lead to a both sides. and it must lead to a genuine peace process. because the offensive threatened on rafah, a place where 1.5 million people are place where1.5 million people are now cramp together in unimaginable conditions but nowhere else for them to go, this cannot become a new theatre of war. that offensive cannot happen. and even in these most terrible of circumstances, the two state solution must be back on the table. a safe and secure israel, where the horror that hamas inflicted on october the 7th, the largest loss ofjewish life since the holocaust can never happen again. applause.

and alongside that, as a viable palestinian state, a state which is not in the gift of any neighbour, but is an inalienable right of the palestinian people and is recognised by this party and the world. applause. that is what we must hope for now, conference. and there is always power in hope. hope is the fuel of change, the oxygen of a better future. and that is what we must offer scotland. because after 1a years of tory failure in westminster, 17 years of snp failure

in holyrood, only labour can provide the change that scotland needs. applause. imean, i mean, look around this nation. drug deaths off the scale. schools, going backwards. buses that cost a fortune. those ferries still not serving the island communities who need them. and as eileen mentioned, a terrible crisis in our nhs. the ambulances queueing outside a&e, patients who need treatment waiting inside. conference, what does the first minister say to people like eileen? what does he say to the scots who think i'm paying more, more and more and getting less, less

and less from his government? he says, lets send a message to westminster. send a message? with all the problems this nation faces, thatis all the problems this nation faces, that is the level of his ambition for scotland, send a message! conference, i am afraid this is the story of the snp now, they are not interested in fixing scotland's problems, they want to exploit them. the mask has slipped, the pretense that they were ever interested in improving the lives of working people rather than using their problems as fuel for their grand calls. that has been exposed. applause. scotla nd scotland should send more than a

message to westminster, it should send the government! that is our ambition. applause. because, conference, you cannot tell me that this is good enough for scotland? you can't tell me that this nation of ideas, creativity, resilience, the nation of the enlightenment, the nation that gave rise to our movement, that stood beside working people and defeated fascism, built as part of our union, a welfare state out of the rubble of the war. you cannot tell me that scotland does not deserve better, because it does and we will deliver it! applause. and you scotland, a new britain

bound together again, an old partnership. the solidarity of working people across four nations, driving our country forward with the labour party dedicated to its service. applause. and that is what the snp will never understand about our movement. the solidarity of working people is our identity and, ourargument. solidarity of working people is our identity and, our argument. the force, perhaps the only force that can unite these four nations and drive us towards a better future. so when they say labour doesn't need scotland. we say, with one voice, labour isn't labour without

scotland! applause. britain is in britain without scotland. this isn't about gaining an election for us, it is about who we are, who stand for, who we fight for, who we serve. and our without distinction or fear, from for, who we serve. and our without distinction orfear, from nottingham to neath, dumbarton to dundee is the working people of this country, they are the cause. applause. and, conference, as i have explained before, it is a cause that is

personal for me. before, it is a cause that is personalfor me. because i grew up working class in the 1970s. and while i don't plead poverty, i know what a cost of living crisis feels like. i know what it feels like to be embarrassed to invite your friends around because the carpet is threadbare. there is a hole in the window, the phone has been cut off because your family cannot keep up with the payments. the cloud of anxiety that hangs over our house, the what next fear. the postman coming down the path will bring another bill we can't afford. i remember that. another bill we can't afford. i rememberthat. but another bill we can't afford. i remember that. but i also remember what it's like to look around your community, look at other people like you making their way in the world and to think, if i work hard, if i apply myself, if i get a break or two, i have a chance in this

country. we took that for granted, didn't we? even as things got tough, even as inflation spiralled, there was a sense of security, comfort, even, but hard work and imagination would be rewarded. britain would get moving again, things would get betterforfamilies like moving again, things would get better for families like ours. my parents always believe that. and i believe it is what people want more than anything for their family now. a story we still tell our children, work hard and you can achieve anything. work hard and you have a fair chance in britain. the question is, do we still believe it? do we still believe that working people will get a fair crack of the whip in britain today? i don't even need to answer that, britain today? i don't even need to answerthat, do britain today? i don't even need to answer that, do i? britain today? i don't even need to answerthat, do i? not

britain today? i don't even need to answer that, do i? not in this nation. and that is a tragedy for us, who believe in britain. because if, like me, you believe that delivering on working—class aspiration is our core purpose, if like me you believe that fighting the idea background equals destiny is our main battle. and if, like me, you want to build a britain where you want to build a britain where you don't have to change who you are just to get on and yet you still can't answer that question, then it cannot be any surprise that this fraying of a british promise, this absence of security we used to take for granted lead to working people across scotland turning their back on britain. conference, that is why tory stagnation is a threat to britain itself. the recession announced on thursday, that isn't

just a line on a graph, it is confirmation that the idea which holds this country together is on life support. you know, even now, i don't think they realise how much their economic war on stability, their economic war on stability, their ignorance about working—class aspiration, their lack of a plan for growth in every community. they don't see that this is a direct threat to britain. that is why we have made growth for working people are central mission for this country. why every fight i have had has been about reconnecting our party to ourjob description. a project to drag us away from the game of gesture politics and return us once more to the politics of service. that is why i have always said we have to win in scotland. we

