The message behind Starmer’s Labour conference speech

As market volatility in response to Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s Budget on Friday continues to dominate the news, Keir Starmer will try to use his conference leader’s speech to pitch his party as the safe choice on the economy. When Starmer takes to the conference hall stage this afternoon, he will say it is now the Labour party that stands for ‘sound money’ – as he attempts to capitalise on the fallout of Friday’s fiscal event.

The Labour leader will accuse the Tories of having ‘lost control of the British economy’ and for bringing in ‘tax cuts for the richest one per cent in the country’. Much of the thrust of the speech was in the works long before Kwarteng announced mass tax cuts through borrowing and spooked the markets. Yet recent events play into the main themes. The thinking is that voters are fed up of the multiple crises under the Tories and want a change to a calmer government.