5 key moments from Keir Starmer's Labour party conference speech - GB Energy, Gaza 'protest' and riots

Sir Keir Starmer has delivered his first party conference speech as Prime Minister, to a rapturous reception.

The Labour leader made his address at the party conference in Liverpool, in a speech light on policy, but brimming with promises of hope. Here are the five key moments from his 15 page speech.

Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

GB Energy

Sir Keir finally confirmed GB Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen.

He said: “We said GB Energy - our publicly-owned national champion, the vehicle that will drive forward our mission on clean energy - we said it belonged in Scotland. And it does. But the truth is, it could only really be based in one place in Scotland.

“So today I can confirm that the future of British energy will be powered, as it has been for decades by the talent and skills of the working people in the Granite City with GB Energy based in Aberdeen.

“This is how the work of change happens. A decisive mission-led government. Moving our country forward, step by step. Focused on a clear long-term plan. That first, we stabilise our economy. Second, we fix the foundations. And third, we build, with pride and determination, a Britain that belongs to you.”

Protest

During Sir Keir’s speech, a protester shouted “children of Gaza” from the crowd.

The Prime Minister replied: “While he’s been protesting, we’ve been changing the party. That’s why we’ve got a Labour government.” The protester later claimed he had not planned to interrupt, but decided during the speech.

A protester shouts out whilst Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech during the Labour Party conference at ACC Liverpool on Tuesday. | Leon Neal/Getty Images

Riots

The loudest cheer of the speech occurred when Sir Keir condemned the “violent thuggery” seen on Britain’s streets over the summer.

To a standing and enduring standing ovation, the Prime Minister said he would “never accept the argument … that millions of people concerned about immigration are one and the same thing as people who smashed up businesses, targeted mosques, attempted to burn refugees, scrawled racist graffiti over walls, Nazi salutes at the Cenotaph, attacked NHS nurses and told people with different coloured skin, people who contribute here, people who grew up here, that they should ‘go home’”.

Sir Keir added: “I will never let a minority of violent, racist thugs terrorise our communities.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech to the Labour Party Conference. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire | Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Sausages

The most unfortunate moment for the Prime Minister came as he made a plea for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Unfortunately, he slipped up and then called for the “return of the sausages” before correcting himself and saying “hostages”. Sir Keir had been referencing the Hamas attacks on October 7, where as many as 251 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage. Some are still being held in Gaza almost a year later.

Israel-Lebanon brink

One notable intervention was the Prime Minister calling for all parties in the Middle East to “pull back from the brink” and for a ceasefire in Gaza amid rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

He said: “This is a time when great forces demand a decisive government prepared to face the future. We can see that again in the Middle East today. So I call again for restraint and de-escalation at the border between Lebanon and Israel. Again, all parties to pull back from the brink.

“I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of … the hostages, and a recommitment to the two-state solution, a recognised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.

“And that’s the message I will take to the UN General Assembly when I travel there later today, alongside our steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.”