elsewhere. showers 3 little bit more frequent in the west as the breeze picks up. but some sunshine in between, as i said, some of you avoiding the downpours altogether. nice enough when you're in sunshine, a little bit on the cool side out of it and in the breeze. still a bit breezy through tonight. the showers keep going as well and there could be some heavy and thundery ones towards southern counties of england and south wales and into tomorrow morning. we won't get clear skies for any length of time. temperatures down into single figures, maybe lower single figures across parts of scotland, northern england and northern ireland. but it will be, while a fresh start, a dry and bright start for many. more showers towards the south east corner to begin with for monday, compared with today. showers still there in the west, pushing away eastwards on the breeze. persistent rain towards south wales before the day's out. the headlines this hour, boris johnson pledges to improve the economy. the conservative party

conference gets under way. new verification checks for officers in the wake of the kidnap, rape and murder of a london woman. matching for abortion rights across the united states pro—choice supporters fear the supreme court could impose further restrictions. hundreds forced to evacuate honduras as a fire destroyed dozens of homes there. here today in london she is there. here today in london she is the champion. and in the last few minutes, a winner in the london marathon.

hello and welcome to dateline london, i'm geeta guru murthy. it's conference season for the political parties here in the uk — the moment in the year when parties seek to define who they are and where they are going. for sir keir starmer, the labour opposition leader, his first conference speech in person was billed as "make or break". where did it land? and with borisjohnson heading to manchester, if he can manage to fill up his petrol tank, what will conservative conference bring this week? we also head to germany, where a political leader who mastered staying power, angela merkel, is now only a caretaker chancellor whilst the german political class forms

a coalition government. what will emerge and what does it mean for germany and europe? and we end today with a brewing storm here in the uk. empty petrol stations, empty supermarket shelves, surging living costs, cuts to benefits, a struggle to see your doctor in person — all combining to create a sense of deep frustration in the uk. and we haven't even mentioned christmas. are we already in an autumn of discontent or will the labour shortage ultimately help the conservatives as they try and force business to pay british workers more? with me today are polly toynbee, columnist at the guardian, ian birrell, contributing editor at the mail on sunday, and here in the studio — at a safe social distance — the veteran german commentator thomas kielinger. a very warm welcome to you all. first the labour party conference was by the sea in brighton this week. at times stormy, it's set labour on course in a new direction, tacking right, leaving corbyn supporters somewhat out at sea. starmer told his party they had nearly been obliterated but essentially given they were roundly beaten byjohnson, whom he described as a trivial man, a trickster who had performed his one trick, it was clear labour had to shift back to the centre if they ever want to be in power again. there were also important rule changes strengthening starmer�*s hand,

but it was his speech that was billed as "a make or break moment". ian birrell, was it make or break or where did it land in your view? i don't know if it was make or break but keir starmer could certainly feel happy with his progress over the week. the conference went pretty well for him — even the heckling probably helped, particularly when it was so crass as to call him when he was talking about his sick mother being in an emergency ward in hospital.

to have people heckling there didn't look very good on them. he made some good lines, he's not a natural speaker, he's not a brilliant, engaging orator but he comes across as a competent, steady character. he told a good story about his own background and his own past and family, which i thought was very effective. he repudiated the last manifesto, which i thought was a sensible thing to do given how it was defeated. he told the labour party, "well, if you hate borisjohnson, bear in mind that he beat you, so look at yourself," which is valid point to make. he also tried to bring back and reconnect the party that won elections under tony blair by arguing that if you want to look at levelling up, which of course is borisjohnson�*s big phrase, he argued that the last labour government actually did a lot of levelling up. so overall, i think it was a b+, competent, good, could have been a lot worse, hasn't changed the game, hasn't answered a lot of contradictions facing the labour party of how to web together the various elements within the labour party. but keir starmer reasserted his own authority and stamped a little bit of his character.

underlying the fact that he sees himself as a serious player up against what he calls a trivial prime minister. thank you for that. thomas, do you think it's changed the game? i think it has. for one thing, i agree with ian that he is a totally different beast, starmer. he is against theatricality, the hallmark of a lot of british policy production and performance. he is serious, down to earth and he means business. and this is not the time where you want actors on the stage parading themselves as johnson has successfully done over the last few months in his term in office. you want a sober guy like keir starmer who is not charismatic or anything which will help them to get his message across. and johnson will have to watch out for a man like him who speaks directly to the senses and the normality of people and does away with all sort of extraneous efforts to be a showman or showboating.

