Heckler halts Prime Minister's conference speech

A protester was escorted from the Labour Party Conference hall this afternoon after interrupting Sir Keir Starmer's keynote address. The Prime Minister delivered his speech at 2pm today, September 24, promising "country first, party second" will be at the core of his government's approach.

Sir Keir was the first prime minister to speak at a Labour conference since Gordon Brown in 2009 and used the speech to set out his new government’s plans to “build a new Britain”. His speech was briefly halted after a protester shouted: "what about the children of Gaza?" Following the disruption, the Prime Minister quipped: “This guy’s obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference.” He added: “While he’s been protesting, we’ve been changing the party. That’s why we’ve got a Labour Government.”

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The protester was escorted out of the hall after the interruption. Yesterday lunchtime, a protester was removed from the hall during Chancellor Rachel Reeves' speech. Yesterday's protest was also related to Israel and Gaza, with the protester condemning government arms sales to Israel.

During his speech today, the prime minister confirmed that a Hillsborough law requiring a duty of candour on public officials would be introduced to Parliament before the next anniversary of the disaster. He condemned “the countless injustices over the years suffered by working people at the hands of those who are supposed to serve them”.