Labour Conference in Liverpool this year was like no other.  Unlike the Tories the week before in Manchester, who demonstrated once again that they are an angry, dying Party with no plan and no ambition for Britain, Labour is energised.  A Party united, organised, and ready for the responsibility of government.  With this likely to have been the last Party conference before we face the British people and ask for their trust in our plans, it was incumbent on us all to demonstrate we are a changed Party – and we delivered.

In Keir, Angela, Rachel and the rest of the shadow Cabinet we have a team ready to deliver for the British people and we outlined how we are ready to give Britain’s its future back.

With plans to get Britain building, delivering 1.5 million homes with council housing at the heart, policies to get the NHS fighting fit once more,  a transformation of our education system with specialist teaching and technically excellent colleges, commitment to put our creative industries and institutions at the heart of our economic recovery with a National Cultural Infrastructure Plan, and a ironclad but workable plan to deliver a green transformation,  this is a set of policies which the British people can believe in and can deliver the change that we need to repair the damage of the Tories.

As a member of the shadow Foreign Office team, I supported my colleagues David Lammy and Lisa Nandy while they delivered their keynote speeches to the Conference, outlining once against how Labour in Government will reconnect with our allies and partners for our shared security and prosperity, and champion British excellence in defending human rights and delivering development policies which restore Britain’s place as a development superpower.

On Sunday evening, I attended an EU Reception, hosted by EU Ambassador Pedro Serrano. My shadow FCDO colleagues also attended to meet with European ambassadors and representatives and speak about Labour’s plan on engaging with the EU and European nations.

I spoke at a fringe event hosted by the Halo Trust on ‘Reconnecting Britain through Foreign Policy’, alongside Fabian Hamilton MP, James Cowan (HALO Trust CEO), Councillor Peymana Assad (Labour Foreign Policy Group) and Leila Bousbaa (Labour Campaign for International Development), where I spoke about my brief and Labour’s vision for a global and connected Britain.

Later, I visited the busy conference exhibition hall. I really enjoyed visiting different stands and speaking to representatives from charities, third-sector and business. I know many of my constituents wanted me to visit the Shelter stand because this year, they have launched ‘Real Life Roomsets’ in four IKEA stores – a visual representation of what temporary accommodation can look like for many people.

Housing remains a key priority for my constituents and the number of people living in temporary accommodation or hotels has skyrocketed in recent years – which is exactly why I am so pleased that Keir made housing such a large part of his speech on Tuesday. I also spoke to Sense and Dementia UK on the excellent work they are doing in Haringey and the impact of the cost of living on vulnerable people across the country.

I also had the opportunity to catch up with the 3 Million – the campaign group standing up for EU rights in Britain. I have always been committed to ensuring those who have chosen to make their homes in the UK should have the same rights and responsibilities as British-born citizens, and I am pleased Labour will continue supporting them.

After this, I attended the Sister Party Lunch where I heard from our international sister parties on their electoral success and the challenges we face in the next year. This was an excellent opportunity to hear from other progressive, left-leaning parities and share knowledge, successes and how we can do better. I particularly enjoyed meeting Andrew Giles, Australia’s Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs and Mũthoni Wambu Kraal, the National Political and Organising Director at the Democratic National Committee.

After lunch, I had one-to-one meetings with international representatives – this includes the High Commissioner of Bangladesh, the Ambassador of Japan and the EU Ambassador. I also took part in a phonebank session – even during the hustle and bustle of party conference, it’s important to get out the vote and encourage residents in Tamworth to vote for the fantastic Labour candidate, Sarah Edwards, in the upcoming by-election on 19 October.

In the evening, I spoke on behalf of my colleague Stephen Doughty, our shadow Europe Minister, at the Gibraltar reception hosted by Dominique Searle, representative of Gibraltar to the UK, where I stressed Labour’s unshakable commitment to Gibraltar and its people.

Following this, I attended the Labour Party Irish Society reception and Labour Convention of Indian Organisations meeting with representatives and party members. Finally, I spoke at a Coalition for Global Prosperity dinner meeting several Labour Party candidates and representatives from third-sector and international development organisations.

On Tuesday morning there was a particular highlight of my time at Conference with my chance to Chair the Malaria No More roundtable, bringing together academics and researchers committed to ending the scourge of Malaria from the world. We have seen in recent weeks a major breakthrough in developing a Malaria vaccine, and as my colleague Lisa Nandy made clear in her Conference speech as shadow International Development Minister, we should be proud of the British scientists playing a key role in this endeavour.

My final event was arguably a sign of things to come, with a roundtable organised by Chatham House on the role of AI, Britain’s leadership in the sector, and how AI can transform both Britain domestically and in our foreign affairs.

AI is rapidly becoming a key concern of decision makers with huge potential to transform our lives but also with significant challenges which can make our world a more unsafe and unpredictable place if we do not balance the opportunities with the risks. Labour’s approach to foreign affairs will be one of a more strategic and balanced view from that of the chaos of the Tories and we will ensure we have a proper audit of our relationship with countries like China, including that on AI, to safeguard Britain’s future.