Keir Starmer today declared 2022 was a “Labour moment” like 1997 as he invited the nation to imagine him in 10 Downing Street.
The Labour leader dared to dream of a centre-left government, less than three years after the worst election defeat since 1935.
He vowed to “defeat” the cost-of-living crisis and get Britain “its future back”, in a speech where he received more than a dozen standing ovations.
Mr Starmer also made announcements on a state-owned power firm, points-based immigration, housing and Hillsborough.
The 49-minute speech was much shorter than last year’s epic address which lasted nearly an hour and a half.
Unlike last year - which had some hecklers - there was no dissent in the hall in Liverpool at all, after many left-wingers abandoned the party.
Here are the key moments.
Imagine there’s no Tories
After the worst election defeat since 1935, Labour figures have been aware they could be mocked for hoping for government.
But after a slew of Tory scandals and a poll giving Labour its biggest lead since 2001, Keir Starmer dared to dream.
“As in 1945, 1964, 1997, this is a Labour moment,” he declared.
Going a bit John Lennon, he told delegates “it's time to write a new chapter of Labour Party history”.
"Imagine we are looking back at the first term of the next Labour Government,” he said.
"We’ve defeated the cost-of-living crisis and the clouds of anxiety have lifted. Services are there when you need them. Our economy is stable again. Business has the certainty to invest. The NHS is back in good health.
"And people are starting to raise their sights. Believe in Britain again. Britain is fairer. People feel they can get on. There’s more opportunity, more affordable housing, fairer taxes, higher wages, jobs - more secure.
"Families can aspire again. Look forward with hope, again."
Great British Energy
In his biggest new policy announcement, Keir Starmer pledged to create Britain's own state-owned power company to help slash the cost of bills if Labour wins power.
He said Great British Energy would boost the supply of renewable power by harnessing the country's sun, wind and waves.
The nationalised electricity generator, which will work alongside existing private firms, is aimed at bringing down prices for families as well as delivering energy independence for Britain.
He said: "A new company that takes advantage of the opportunities in clean British power and because it's right for jobs, because it's right for growth, because it's right for energy independence from tyrants like Putin."
Getting the biggest cheer of the speech, he said: "Yes conference, Great British Energy will be publicly owned."
Slamming the Tories’ record he added: "The war didn’t ban onshore wind. The war didn’t scrap home insulation. The war didn’t stall British nuclear energy. The Tories did that."
On the side of business
Keir Starmer underlined the break from Jeremy Corbyn's tenure and insisted he wanted business "to prosper".
He said: "I want to be crystal clear about this: I’m not just pro-business, I want to partner with business.
"So we will scrap business rates, level the playing-field for start-ups and the high street, give employers new flexibility to invest in the world class training they need."
A points-based immigration system
"I will revitalise public services and control immigration using a points-based system," said Keir Starmer.
He glossed over it but it is a rare reference to a phrase more often used by the Tories. They brought in a points-based immigration system for EU migrants after Brexit but have repeatedly had to amend it amid skills shortages.
Keir Starmer once promised to “bring back” free movement after Brexit, a pledge he’s long since U-turned on. And among his 10 pledges in the Labour leadership campaign were “an immigration system based on compassion and dignity”.
A spokesman for Keir Starmer insisted it was not a big new development - because Labour previously applied it to non-EU immigration. "We've been in favour of a points-based system for some time now, it was Labour that introduced a points-based system in government in 2008."
But he confirmed a reformed points-based system - not free movement - will be Labour's approach to immigration in government.
Getting Britain’s future back - and leaving Tories in the past
Keir Starmer said “Britain will get its future back,” but he didn’t hold back on raking over the recent past either.
"After 12 long years our spirit is ground down,” he said.
“When I talk to working people now, they tell me they work harder and harder just to stand still."
After George Osborne’s “lectures” about fixing the roof while the sun shone, “they haven't just failed to fix the roof. They've ripped out the foundations, smashed through the windows and now they've blown the doors off for good measure."
He added: "I'm really worried about how many lives are at risk this winter. Talking to doctors in my local hospital, I said 'the NHS is on its knees, isn't it'.
“And they said 'no Keir, it's face down on the floor'. And the pathetic response of the government last week left it there."
