THE teenager who heckled the Prime Minister in his Labour conference speech has spoken out on why he chose to take a stand.
Daniel Riley, 18, said he was moved to shout due to Keir Starmer’s stance on the Middle East, particularly the fact that the Labour Government continues to allow arms to be exported to Israel.
The Prime Minister was talking about how every child’s contribution should be heard when Riley started to shout about Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
He shouted: “What about the children of Gaza?"
“Those opportunities don't go to every child do they?"
After the disruption, Starmer responded: “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.”
After being released by security, Riley told journalists: “The hypocrisy when every day we’re still sending British bombs and British bullets that are being used in Lebanon and in Gaza right now and the Prime Minister – he could stop that, he could stop that right now but he doesn’t.
Asked if he had planned to disrupt the leader’s speech, Riley said: “No, I was a delegate, I’m a Labour Party member, I hoped I’d be one for life but I suspect not now.”
He added: "What happened is a complete failure of the Labour Party and for Keir Starmer to address it is sickening."
Starmer had called for a ceasefire in his speech which prompted Riley to speak out as he was "angry" over the Prime Minister "not lifting a finger" to try and stop the genocide.
When asked by journalists what Riley wants from the Labour Party he said: "A complete suspension of arms sales to Israel, embargoes, sanctions, whatever it takes to stop this genocide that is currently occurring not just empty gratitudes."
He then added that he was "absolutely not" happy with Starmer as leader of the Labour Party over his inaction to reprimand Israel over the war in Gaza.
The move comes after Rachel Reeves's speech was disrupted by a protester on Monday.
Shortly after Reeves began her speech, a pair unfurled a banner reading “Still backing polluters, still arming Israel – we voted for change” and shouted slogans before they were escorted from the hall by security.
In response, Reeves said: “This is a changed Labour Party, a Labour Party that represents working people, not a party of protest.”
A spokesperson for Climate Resistance, which organised the protest, said: “Labour promised us change – instead we’re getting more of the same. The same pandering to the fossil fuel industry; the same arms licences that are fuelling a genocide in Gaza, and the same austerity that sees the poorest hit hardest.
“It’s time for Labour to start putting the needs of people before the interests of profit. That means immediately stopping arms licences to Israel, blocking new oil and gas, and standing up for the communities already being devastated by the climate crisis.”