have to win in the red wall in england. we have to win in working—class communities in the valleys in wales as well. this project has a purpose, we change the labour party for a reason, to unite working people behind the old partnership that we serve working people as they drive our country forward. applause. now, it is an approach to politics that has been forgotten, dismissed as old—fashioned. people say speaking about class all working people, that isn't strong enough any more. not when you have to compete with the party that claims that they

and only they can be a vehicle for scottish national pride. others say it's not edgy enough, they say modern politics is a battle for clicks, division, not unity is the order of the day. that is what grabs the attention. but how can you talk about changing inequality, structuralism, racism, structural injustice in this country without an account of class. how can you write account of class. how can you write a country as diverse and complicated as britain without appeal to the solidarity our arguments contain. no, every country, especially one as old as ours with so many stories to tell, and our story, the labour story is one that connects with our times. because i believe people are

tired of division, they are tired of politics that demands a constant focus on enemies. rather than the ideas and aspirations that bring us together. frankly, when your public services are on their knees, when your mortgage is going through the roof, when you have to choose between feeding your kids and putting the heating on, that has to be our priority. applause. and that is notjust about turning down the temperature either. i believe people want unity in their politics. i believe people want a sense we can come together, that are four nations can pull in the same

direction for a common good. that is what i mean by national renewing. it is notjust what i mean by national renewing. it is not just a what i mean by national renewing. it is notjust a plan to get us back on our feet. is notjust a plan to get us back on ourfeet. it's the is notjust a plan to get us back on our feet. it's the rediscovery of a political muscle that we used to flex and that whether it's tackling climate change, dealing with artificial intelligence or standing up artificial intelligence or standing up to the aggression of tyrants like vladimir putin, we need to flex again. it's a kind of partnership, a bond of respect between people and politics that is essential for dragging britain out of the whole the tories have dug. but which and this really is the radical part, i believe we can deliver. i mean, go back to the pandemic... or, to be honest, the whole of the 1a years of tory rule. because if you can look

beyond the chaos and crisis of westminster, there is another story. working people never let each other down, did they? whenever they were asked to dig deep by politicians, whether in westminster or holyrood, they did, didn't they? it is why we clapped for our carers, we clapped for our nurses, stood by all the people who were indispensable to keeping scotland and britain going in that crisis. our teachers, teaching assistants, childcare workers, warehouse workers, delivery drivers, retailers, energy workers, the armed forces... applause. and, conference, what did we do? we

stayed at home, gave up our freedom, mrfamilies, missed weddings, missed births and even in some tragic cases, missed last goodbyes. look, i know how broken politics in westminster is, i am not blind. i came to politics late having run a large organisation dedicated to public service. i honestly can't believe some of the things that pass for normal in that place. but however cynical you are about the failures there, orfor however cynical you are about the failures there, or for that matter, the failures in holyrood, politics is still the only path towards a better future. is still the only path towards a betterfuture. the hospital your children were born in, the home you live in, the wage in your pocket, the opportunities in your town, the sense of pride all uneasy feel when you walk down your street, that is all politics. and as the pandemic

shows, orat all politics. and as the pandemic shows, or at least the example of working people in the pandemic shows, if there is respect, if there is a plan, if there is a cause and four nations backing the pride and the potential of working people is a cause, then yes, i believe we can unite our country. yes, we can reach beyond our communities and nations for that common good. turn the page on the vision and decline and walk towards national renewal together. applause. imean, let i mean, let me put it in this way. wherever you are in scotland, wick,

five, motherwell, rutherglen, aberdeen, leith, glasgow here today, the value of politics is written into the walls of every community in this nation. you can see it in the scotland that the solidarity of working people built. that the labour movement built, the industrial spirit, the sense of community, the social housing, the nhs, the welfare state all emerging out of the trauma of national sacrifice. all delivering security for working people in defiance of a volatile world. but it is also their in the scars of the scotland born of 1979 onwards. when the labour party was turfed out of power, in part, it has to be said, by the snp... applause. and the tories... and the tories got

to manage a period of enormous upheaval instead. scotland, where too much of the prosperity oil and gasket have brought up was squandered. where the governments are working class security, not as a source of hope and dynamism, but as a threat. and where the economic transition away from central scotland's main industries was, as it was across britain, chaotic, unstable and needlessly cruel. conference, what i'm saying is this... we live in a time of upheaval every bit as big as those two defining periods of modern scottish history. revolutions in energy, science, technology that are changing our children's future beyond recognition. overturning the established relationships of power all around the world. and with that, creating new threats to democracy.

