime minister Andy Burnham has said he does not want to focus on a “narrative of doom” about the UK’s economy but that he will show in his leader’s speech at Labour conference that he is prepared to take tough decisions.
Speaking to BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Burnham said: “Let’s now let’s focus on where we are and let’s not get into a position where we’ve just got a narrative of doom about all of this.
“We are the fastest growing economy in the G7 right now, and credit to what Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves did to get that turnaround going.”
But pressed on how he would address concern in financial markets about the UK economy’s health and where he would make cuts to balance the books, he said: “If people wait till Tuesday, they will see that I am prepared to take those type of decisions because I won’t do what the previous Conservative government did and take risks with the economy that actually are still hurting us right now.”
He said he was “very conscious” of the “febrile state of the global economy” but that the “fundamentals” of the British economy were “moving in the right direction” until the Middle East conflict broke out.
It has not been a great decade for Britain, Burnham says
09:33 , Dan Haygarth”I am here to end the decade of drift and division that we've had since Brexit, because it's not been a great decade for Britain”, the prime minister told the BBC.
Burnham rejects suggestion that care service could cost £18bn per year
09:31 , Dan HaygarthAndy Burnham rejected suggestions a free care service could cost taxpayers £18 billion a year.
“It’s not that high,” he told the BBC.
But he said people were already paying a high cost for the current system: “People are paying care charges now. They are spending tens of thousands of pounds from their savings, sometimes losing their homes.
“That is what’s happening at the moment.
“So to suggest there isn’t a cost to people at this moment in time, there’s a huge cost.
“Social care in England is as unfair as American healthcare, where the most vulnerable in society can lose everything, they can be wiped out, not just by the condition that they have, but wiped out financially.”
National care service to be put to the public at next general election
09:26 , Dan HaygarthAndy Burnham said he would put his plan for a national care service along the lines of the NHS, funded by the taxpayer and free at the point of use, to the public at the next general election.
The prime minister told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg he was prepared to take unpopular decisions to draw up the new system.
He said: “When I was in Parliament first time round, in fact, when I was a new MP, my gran was going through the care system.
“And as health secretary I remember saying ‘we shouldn’t let what happened to my grandparents’ generation happen to my parents’ generation’ and it’s devastating actually to be here, and it has happened.
“Parliament just ignoring this issue because they consider it too difficult.
“Is there any wonder that politics is in such low esteem with the public when it can’t fix something as basic as the care that we give to each other?
“So it can’t carry on. Somebody needs to grasp the nettle. I will be the one to do that and I realise it might require me to spend some political capital. That it might make me unpopular with some, but that isn’t going to stop me. “
BREAKING: Free care service in style of NHS will be in Labour's next manifesto, Burnham confirms
09:18 , Dan HaygarthThe prime minister says the care service will be on the ballot paper at the next election.
Burnham will 'grasp nettle' of social care
09:10 , Dan Haygarth“We are making really good progress”, Andy Burnham said as Laura Kuenssberg asked him about social care - an issue he said he would prioritise when he took power in July.
The prime minister added: “It pushes me on and I’m going to grasp the nettle of social care.”
His father Roy, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, died earlier this month, and Mr Burnham has said this has made him more determined to fix social care.
The Makerfield MP says he is willing to spend political capital on the issue of social care, adding that the whole system is working in the wrong way.
He says he will set out a timetable for a system on “NHS principles” to reform social care at this week’s conference.
Watch: Rayner asked if collective responsibility is 'dead' after criticism of home secretary
08:47 , Dan HaygarthSunday Morning presenter @KateEMcCann asks Angela Rayner whether "collective responsibility is dead."
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 27, 2026
The housing secretary says she has "absolute support" for the home secretary - hours after criticising immigration plans.https://t.co/NCFcQYnSo9#SundayMorningWith pic.twitter.com/HaTQ67YQHF
Angela Rayner backs down from criticism of home secretary
08:36 , Dan HaygarthAngela Rayner tells Sky News she has absolute support for Shabana Mahmood and says the home secretary is doing a “fantastic job”.
