Hope Again: Highlights from Labour Party Conference 2026
I was inspired by the energy and ideas at this year’s Labour Party Conference. Here’s a round-up of some of the best bits!
Today we draw a line on a decade of division…Britain with belief again. People with hope again.
– Andy Burnham
Prime Minister Andy Burnham vowed to make a break with the direction of the past 40 years and put Britain on a new path with greater public control of energy, water and housing.
A National Care Service
Andy committed to establishing a National Care Service as soon as possible in the next parliament, providing free personal care for older people. It will be founded on the same principles as the NHS, where everyone contributes and everyone is covered.
Greater public control of water
The ideological ban on government share ownership of water companies was introduced by Thatcher in 1989, but doesn’t exist for any other utilities. We have been a global outlier in having such a privatised water system.
Labour will repeal this outdated measure, paving the way for greater public control of failing water companies and a water system that works in the public interest. Mayors will be given new powers to hold water companies to account, putting power back in the hands of communities, which have too often felt powerless in the face of poor performance, pollution, and underinvestment.
Greater public control of energy
We will introduce a new publicly owned body within Great British Energy – Great British Grid (GB Grid) – to help improve competition, speed up grid connections for businesses, support reindustrialisation and drive down bills.
Greater public control of housing
We will back councils with the powers and resources necessary to call time on rogue landlords, and to compulsory purchase properties that fall below acceptable standards and landlords have refused to make improvements. Not only will this directly improve the condition of long-neglected properties, it will bring more homes into council ownership. We will also strengthen council powers to take over empty homes and rent them out cheaply to families.
You can read and watch the speech in full here.
Labour will deliver a new age of industrialisation
– John Healey
In his excellent speech, Chancellor John Healey set out his vision for good work and good jobs across the UK, with new skills and investment packages to help young people into work and build Britain’s future workforce:
• Investing to create jobs: Labour will use the National Wealth Fund to create and support 130,000 jobs across the UK by the end of the decade.
• Backing British shipbuilding: We will build three new floating docks for the Royal Navy’s submarine service at HM Naval Base Clyde will be built in Britain, and a new marine research vessel will be built in a British shipyard.
• Helping working people to get on: Labour will restore the Union Learning Fund, a programme with a proven track record of helping workers access training through employers – with a new focus on helping workers to harness artificial intelligence.
• A Local Apprenticeships Service across England: Mayors in England will have new funding to match young people with small employers to create the apprenticeships their communities need.
• Business investing in Britain: Rolls-Royce will bring a landmark £300 million investment into its manufacturing and engineering facilities across the UK.
These new measures build on work Labour has done to restore stability and growth to the economy – paving the way for higher living standards as we unlock the country’s potential.
This Labour government is renationalising our railways, putting people before profit
– Heidi Alexander
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed that the government will take control of Avanti West Coast’s services from 7th March 2027, part of wider drive to put essential services back in public control. Heidi promised A renewed focus on passengers over profits and supporting growth in every postcode.
Let us rebuild this nation as an Island of Solidarity
– Steve Hart, Hornsey and Friern Barnet CLP Chair
It was great to hear such a brilliant speech from our very own CLP Chair Steve Hart on why the UK needs to return to the UN target of spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on aid to assist in the economic development and welfare of developing countries
You can watch the whole speech here.