Labour Conference in Liverpool this year was unlike anything before. It was our biggest attendance ever and the first one in government for 15 years. Here is everything that I got up to.

On Monday morning, 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 drop by certain stalls and indeed, I visited Fur Free Britain, Marie Curie, Sense, Humanists UK, British Heart Foundation and Shelter. I’m so grateful for the work of these organisations, especially the support they provide to my constituents.

In the afternoon, I spoke at a panel about how the UK can leverage Asia’s fast-growing markets to deliver domestic economic growth. For me, as a Foreign Office Minister, working tirelessly to partner with the Asia Pacific to help unlock the domestic, sustainable, and ethical growth which is at the heart of the Government’s agenda is the very core of my job. Although I have only had the privilege of having this role for just under 3 months, I have already visited the region and I have met with countless Ambassadors and High Commissioners, with the clear message that this is a Government to work with.

After lunch, I spoke at the Global Health reception, with Malaria No More UK Labour Campaign for International Development and Labour Foreign Policy Group. Before the election, I was the proud Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases and a Trustee of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, so this topic remains close to my heart. Despite tremendous progress over the last two decades, we remain at a critical juncture in the global fight against malaria. But the UK can make a difference. For example, under the last Labour government, the UK helped found the Global Fund in 2002 – a Fund which, in the last year alone, tested over 300 million suspected cases of malaria. In my speech, I re-committed my Government’s work to regain Britain’s global leadership on development and towards our manifesto mission statement to create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet.

Later, I spoke at a rally for Human Rights with Liberty, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty. These organisations have been at the absolute forefront of the battle to protect human rights and ring the alarm bell where human rights have been eroded – both overseas, and here in the UK. While we have only been in office for a few months, we have already begun to repair this damage and right the ship of state to return the UK to where it should be the callous Rwanda scheme has been ripped up, our commitments to the ECHR has been restated, and we have been ironclad in our commitments to our international commitments. In my own area – the Asia Pacific – I have spoken out on the situation in Bangladesh, welcomed the transition to a new Government, and called for a new respect for those fundamental rights that we all hold dear. With the support of my constituents, I will continue to do everything in my power to stand up against human rights abuses and act where we can.

In between meetings, I attended two fringe events on energy and climate. The first was organised by Loughborough University about the importance of hydrogen energy and how this can lead the way in hitting net zero, lowering energy bills and creating green jobs. On Tuesday morning, I listened to a discussion on tidal power, organised by the British Hydropower Association. I know my constituents care deeply about the green transition. That’s why I am so proud that this Labour Government has already done so much on this important topic. This includes scrapping the Tory ban on onshore wind, introducing our £7.3bn National Wealth Fund that will kickstart green investment and dropping the previous government’s support for the Cumbrian coal mine. This is the difference a Labour government makes. And I can promise you we have only just started. These meetings emphasised just how important it is that Britain becomes a clean energy superpower – it’s the only way to put energy policy back in the service of working people.

A key part of my role as a Foreign Office Minister is to build and sustain links with our key partners and allies across the world and explain Labour’s vision in Government on foreign policy to this key audience. As such, I was delighted to spend a considerable amount of time at Party Conference in Liverpool engaging with representatives of our allies, including an in-depth discussion on economic security with the United States representatives, an engaging lunch with socialist and left-of-centre sister parties, speaking at the UK-Australia Chamber of Commerce Reception, and the annual heads of mission reception after the Prime Minister’s speech.

There is a long and hard road ahead to restore Britain’s place on the world stage after many years of Tory psychodrama and their repeated attempts to breach international law but our engagements at conference, and the Prime Minister & Foreign Secretary David Lammy both immediately heading to the United Nations General Assembly, show that Labour is putting in the work that we need.

With Labour colleagues and international representatives, I watched the Prime Minister historic speech in the conference hall. His dedication to victims of national scandals was emotional and much-needed – Hillsborough, Horizon, Windrush, infected blood and Grenfell Tower. All these countless injustices over the years were suffered by working people and justice took too long. Our Hillsborough Law will support all disaster victims and I look forward to supporting this in Parliament.

This year’s conference was special, and it was an amazing opportunity to meet international delegations, foreign ministers, charities, businesses, and party members under a new Labour Government. My Labour colleagues and I are committed to breaking down barriers by growing the economy, building the infrastructure we need, switching to clean energy and mending our public services. There is no doubt that the last 14 years have been extremely difficult, especially for my constituents and our schools, hospitals, and public services. But we are determined to fix the foundations and we have already begun the national renewal.