It comes after Ms Rayner has hit out at Ms Mahmood’s plans to make it harder for migrant workers to claim settled status in the UK, warning it would “change the goalposts”.
In an interview with The Times on the eve of Labour’s party conference in Liverpool, the communities secretary and former deputy prime minister stood by her previous description of the home secretary’s plans as “un-British”.
However, speaking to Sky this morning, she is now backing the home secretary. You can read yesterday’s piece below.
Rayner hits out at Mahmood’s migrant visa plans on eve of Labour conference
Watch: Burnham promises to set UK on new course after Brexit resulted in 'drift and division'
08:28 , Dan HaygarthIn pictures: Burnham's arrival in Liverpool
08:15 , Dan Haygarth
Angela Rayner hits out at Shabana Mahmood’s migrant visa plans on eve of Labour conference
08:07 , Dan HaygarthAngela Rayner has hit out at Shabana Mahmood’s plans to make it harder for migrant workers to claim settled status in the UK, warning it would “change the goalposts”.
Read more.
Rayner hits out at Mahmood’s migrant visa plans on eve of Labour conference
Councils will be given more powers to seize empty homes and bring them into use
08:01 , Dan HaygarthLocal leaders will get stronger powers to take possession of empty and derelict homes so they can be brought back into use, Angela Rayner has announced.
The housing secretary revealed the plans on the first day of Labour’s annual conference, which are aimed at bringing the 300,000 empty homes across England back into use.
The sweeping reforms to Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) are being made as the Government aims to build 1.5 million homes before its self-imposed deadline of 2029.
EDMOs can be used to restore homes for use for an initial 12 months, and up to a total of eight years, but no applications have been made since 2021.
Ms Rayner’s plans will reduce the period of time a house must be empty before it can be taken over from two years to six months.
Ministers also aim to speed up the backroom process which allows councils to seize properties through a tribunal system, and want to protect local authorities from absorbing the costs associated with using EDMOs.
Ms Rayner said: “With so many children and families still in need of a safe and secure home, we can’t sit by and allow 300,000 long-term empty dwellings to be left unused.
“That’s why Labour in power is putting the tools in local leaders’ hands to take over desperately needed derelict homes and put them back into use. We’re reversing the Tories’ damaging changes by supporting councils to intervene and use untapped powers to meet local housing need.
“These changes will ensure councils can intervene earlier to prevent properties from falling into serious disrepair by accelerating their return to use and simplify the process to empower local authorities to act more decisively and with greater speed.
“But we won’t stop there, and we’ll explore further changes to protect local authorities from absorbing the costs they face in taking over empty homes.”
Comment: This is the only way that Andy Burnham can beat Nigel Farage
07:45 , Dan Haygarth
This is the only way that Andy Burnham can beat Nigel Farage
Russia and Putin the ‘biggest threat’ to UK security, warns Streeting
07:31 , Dan HaygarthWes Streeting has labelled Russia and president Vladimir Putin the biggest threat to the country’s security as he warned the UK is at the “greatest risk” of war in his life.
Defence secretary Mr Streeting said the threat was behind the decision to “deliver the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War”.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday ahead of Labour’s conference which starts in Liverpool on Sunday, he said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest threat facing Britain is Russia and President Putin.
“We’ve got war in our continent. We’ve got a Russian president who has imperialist ambitions, who is constantly testing Britain’s defences, Nato defences and testing the strength of our alliances.
“And so, the sobering reality is that we face a greater risk of war than we’ve done at any point in my lifetime.”
He said he is confident the country has what it needs to remain safe, but the same would not be true if defences were to “stand still” for five years.
“Strength builds deterrence, and deterrence makes it far less likely that we will end up in a place we don’t want to be – which is at war with Russia or, indeed, anyone else,” he said.
Healey reveals plans to get more British products and services bought abroad
07:29 , Dan HaygarthThe Government is launching a new scheme to encourage foreign companies to buy more British goods and services.