so i think that'll stand him in good stead. i agree it was a good week and a good speech. not too much should be made of one individual speech. britain has this tradition of speech—making being part and parcel of shakespeare, all the world's stage. he is a bit like merkel in his own way. merkel was not a show—woman, she wasn't charismatic, just plodded and got along. and people will get used to him, i'm sure. as a different sort of voice in a different approach to politics. i think i can agree with the positive result over the last few days for him. thank you. i'm delighted to say we are also joined now by polly. we weren't sure if we were going to get to you, trouble on the line. you were at the labour party conference this week. i was just saying at the top of this that it was billed, it had a very big billing as a make or break moment for keir starmer. which one was it in your view? well, it certainly wasn't break. i would say it was i on the way to make. i think it's probably the first time he's had a chance to introduce i himself in his 18 months—

of being a leader because everything has been covid, there's been no public meetings entirely. about politics and very wise i and sensible opposition leader to challenge the government at every point _ the consensus of the public i on the whole most of the time during this pandemic has been, "who'd want to be in government at a time like this? _ give them the benefit of the doubt." we hope that this is over- and politics returns to normal. we are now in the middle of another . crisis partly as a result of brexit, l partly as a result of covid. and i think that whether the public has decided l that they've had enoughl of clowns and show men. everybody always said _ borisjohnson has such charisma, he's such a brilliant campaigner, he's such an election winner. - the question is- whether that goes on, whether he is incompetent in government, _ which it's increasingly looking like, -

people will change their mind to decide what they want - is a serious, competent party. and labour looks like that. certainly he's sober, | not too manyjokes — one or two sprinkled in his speech — but when people think . it's time for a grown—up, it's quite possible that they will take another look at him. - but labour is still miles behind. and the reminder— from a small number of noisy, far—left—wing| hecklers of what lies underneath the labour party - certainly always puts people off. so there is - still a long way to go before he level pegs with the tories. - ian, do you think the conservatives, as they come into their conference in manchester, will be at all concerned about the change they've seen in the labour party? clearly there has been a shift in rejection of the far left,

as labour centrists see it. trying to make it basically an essential winning around of previous leaders. certainly it's not the ideal scenario for them going into a conference with such chaos in the country. a leader who is someone who likes to promise and not deliver so much, makes a lot ofjokes, etc. at the same time you've got this very solid very middle english character and he has pulled the party a little back towards the centre, a little bit back towards reality. a little bit back towards competence. there's not a lot behind them but the shadow chancellor did well as well. certainly i think the tories would prefer to havejeremy corbyn there than keir starmer at the moment with all this going on. polly, there is a big question for labour which starmer addressed, he listed the faults of the tories as he sees it, then said, "ok, if they are so bad, why did they beat us so roundly?" that is still the question because the tories are ahead in the polls, borisjohnson and obviously it has a huge majority. we are some time away from election.

borisjohnson is a great campaigner. and that's very different i to running a government. borisjohnson runs a government i as if he was still campaigning. i he approaches every issue not as a problem to be solved - in the real world - but how will this play? they have more focus groups, i they have more opinion polling according to pollsters - than any other number ten downing street has ever had. they are obsessed with this. so they are constantly in that mode. in the end, reality does catch up. whether the results are there, l he made this enormous problem promise of levelling up. as if britain is serious inequality in the most unequalj countries in europe. only america and the western world is more unequal. - he's made this impossible promise that he cannot meet. _ i so i think keir starmer was laying |

out in his speech some of the ways forward and some of the things that labour would do. - but without making wild, extravagant promises - that he could be - tripped up on in future. thomas, when we look ahead to what the conservatives might want to do, presumably they'll be fixed on delivery — borisjohnson has delivered brexit, he's delivered a successful vaccine programme which is still ongoing. the levelling up agenda is clear. what do you think the focus might be over the next few days for conservatives, given the very difficult backdrop that we've got at the moment? the positive things in the government. i'm the beneficiary of that. i got the grant scheme as a self—employed person which saw me through the hard times when my business was flat and right down. i applaud them for the scheme and for granting people

like myself help to survive. but the future is now upon us. this is all behind us. the furlough scheme and the scheme for the unemployed. how are you going to cope with the lack of skilled labour in britain? i think that is the biggest problem he will face. it's notjust a question of pay, everyone is now talking about lorry drivers and other employees have to be paid better. that's the truth. but the problem is with the absence of so many employees from the eu you have forgotten to skill up the british work sufficiently well over the last few years. to level up, you need to skill up the workforce. and apprenticeship training to make them for the jobs that are waiting for them. there are a huge number of vacancies and you can'tjust fix them up like that because they are not enough skilled people around with the absence of foreign labour. that in my view is the biggest problem that we face to get the country out of the crisis and get them working affordable wages and enough skilled

apprenticeship training in place to make up for time lost on that issue. we will come back to the current crisis, the difficulties in a few minutes. you wrote speeches for david cameron the former prime minister of course, we would expect fireworks over the coming weeks for boris's speech with a lot of expectation but there's a lot of question about his competence in government is in it now. also he will be criticised from = the right of his party for spending a lot, for not being responsible, not following the sunak mould whether there is a split between number ten is questions of interest rate and so on unfold. we know borisjohnson will give an entertaining speech

