The theme of Keir Starmer’s speech at Labour party conference was ‘securing Britain’s future,’ but there was scant detail on how to tackle the twin existential threats to Britain – climate change and nuclear war.
Prior to speaking, the Labour leader was accosted by a protester throwing glitter and demanding political reform to tackle the major challenges facing the country, including the climate. Starmer only mentioned the word climate three times in his speech – with no elaboration on how Labour in government would differ from the path currently taken by the Tories. The lack of detail on tackling the climate crisis gives little comfort to voters who are concerned about these threats.
Starmer also reiterated the shadow foreign and defence secretaries’ “absolute” support for NATO, the nuclear-armed alliance. On Monday, delegates passed a motion committing any future Labour government to the continuation of Tory policies on increased military spending, nuclear weapons, and the AUKUS pact.
CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said:
“Starmer’s speech lacked any vision for how to solve the twin threats of nuclear war and the climate emergency. He is maintaining the Tory status quo which is seeing billions of pounds poured into the coffers of arms companies. If a Labour government is serious about investing in our future, then it should get real about nuclear disarmament, scrap the replacement of Trident, and invest that money in a major renewable energy programme.”
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