Labour front bencher Wes Streeting says his party will head to its annual conference in Liverpool to show people it is 'ready for government.'
The shadow health secretary visited the city and region this week around two months before he will return with the rest of his party for the showpiece conference. Labour have said they are on an election footing as the Conservatives take part in a brutal contest to replace the resigning Boris Johnson.
Mr Streeting, seen as a rising star on the Labour front bench, said the September event at the city's waterfront would be crucial for the party, with an election just two years away.
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Speaking to the ECHO, he said: "This conference in Liverpool is going to be a really important one, it is going to be a shop window for people to look at Labour, people have had enough of the Conservatives and are asking how is Labour doing? Are they ready for government? I'm confident that by the end of the conference in Liverpool people will see what our values are and will know that we are ready to govern."
Speaking about the city, he added: "Liverpool is such a great city, I've been here so many times over the years. It has so much going for it and we always receive a warm welcome. This is a proud Labour city but we don't want voters to ever feel taken for granted. People in this city have stuck with us through thick and thin and we want to make sure that when they go to cast their vote it isn't just to get rid of the Tories but to proudly vote for Labour."
The London MP, who has sometimes been referred to as a "right winger" within the Labour Party said he rejected that idea. He added: "There are no right wingers in the Labour Party, that's why we are in the Labour Party. We are a broad church and I think you see that across Merseyside with the range of Labour MPs in this region.
"I think the Labour Party is in a much better place than people expected us to be after our worst defeat since 1935 (in the 2019 General Election). I think there is an optimism, a hope, I think for the first time in a long time since that result there is now real self belief that we can win that next General Election. Labour governments aren't perfect, but my goodness, some of the hardest days of a Labour government are so much better than the best days of a Tory government.
He added: "I think people across Merseyside and across the country, when they reflect on the 12 years of Tory government we have had and then look at the 13 years of Labour in power before that, you can't say there is no difference - we lifted a million kids out of poverty, invested in our public services, cut cancer waiting times, created sure start centres - we achieved so much. It's been depressing to see so many of those achievements dismantled over the last 12 years and the next Labour government will have a lot of rebuilding work to do."
While Labour under Keir Starmer have a clear poll lead over the imploding Conservatives, the party has sometimes been criticised for showing a clear vision or policy agenda that will show people how they will improve their lives and tackle the huge challenges facing the country. Responding to that charge, Mr Streeting said: "As we get closer to conference and then to an election we will be setting out more detail on policies, but as we saw with our windfall tax plan, the Tories are shameless.
"So you don't want to show your hand too early, but also with inflation climbing like it is and the economy on the rocks, we want to make sure that we make promises we can deliver. We know trust in politics is low so it is our job reassure people that we can inspire with ideas that will help people and that we can deliver them and I think that is where we will be as we are heading to the next election."
Commenting on the ongoing Conservative contest to replace Boris Johnson, which is now between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, Mr Streeting added: "It seems to be that the Conservative Party has lost all confidence in itself, they have been trashing their own record after 12 years, they clearly aren't proud to stand on it."
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