All the important thing moments from Reeves’ first speech as Chancellor to Labour convention

Rachel Reeves delivered her first major speech as Chancellor to the Labour conference today promising no return to the years of austerity.

In an address that was briefly interrupted by hecklers the Chancellor attempted to strike a more optimistic tone after recent gloomy warnings over the economy. Just last month Keir Starmer braced the public for a “painful” Budget in October as more unpopular decisions to plug a £22billion black hole left the Tories,

The Chancellor, who received a standing ovation from party members as she took the stage, defended the controversial move to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners. But as she promised to rebuild the country after 14 wasted years, Ms Reeves added: “I can see the prize on offer, if we make the right choices now. Stability is the crucial foundation on which all our ambitions will be built.”

Here The Mirror looks at the key moments from the Chancellor’s keynote speech.

No ‘return to years of austerity’ promise

In little over a month before her first Budget, the Chancellor attempted to strike a more optimistic tone after months of gloomy messages about the inheritance left by the Tories. She promised there would be no “return to austerity” and vowed to “rebuild Britain” after 14 years of Conservative rule.

She said: “Because I know how much damage has been done in those 14 years, let me say one thing straight up: there will be no return to austerity. Conservative austerity was a destructive choice for our public services and for investment and growth too.

“Yes, we must deal with the Tory legacy and that means tough decisions but I won’t let that dim our ambition for Britain. So it will be a budget with real ambition, a budget to fix the foundations, a budget to deliver the change that we promised, a budget to rebuild Britain.”

Speech interrupted by hecklers – stop ‘selling arms to Israel’

The Chancellor’s keynote speech was briefly interrupted by hecklers shouting stop “selling arms to Israel ” – before being hauled out of the conference arena by security guards.

Keeping her composure, she replied that the Labour Party is “not a party of protest”. She added: “This is a changed Labour Party, a Labour Party that represents working people”. The Climate Resistance group claimed responsibility for the disruption to the Chancellor’s speech – in protest at arms sales to Israel and polluting industries. The group said a banner was unfurled reading: “Still backing polluters, still arming Israel – we voted for change”.

Sam Simons – a spokesman for the group – said: “Labour promised us change – instead we’re getting more of the same. The same pandering to the fossil fuel industry; the same arms licences that are fuelling a genocide in Gaza, and the same austerity that sees the poorest hit hardest.”

The Mirror later found the protesters as they were being escorted out of the site by police, but the men remained silent as they were led away. Police declined to say on what grounds they were being held.

Free school breakfast clubs to be rolled out next year

The Chancellor said the government will begin delivering on its manifesto commitment to roll out free breakfast clubs in all schools in England next year.

She announced the plan to tackle child hunger will kick off in 750 primary schools in April 2025. The £7million pilot will be followed with a national roll out in September. The first schools will be picked by the Department for Education in the coming months. The plan was previously estimated to cost a total of £365million per year and will be funded by ending the loopholes in the non-dom tax status for the super wealthy.

Ms Reeves said the scheme was “an investment in our young people, an investment in reducing child poverty and investment in our economy”. Her spokesman later said: “The idea being that the summer term is the pilot before the full rollout as soon as possible, which we hope to be the beginning of the new school year in September.”

Covid Corruption Commissioner to be appointed

The Chancellor also told conference Labour will soon appoint a Covid Corruption Commissioner to target “rip-off artists and fraudsters”.

The plan was first announced at the Labour conference in 2023 when the party was still in opposition – with the aim of clawing back millions of pounds from flawed contracts. It was announced on Monday that she will order investigations into more than £600million worth of Covid contracts awarded by the Tory government.

Ms Reeves – who received a massive applause – said: “It could not be more urgent. And I have put a block on any contract being abandoned or waived until it has been independently assessed by that Commissioner.”

“I won’t turn a blind eye to those who used a national emergency to line their own pockets. I won’t let them get away with it. That money belongs in our police, it belongs in our health service, and it belongs in our schools. And Conference, we want that money back.”

Winter fuel payment cut defended

During her speech Ms Reeves also defended the controversial decision to cut the £300 winter fuel payment for millions of pensioners amid an intense backlash.

Facing a vote later in the week over the cut at the Labour conference, she admitted: “I know that not everyone – in this hall, or in the country – will agree with every decision I make.” But she added: “I will not duck those decisions. Not for political expediency. Not for personal advantage.

“Faced with that £22 billion black hole that the Conservatives left this year and with the triple lock ensuring that the state pension will rise by an estimated £1,700 over the course of this Parliament, I judged it the right decision in the circumstances we inherited. I did not take those decisions lightly. I will never take the responsibilities of this office lightly.”