Every September all the political parties congregate in different cities across the country to hold their party conferences.
Sometimes they can feel inward looking, a bit removed from the outside world.
This year in Liverpool was different.
I sat in the hall listening to Cabinet ministers set out their vision for Britain. Their plans to build a fairer, stronger, more prosperous country are ambitious and inspiring.
And then it was Andy’s turn to speak.
Despite only having been Prime Minister for 10 weeks so far, Andy stood up and delivered one of the most impressive and seismic political speeches in decades.
Andy isn’t a Prime Minister who is content with tinkering around the edges.
After deindustrialisation, deregulation, privatisation, austerity and Brexit, we have a county run for vested interests, with power held in too few hands. Andy vowed to make a break that 40-year-old settlement and put Britain on a new path with greater public control of energy, water and housing.
That means more council housing in Portsmouth, the opportunity to control our water and stop sewage being dumped in our sea, and reforming our broken energy market so it serves the public.
And he was also clear he knows not everyone will agree with everything he says. But he was honest and open.
That’s how I approach politics as well. I went from working in one of the most trusted professions as a teacher to one of the least as an MP. We need more politicians like Andy who say what they believe and stand by it. Gone are the days of broken promises and dodging the question. With Andy, you’ll always know where you stand.
Andy has already started giving people in Pompey that breathing space. From this Thursday (1 October), VAT will be taken off your electricity bills. Bus fares will be capped at £2 in 2027. And the new Your First Home scheme will help people without the bank of mum and dad get on the property ladder. But his speech showed that is only the start.
It was an emotional speech too. Hearing Andy talk about his dad who recently passed away brought tears to my eyes. We’ve all seen terrible state of social care in this country. I so regularly hear from constituents who are financially crippled by the cost of care for their elderly relatives, and from care workers who aren’t properly valued for the essential work they do.
For too long politicians have avoided tackling this mammoth task. Not any more.
Andy announced that Labour will establish a National Care Service, just as we established the NHS nearly 80 years go. Families in Portsmouth will be able to access personal care for their relatives, free at the point of use.
We know it’s going to take time and will be complicated to deliver. But the cost of inaction of too great. We cannot let our children face the same challenges when we grow old. And you can trust that Andy will deliver, because it’s personal to him.
Britain has been on the wrong path. But with Andy Burnham behind the wheel, we have a vision and a plan for a better Britain. A Britain where we can hope again.
