Jeremy Corbyn to declare Labour 'ready for government' in Brighton conference speech
The Labour leader will challenge the Conservatives to "pull themselves together or make way" in his address to delegates.
Tuesday 26 September 2017 23:26, UK
Jeremy Corbyn will tell the Conservatives to "pull themselves together or make way" as he sets out his vision for a Labour government in his conference speech.
Mr Corbyn will tell the party faithful in Brighton that Labour is "ready for government" and prepared to take over Brexit negotiations from the "bungling" Tories.
Seeking to present his frontbench team as a government-in-waiting, the Labour leader is expected to promise to hand power back to the people and make government, businesses and public services accountable to voters.
Mr Corbyn is expected to call the Grenfell Tower disaster a "tragic monument" to a "more brutal and less caring society" - and pledge to replace the "broken system" he holds responsible.
He will also position Labour as the party to tackle rapid technological change and automation in the workplace with the creation of a National Education Service, providing free college courses and technical and vocational training.
And on foreign policy, he will urge Aung San Suu Kyi to end the suffering of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims and appeal to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres to travel to Washington and Pyongyang to defuse the escalating war of words .
What Mr Corbyn is expected to say:
:: Labour 'ready for government'
"Against all predictions, in June we won the largest increase in the Labour vote since 1945 and achieved Labour's best vote for a generation. It's a result which has put the Tories on notice and Labour on the threshold of power.
"Yes, we didn't do quite well enough and we remain in opposition for now. But we have become a government-in-waiting.
"And our message to the country could not be clearer: Labour is ready."
:: 'Different' government
"Power will be devolved to the community, not monopolised in Westminster and Whitehall.
"Now let's take it a stage further: make public services accountable to communities, business accountable to the public and politicians accountable to those we serve."
:: On Brexit
"The Tories are more interested in posturing for personal advantage than in getting the best deal for Britain. Never has the national interest been so ill-served on such a vital issue.
"If there were no other reason for the Tories to go, their self-interested Brexit bungling would be reason enough.
"So I have a simple message to the cabinet: for Britain's sake pull yourself together or make way."
:: Lessons of Grenfell
"The disregard for rampant inequality, the hollowing out of our public services, the disdain for the powerless and the poor have made our society more brutal and less caring.
"Grenfell is not just the result of bad political decisions. It stands for a failed and broken system, which Labour must and will replace."
:: The future of work
"The tide of automation and technological change means training and management of the workforce must be centre stage in the coming years. So Labour will build an education and training system from the cradle to the grave that empowers people not one that shackles them with debt.
"That's why today, as we move into a new era of huge industrial, technological and workplace change, we are committed to establishing a National Education Service.
"And that will include, at its heart, free tuition for all college courses, technical and vocational training, so that no one is held back by costs and everyone has the chance to learn."