And slamming leaked audio of Liz Truss in her previous job he said: "You all heard that tape. Where Liz Truss says Britain’s working people lack “skill” and “application”.
“That the problem with our economy is they don’t “graft” hard enough, working people don’t graft hard enough.
“No. We’re not going to take this."
Vow to 'make Brexit work'
Keir Starmer said it was "no secret I voted Remain - as the Prime Minister did" but vowed he would "make Brexit work".
He said: "What I heard, across the country, was people who thought we’d got our priorities wrong, who wanted democratic control over their lives, but who also wanted opportunities for the next generation, communities they felt proud of, public services they could rely on.
"I didn’t hear that Brexit was about slashing workers’ rights. I didn’t hear people wanting to lower standards on food, animal welfare or the environment. I didn’t hear them wanting to end redistribution."
He said people had been "let down" whether they voted Leave or Remain and accused the Tories of "changing the meaning of Brexit before your eyes".
‘No deal’ with the SNP
Keir Starmer ruled out doing any deal with the SNP to fend off Tory claims that Labour could do a deal with Nicola Sturgeon’s party to win the next election.
He insisted that the SNP and the Tories wouldn’t deliver change or make Brexit work.
“Scotland needs a Labour Government that can deliver change. But it also needs the power and resources to shape its own future, whoever’s in power in Westminster. And the SNP are not interested in this.
“For them, Scotland’s success in the UK is met with gritted teeth, seen as a roadblock to independence, and so, they stand in the way.
“We can’t work with them. We won’t work with them. No deal under any circumstances.
“A fairer, greener, more dynamic Scotland. In a fairer, greener, more dynamic, Labour Britain.”
Slava Ukraini!
In a striking moment, delegates stood and applauded as Keir Starmer declared "Slava Ukraini" - or Glory to Ukraine.
He told conference hall: "We will never allow Putin’s threats and imperialism to succeed.
"We will stand alongside Ukraine and its people fighting on the frontline of freedom. So let this entire conference say together:
"Slava Ukraini!"
Growing up in a 'pebble dash semi' and love for the NHS
Keir Starmer recalled his working class roots in a speech that was at times quite personal.
He said: "I grew up in a pebble-dashed semi. Dad was a tool-maker, Mum was a nurse, our first car was a Ford Cortina – this was the 1970s.
"So, I remember what rising prices feel like. I remember when our phone was cut off because we couldn’t pay the bill. How hard it was to make ends meet. It wasn’t easy."
The Labour leader also spoke about his family connection to the NHS as he described his fears about "how many lives are at risk this winter".
He said: "My Mum worked for the NHS. My sister worked for the NHS. My wife still works for the NHS.
"The NHS runs through my family like a stick of rock."
The odd joke
Overall the speech was stern, serious and trying to paint a vision of hope for the future.
But there was time for one joke about the crash in the pound and withdrawal of mortgages as interest rate rises loom.
He said the Tories’ “record is appalling – the worst decade of growth in two centuries.
“Or as the Chancellor puts it: ‘a vicious cycle of stagnation’.
“I have to say, as a former prosecutor, it always warms my heart, when someone caught bang to rights, pleads guilty at the first opportunity."
Getting people on the housing ladder
Keir Starmer vowed to get 1.5million more people on the housing ladder as he proclaims Labour as the party of home ownership.
In a conference speech policy, he pledged to build more properties while giving first-time buyers first dibs on new developments in their areas.
Labour will also raise stamp duty on foreign buyers and stop them snapping up whole blocks of flats before they have been put on the market for local people.
The party chief will set a target for 70% of the population to own their own home in the first five years of a Labour government, up from 65% now.
Hillsborough law
A new Hillsborough Law aimed at holding public authorities accountable following tragedies will be introduced under Labour, Keir Starmer has announced.
The party leader has given his backing to new legislation - also known as the Public Authorities (Accountability) Bill - ahead of Labour's conference in Liverpool from Sunday.
Campaigners, including families of the 97 who died as a result of the 1989 disaster, have been long calling for new laws and regulations to prevent future injustices where there is state involvement.
Supporters say the laws will compel authorities, such as police forces, to cooperate with official investigations and entitle victims and their families to legal aid.
Keir Starmer said: "For too long his city has been let down. So, when Labour wins the next election, one of my first acts as Prime Minister will be to put the Hillsborough Law on the statute book."