an age of insecurity with fault lines that run right through the living standards of working people. so make no mistake, in this era the difficult decisions will come thick and fast. and the consequences might stay with us for decades. the job we must take on is to build a bridge to the future. between the jobs we must protect today, good jobs in communities right across scotland and the opportunities we need to win now for a better tomorrow. security for decades. climate change is the perfect example. it is a transition we will have to make, where, at every stage we must maintain the consent of working people. show we

understand that the economic stability they need in their lives, thatis stability they need in their lives, that is non—negotiable. that is why we took a tough decision last week on our green investment plans. an acknowledgement of the damage the tories have done to our public finances. but also, that it is not good enough to say we will do something popular, if that stability cannot be delivered alongside it. that is not serving working people. in fact, it is precisely the sort of politics that got britain into this mess in the first place. nonetheless, on all of the things that matter, on energy security, cheaper bills, thejobs that matter, on energy security, cheaper bills, the jobs this that matter, on energy security, cheaper bills, thejobs this nation needs to retain its status as a pioneer of energy innovation, then mark my words, we will move britain

forward. this is a race we can and we must win. applause. i went to aberdeen recently and met the workers who maintain the pipelines. 100 miles long, stretching all the way back to the oil and gasfield. they are proud of what they have built in the cold waters of the north sea. proud of their work, waters of the north sea. proud of theirwork, hard waters of the north sea. proud of their work, hard work against the odds and elements that built a legacy for this nation. part of the scottish story. i have said before and i will say it again, that work will continue for decades to come. but they also told me about the

legacy they can build for scotland's future. the pride they have in a new opportunity, converting this infrastructure into a thriving carbon capture and storage industry. literally putting the carbon back in the ground it came from. and giving their community a future, notjust for the short term, but for decades. conference, this is what our investment could do. this is a race scotland can win. and that is not national renewal, that isn't, then i don't know what is? applause. and it captures perfectly the arguments we must put forward to the scottish people at the next election. who do you trust to make

the big calls in scotland's interests? who do you trust to maximise scotland's influence? what kind of politics do you want to steer our ship through the storms? and the answer, with a new sense of service and respect in our politics, with a plan for britain that can get our future back, with a plan for britain that can get ourfuture back, with a cause that will always serve the interests of working people is national renewal with labour! applause. but, conference, we know that scotland willjudge us, willjudge britain by your actions, not by our words. so for our argument to convince again, it needs to feel true in the communities that once voted for us but found a new

political home with the snp. and that will be hard. because for the past 1a years, the snp have had a faithful ally in the conservative party in westminster. that wilfully makes it impossible to argue that britain is on their side. i mean, how can you contest that? every stage of this vicious cycle of crisis and stagnation, the tories have protected people like them while working people have paid the price. at every opportunity they have stoked the fires of division, because they think it works for their political objectives. party first, country second. so we know this leaves us with a mountain to climb. we know that we will have to fight for every vote. the right to say we are the change scotland

needs. that must be earned. door to door, conversation to conversation, community by community with our ears every bit as open as our mouths. but if people want to know what i would say to those voters who have left us, i would say this... first, that scotland's influence in britain will be strongest if you have a scottish labour party working with a labour government. applause. and that includes a new generation of brilliant scottish labour mps empower at westminster, but also no matter what the snp say, the tories can win the next election. of course, they can. politics is

volatile, it is ridiculous to say otherwise. so i would also say this, imagine even if only for a second, what it will feel like if you wake up what it will feel like if you wake up on the day after the election and the tories are back, encouraged again, emboldened again, entitled again, emboldened again, entitled again, because respectfully, i do not think that would be in scotland's national interest. applause. and the easiest way to stop it? the only way to be sure of stopping it is to choose labour to fight for scotland in westminster. applause.

furthermore, i would also say this... that while i know there will always be a debate about scotland's constitutional future, if, always be a debate about scotland's constitutionalfuture, if, right constitutional future, if, right now, constitutionalfuture, if, right now, you want a britain that places scotland at the heart of the westminster debate. if you want a politics that is committed to smashing the glass ceiling. if you want to see more money for scottish public services or scottish community energy projects, then that is change we can deliver for scotland. applause. if you believe in industrial strategy, if you believe growth comes from all of us, notjust those at the top. that every community

deserve secure jobs and higher wages, that we should bulldoze through red tape to deliver affordable homes and the working people deserve a new deal at work, which understands the best ways to get things done in the modern workplace is to treat people fairly and respectfully with no mot 0—hour contracts, no more fire and rehire and a real living wage for all. that is the change that we can deliver for scotland. applause. if you want a credible plan to tackle the climate crisis, that understands clean energy is a golden opportunity. newjobs can be created here in scotland. the snp has failed scottish workers on this. because

they do not have the desire to do they do not have the desire to do thejob. when you could have a national wealth fund to invest in scottish steel and sports. a british jobs bonus to create 50,000 newjobs in scotland's industrial heartlands. a publicly owned company, great british energy, based in scotland, investing in scotland's energy. removing our dependence, bills and cheaper scottish homes, that is the change we deliver for scotland. applause and finally, i would also say this. because if you do want that change for scotland, if you do want this to be more than words, if we are to show you that labour britain and what it can do for your community,

then we do