because he is a showman. and that's what he excels at. what we don't know and have any signs of is whether he'll deliver in government. as yet the record is very, very poor. the pandemic has masked that but this is the man that gave us brexit, this is the man who has promised to fix social care and come up with a plan that doesn't do anything towards it. this is a man who hasn't prepared for all the staffing and skilling problems we are seeing in hospitality, care, driving of course and it's a terrible scenario. it is going to mention the word delivery endlessly so i think will hear that more than any other word. but of course the proof will be in the christmas pudding. are the goods in the shops at christmas? are goods being delivered, is there fuel at the petrol pumps? right now doesn't look like that was quite challenging forjohnson that he can uplift the conference with his character and charisma but questions are beginning to be asked for some not so much political questions about the direction of the party although those exist underneath, there are simply questions as to whether this is a government which is chronically incompetent and whether that comes from the top downwards. that's really the question

confronting him with what we've seen last week in brighton with keir starmer putting labour back partially in the game becomes a very difficult and valid question. less so in a way for the party conference, more going beyond that as we head towards the next election. polly, in terms of party conference what do you think the focus will be, do you think it will level up and delivery? and how much concern might there be from the party members, the activists are always a very particular group at all the party conferences. what will they want to see from johnson? yes, they will certainly want - action, they will want levelling up. those new mps in the north will say, what's in it for us? _ you promised us and they've had nothing so far. - i'm sure there will be _ lots of promises that will sound good until you count up. the millions and billions. the amount of heavy lifting required is absolutely enormous. _ and i very much doubt he will satisfy them, l

at the same time the people in the south, his southern . heartlands will be very worried that moving south - to the north but disadvantage them and lose them some seats. thank you. let us move in to our next subject. here in the uk as the showmanship versus competance argument rages, in germany it seems stable pragmatism is the more prized virtue at present. with the contenders for the merkel crown doing their best to apparently emulate her, who is likely to emerge on top, thomas? well, i can tell you the person who is likely to emerge which is the former finance minister who served angela merkel's government as the deputy chancellor. he is from the spd and he's been

given a chance to form a government, that doesn't mean that he is chancellor in waiting. don't forget we have an unusually complicated situation in germany because the first time since the war we have to have a part and coalition consisting of three parties. no two parties can form a government unless it were the old grand coalition which none want to repeat. so you're going to see a negotiation marathon. four years ago at the time of the last election, merkel took five months to create a government, five months of negotiation, germany went into purdah in those days. i wonder, can we afford to do the same shenanigans again and lose such valuable time to form a government?

indeed it is difficult. he will have to use the services of the market party and the green party which is on the other side of the political spectrum in favour of big spending programmes, raising taxes which the free democrats are deadly set against. so mister scholz will first have to mitigate between these two coalition partners. he also has to get his own party behind him. don't forget two years ago the party did not support him as leader of the party. he was due right wing for the socialists section of the spd. there's all sorts of uncertainty. you ask about something i asked myself. one thing is certain with the absence of britain who was always a face for germany in terms of economic management and so forth in line with the northern european countries, that country is now missing where britain used to sit. who is he going to pick? i think he will move closer to france. and additionally closer to italy as well. italy is in safe hands, the president of the economic bank in europe. i'm looking forward to a new arrangement of berlin,

rome and paris coming together and to agree on things. personally, i like scholz to be in charge. he is an understated man like merkel was and some of the other days that he reminds them of attlee — a modest man and has much to be modest about. underrated, he is a smart man. very on top of his financial remit. he will do all right. except don't lose too much time negotiating, i'm just hoping that they won't need another five months before a government emerges. ian, you've obviously been in germany too. how much does the leadership of germany matter outside its own borders, cross—border in europe and internationally? tensions between the uk, europe, america as we face east.

it obviously matters hugely, it's the most important country in europe. it's interesting also that i thought the greens did quite well and were probably the most forceful on the emerging issues of how to deal with the dictatorial regimes, in china particularly but also in russia. the whole attitude towards pressure is quite interesting with the energy crisis whereby germany seems very complacent about russia and this is alarming some of its allies but particularly in eastern europe in poland, ukraine and the baltic states. it symbolised by the new gas pipeline which allows putin to pump his into europe and circumvent ukraine. we've also seen how the greens came back, that was very interesting. i was also very struck by the spd were in the doldrums at the start of the year and were nowhere. it does show again the volatility of european politics. here is a party that was really going nowhere and the cdu were way ahead. one party picked the wrong person, they collapsed to lose 1.3 million voters, particularly a lot of older voters.

