Starmer’s reshuffle and march of Reform dominate discussions at TUC conference

The weather in Brighton was sunny, but the mood at the TUC was on storms elsewhere. Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

For union delegates gathering in Brighton, sunshine glimmered on the Channel outside the annual TUC conference but the focus for many inside was on stormy developments elsewhere.

After a tough first year in power for Labour, two big spectres dominated the meeting: disappointment with Keir Starmer’s government, and the march of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.