07 October 2023 , 06:00
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Keir Starmer will kick off Labour's annual conference this weekend buoyed by his party's "seismic" victory at a key Scottish by-election.
Just 24 hours after the staggering result in Rutherglen and Hamilton West - pointing to a Labour revival north of the border - MPs and activists will descend on Liverpool. The four-day event will be a crucial opportunity for the Labour leader to lay out his vision for the country ahead of next year's likely general election.
The party's national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden has promised the conference will be "policy rich" amid criticism from some that the party lacks bold promises. He said Mr Starmer will "lay out in front of the country the kind of policies that Labour will put in place were we to win the next election".
The World Transformed - run by left-wing activists - held its first festival on the fringes of the Labour conference in 2016 and will run parallel to main conference for the sixth year running. Expect appearances from the former leader Jeremy Corbyn and his former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.
It comes as the Tories continue to trail Labour in the national polls and after Rishi Sunak used his own conference speech to rip up the northern leg of HS2. Expect Mr Starmer to mock the PM's attempted claim he is the candidate of "change" after 13 years of Tory rule.
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What to expect - a day-by-day guide
Sunday
Big moment: Labour's Deputy Leader Angela Rayner will give a speech at 11:20am.
The Shadow Housing, Levelling-Up and Communities Secretary's speech will be her second since taking on the role at the start of September.
Interesting fringe events: The Mirror's Ros Wynne-Jones will be on a panel with Hope Not Hate discussing the Far Right and the Conservative Party at half 12pm, while at 1pm the Mirror's Deputy Political Editor Lizzy Buchan will be chairing a panel on Free School Meals, an issue the Mirror has relentlessly campaigned on. The Mirror will also feature on a panel on how Labour can respond compassionately to the refugee crisis at 5pm.
Some of Labour's top frontbench figures will be out and about at fringes, including Shadow Foreign Secretary on the future of foreign policy and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting on the role of Health and Social care in winning both at 3.30pm. In the evening, Shadow Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Shadow Attorney General will discuss justice a vision for justice, while Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will also be interviewed at an In Conversation event at 6pm.
Top Tip: Stay on the look out for the Putting Britain in the Picture: A exhibition of photography to mark the Daily Mirror's 120th anniversary - you can find it every day at stalls 150-160 in the exhibition hall.
Monday
Big moment: Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves's speech at 12pm.
Ms Reeves will face the challenge of maintaining her stance on "fiscal responsibility" while also needing to excite Labour members and activists for the party's commitments to come.
Interesting fringe events: Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock will feature on a panel about Cross Channel migration at 2:30pm and at 3pm Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall will discuss how to alleviate poverty.
At 4pm Shadow Minister for Youth Justice and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons will sit on a panel about drill music and racial bias in criminal trials, while at the same time Shadow Transport Secretary Lou Haigh will feature in a discussion on the future of rail. Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will sit on a panel on teacher shortages at 5:30pm.
Tuesday
Big moment: Labour leader Keir Starmer will deliver his keynote speech at 2pm.
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The Labour leader faces the key moment of the conference on Tuesday in potentially his last speech to party members ahead of the general election. Labour's Shadow Home Secretary Yvettee Cooper will also give her speech in the conference hall just before 10am.
Interesting fringe events: Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves will appear at an "in conversation" event with the Tony Blair Institute at 10am. The Mirror will host a panel on our test veterans campaign which will be chaired by Al Murray at 11am. The panel will include Mirror editor Alison Phillips, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner and nuclear test veteran John Morris.
The Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting will outline Labour's plan for health and care at the IPPR think-tank at midday while David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, will also be in conversation with Chatham House at 6pm.
Over at the World Transformed festival the former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell will appear at an event on workers' rights under a future Labour government.
Wednesday
Big moment: Wes Sreeting will deliver a speech on the future of the NHS just before 10am and the Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will outline her plan to "breakdown barriers to opportunity at every stage".
Interesting fringe events: Labour's annual conference wraps up at midday on Wednesday, so there are only a handful of fringes. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will appear at an event discussing climate change at 10.45am while MP's Yasmin Qureshi, Afzal Khan, and Khalid Mahmood will appear on a panel "winning the marginals for Labour".
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