Labour party conference starts in Liverpool today - agenda, key speakers and everything you need to know

The Labour Party are returning to Liverpool on Sunday, September 25, for their annual conference.

Running until Wednesday, September 28, the conference will take place at the Arena and Convention Centre with The Fringe talks and forums held at the Pullman Hotel, The ACC Liverpool, The Hilton Hotel and the Jury’s Inn.

Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, is set to open the four-day event with a tribute to the late Queen and party delegates will sing the national anthem at the start of the gathering, for the first time in recent history.

The Labour Party conference agenda

Labour’s annual conference, held in Liverpool for the first time since 2018 is filled with events such as seminars and workshops, and usually has thousands of attendees.

This year’s conference is Starmer’s second time hosting, with his first being in Brighton last year.

It is expected that topics such as workers’ strikes, cost of living and the climate crisis will be discussed, as well as Liz Truss’ mini-budget, which was announced on Friday.

Sir Keir Starmer will appear with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC One at 9am, before the conference begins on Sunday, here’s what to expect at the summit.

At the Conference:

• 10.45 - Sir Keir Starmer leads tributes to the Queen.
• 1125 - Speech by deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner.
• 11.50 - Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds.
• 13.20 - Session on winning the general election with campaign co-ordinator Shabana Mahmood. Stills and video planned.

Fringe events include:

• 12.30 - Labour First conference rally with speakers including Wes Streeting and Jonathan Reynolds - 30 James Street Hotel.
• 12.45 - RMT event with union boss Mick Lynch - Hilton Hotel.
• 15.30 - Ukrainian ambassador Vadym Prystaiko at Labour Friends of Ukraine event - ACC Hall 2, Room 1. 1600 Irish ambassador to the UK Martin Fraser at Labour Irish Society avent on the Good Friday Agreement - ACC Hall 2F.
• 17.00 - RMT general secretary Mick Lynch at Protressive Economy Forum event - Hall 2, Room 1.
• 17.30 - Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham in conversation - ACC Auditorium 1A.
• 18.00 - Labour to Win rally with speakers including Rachel Reeves and Wes Streeting - 30 St James Street Hotel.
• 18.00 - Criminal Bar Association chairman Jo Sidhu and shadow justice secretary Steve Reed at Society of Labour Lawyers event - Hilton Hotel Liverpool.
• 18.00 - Jeremy Corbyn at Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament event - Jury’s Inn meeting room 6.
• 18.30 - Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O’Neil event - Liverpool Atlantic Tower Hotel, royal suite.
• 20.00 - Sir Keir Starmer expected at Association of Labour Councillors reception - ACC Hall 2H.

Starmer’s relationship with Liverpool

The last time Starmer was in the city he was confronted by angry pensioner and activist Audrey White, who accused him of ‘feeding into Tory ideology’ in a video that went viral.

It was Starmer’s first visit to Liverpool since writing an article forThe S*n.

He had promised during his leadership campaign that he would not give interviews to the newspaper, which is boycotted in the city over its coverage of the Hillsborough disaster, during a visit to the city in January 2020.

How attend and watch the conference

Labour members who wish to attend the conference can register on the Labour Party website.

Constituencies can also send elected delegates, however applications for CLPs and CLP Delegates are now closed.

The conference is also usually shown on iPlayer, however, the TV schedule has not been released yet.