Jeremy Corbyn and Sadıq Khan.
Labour’s most successful election winner Sadiq Khan will issue a thinly-veiled warning to Jeremy Corbyn that settling for opposition will never be good enough.
In his first speech to Labour’s conference since being elected London mayor, Mr Khan will say new big city mayors can show the party the way back into power.
Despite Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell telling the conference Labour was a “government in waiting”, an opinion poll has suggested boundary changes could reduce the party to fewer than 200 MPs at the next election.
Mr Khan, who distanced himself from Mr Corbyn in his election campaign earlier this year, will congratulate him and say that “after the election this summer the leadership of our party is now decided”.
But he will say: “It’s only with Labour in power that we can create a fairer, more equal and more just Britain.
“Labour out of power will never, ever be good enough.
“The people who need us the most are those who suffer the most when Labour is not in power.
“It’s time to put Labour back in power.
“It’s time for a Labour government.
“A Labour Prime Minister in Downing Street.
“A Labour Cabinet. Labour values put into action.”
Mr Khan will call on the party to do everything possible to win mayoral elections for the newly created city regions in Greater Manchester, where former Cabinet minister Andy Burnham is Labour’s candidate, the West Midlands and the Liverpool region in 2017.
“We have to start by winning the mayoral elections next year, here in Liverpool, along the M62 in Manchester and down the M6 in Birmingham,” he will say.
“Let’s ensure Labour is in power in every great city in Britain.”
He will say Labour mayors in office “can demonstrate that we can make a real difference to people’s lives” and that “with Labour in power we can prove that we are ready for government”.
But Mr Corbyn and the party leadership will also face a backlash against the controversial and unexpected announcement by energy spokesman Barry Gardiner to scrap fracking if Labour wins the next election.
Leading the revolt, on the day the first fracked gas from America arrives at Grangemouth in Scotland, the GMB union will condemn the new policy as “madness”.
Also on day three of the conference, the Shadow Health Secretary Diane Abbott will say Labour needs to “come to the rescue” of the NHS after being “pushed to the brink” by the Conservative Government.
“Labour will restore the NHS to a properly functioning service after years of Tory cuts, damaging reorganisations and privatisations.
“As the party which founded the NHS, Labour will once again be obliged to come to its rescue after a Tory Government has once more pushed it to the brink Labour will restore it.”
And in his conference speech, deputy leader Tom Watson will launch an independent commission into the future of work, to look into the challenges of new technology and automation, as well as what he referred to as “the dark side of the gig economy”. (sky news)