Chancellor John Healey has announced a new UK Export Finance product, Flexible Finance, aimed at providing loans to buyers in fast-growing markets such as Brazil, Morocco and Mexico, to incentivise them to purchase British products.
The chancellor is expected to reveal more details of the scheme in his speech at the Labour conference on Monday.
Mr Healey said: “We’re backing British businesses to strike more deals overseas, especially in countries which are growing fast but where we don’t have a big British footprint.
“This is a new approach and part of the argument I will make in my speech in Liverpool on Monday that we are backing British industry and British innovation, helping create more markets abroad and more jobs at home.”
He added: “The British export market is strong, making Britain the place to do business. Companies across our four nations are seizing the opportunities to sell their goods and services around the world, but there are some markets we are yet to properly capitalise on.
“This new pilot is a win-win for the companies that can continue to scale up, and for the communities in which they can inject new jobs and growth.”
Burnham should still call snap election and campaign on reversing Brexit, former adviser says
07:26 , Dan HaygarthAndy Burnham should reconsider calling a snap general election and make undoing Brexit the centrepiece of the campaign, a former Labour government adviser has said.
Mr Burnham tried to “knock dead” the idea of going to the polls early in interviews on the eve of the annual Labour party conference.
But Ben Judah, a special adviser to David Lammy in the Foreign Office until earlier this year, believes the prime minister could pull off an election victory to rival Boris Johnson’s in 2019 if he seized the moment on Europe.
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Burnham should call snap election on reversing Brexit, former adviser says
Burnham and Healey hint at tough choices to come, as Labour conference begins
07:24 , Dan HaygarthBoth Andy Burnham and his chancellor have hinted at tough choices for the Government this autumn, despite the prime minister’s intent to push forward a message of hope at his first Labour conference since seizing power.
Mr Burnham acknowledged he and the chancellor John Healey face a “challenging” set of circumstances at the Budget, and said he is prepared to take tough decisions to deliver his change agenda.
Elsewhere, Mr Healey signalled he was willing to make the case to Labour backbenchers over welfare reforms, as there was a “moral duty” to ensure a generation of young people get into work.
Their room for manoeuvre at the budget has been severely constrained by rising borrowing costs, pushed up by the US-Iran war, among other global events.
Speaking to The Guardian, Mr Burnham insisted his Government could both bring forward a radical reform agenda, and maintain the public finances amid the fraught economic situation.
He suggested the public would have “more respect for us if we go and grab something difficult … and say, ‘right, we’re going to do something here’, rather than constantly playing the political game before fixing the problems”.
He added: “It’s challenging, definitely, but there are still things that you can do. Always in politics, there are things that you can do. The question is sometimes, are you prepared to do them? Yeah, I am prepared to do them.”
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mr Healey meanwhile suggested he was ready to argue his case with Labour backbenchers opposed to welfare reform, as a means of containing the ballooning costs to the public purse.
He told the newspaper: “I first got elected nearly 30 years ago for part of Rotherham and in the 1990s, in South Yorkshire, the level of youth unemployment was one in three.
“That, for me, is a moral duty that this Government now must pick up again, with nearly a million youngsters post-Covid, before the election, not in employment, not in education, not in training.
“I refuse to see a generation in jeopardy. I refuse to see a generation condemned to a life on benefits.”
Watch: Andy Burnham arrives at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool
07:22 , Daniel HaygarthBurnham arrives at Labour conference for first time as leader
Saturday 26 September 2026 21:02 , Harriette BoucherAndy Burnham has arrived at the Labour annual conference for the first time as the party’s leader.
He has promised to set out “a new direction for the country”, insisting he can bring about radical change despite economic headwinds.
Ahead of the conference, he said: “We’re going to make this a really important week where we set out a new direction for the country.”
“We’ve had a decade since Brexit, and it’s been a decade of too much drift, too much division, and we need to draw a line on that.”
He said his vision would leave “people able to have hope again that things will improve, that life will get better – and it will”.