the spd came back and also we've seen the two main parties go under 50% of the first time. again that fracturing of politics we are seeing in all the countries. the intriguing difference for germany is that the populace are not on the edges. so the hard left and hard right did very badly and lost votes, particularly the hard left. and yet we are seeing the success of the greens did very well. there is an interesting phenomenon in germany that we are seeing the same break—up in traditional politics but people are not going to the extremes. they're looking for a relatively centrist forces and i do find that intriguing as well. can i just ask you very briefly on germany? obviously it matters hugely to the uk, this very changing relationship with the eu at the moment. absolutely.

it will be a great filip _ to the labour party and to social democrats and people to the left of the conservatives _ to have seen a wave of social. democrats taking over in europe whereas only a short time ago people were gloomily predicting _ that the populace would be in power. we have norway, sweden, finland, lspain, portugal and a large chunkl of the italian government. and now the social democrats coming top in germany a sense, _ a wave of things happening. very often those things will role over the channel towards us. i a lot of people feel encouraged. it's often been said that merkel was a steady hand and quite patient, waiting for the dust to settle before making a wrong decision. she made some important, hugely important unilateral decision and time in office.

she advocated atomic power in germany, she opened the doors for refugees overnight without consulting anyone. she also decided on the russian deal which came along and again it was unilateral act of germany. scholz is can be more engaged with collateral thinking. he will be moving close to the other regimes in europe and make sure germany returns to a more of a collective decision making in europe. and that will be all for the good and will be quite a warning sign for borisjohnson, i quite agree. our last topic we have touched on — the current petrol crisis. and the labour shortages. it is extraordinary that we are in this moment and yet the conservatives are still polling very well. what does that tell us?

i think it takes a while for polls to come through. i it depends on how long this crisis goes on for but you can't - have our country brought to a halt by lack of petrol for very long without the government - is getting severe penalties. it's not clear the government is getting severe penalties. l it's not clear that an escape from this altogether. - a lack of drivers and a pathetic - offer was made so we can of european drivers back forjust three months set back on christmas eve. - there are conditions here for large drawers are appalling. _ they're not likely to come. meanwhile our agriculture . is in a very bad state for lack of workers in our meat processing. l i think this crisis is going to last. and in the end governments that can competently keep things _ going in a country, pay the penalty. and i think this one _ will if they can't get a grip on it. briefly again how much is this can be worrying the conservatives? it will be worrying them hugely. it's so extensive, the staffing problems that even there is a shortage of butchers. they having emergency visas to target european butchers

in which underlines the absurdity of the situation. it coincides with the cost of whereby the cost of living is going up, we had extra taxes coming in to pay for the nhs that are claimed to be paying for social care. counculs can have to raise money just to stand still because of the extra pushes. rishi sunak has begun to unleash the taxes, he's going to have to bring in and the money raising methods he has to pay for those extra drivers to pay bigger drivers for them, somebody has to pay for that and that's to be the customers and the shops. this is also coinciding not only with a potentially chaotic government and a chaos in the high street but also with people having to pay more to get less. and that's not a happy situation for any government to be in. 0k. ian birrell, polly toynbee and thomas kielinger. thank you very much for your time. any empty shelves or petrol shortages in germany? no, not to a large extent.

very interesting. i know you're going back to germany so we will hear back very soon. thanks, everyone. goodbye. hello. you may have to dodge the odd downpour through the day but overall compared with yesterday a lot more in the way of drier and sunnier weather around. certainly into the afternoon, a good part of eastern england will see plenty sunshine, although some heavy showers in the north—east of england. not too bad in the north—east of scotland, but some strong to gale force, if not severe gale force winds, continue in shetland, and a blustery day elsewhere. showers a little bit more frequent in the west

as the breeze picks up. but some sunshine in between, as i said, some of you avoiding the downpours altogether. nice enough when you're in sunshine, a little bit on the cool side out of it and in the breeze. still a bit breezy through tonight. the showers keep going as well and there could be some heavy and thundery ones towards southern counties of england and south wales and into tomorrow morning. we won't get clear skies for any length of time. temperatures down into single figures, maybe lower single figures across parts of scotland, northern england and northern ireland. but it will be, while a fresh start, a dry and bright start for many. more showers towards the south east corner to begin with for monday,

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. as the british conservative party conference gets under way today, prime minister borisjohnson prime minister boris johnson declines prime minister borisjohnson declines to rule out further tax rises although he insists britain will not rely on immigration to boost the number of truck drivers to deal with the fuel crisis. the way forward for our country is not tojust pull the big lever marked uncontrolled immigration and allow in huge numbers of people. police scotland introduce new verification checks for lone officers in the wake of the kidnap, rape and murder of sarah everard. marching for abortion rights across the united states, as pro choice supporters fear the supreme court could impose

further restrictions.