I saw the full force of a Labour Party that believes in Britain this year. People joined us in Makerfield from every corner of the country and every part of our party. Activists in their thousands. MPs and Mayors, members and Ministers came together on the streets. This was a Labour Party that came together to talk to every person, knock on every door, and post leaflets down every single road so that people could believe again that we were on their side.

I will forever be grateful for the support of Labour Party members whose commitment and belief made our victory possible. It gave me hope for our party, and it gave me hope for our country. The reward and the responsibility of our victory is to make that hope a reality.

So when I’m told problems like rough sleeping, our social care system or young people out of work are too hard to solve, I know I can’t accept that. I remember what we achieved together this year and who we did it for. The country needs the values, determination and solidarity of our party more than ever in the face of the tough issues we need to tackle now.

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Over the past forty years, political power has been centralised in Westminster. Economic power has been privatised. And our country has been de-industrialised. Life is too hard and too unaffordable for too many people today, things don’t feel fair for those who are working hard, and people don’t have faith that the future looks brighter.

Too often it’s felt like politics has not been working for people and that the government is unable to make a difference on issues like this. I’m determined to change that by doing things in a different way.

So we’re acting to give people some room to breathe right now. We’ve made energy bills more affordable for millions of households and capped bus fares at £2. We’ve cut business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues across England. And we’ll go further to help families who are struggling and boost living standards across the country.

But we have to make fundamental changes as well. We’ll have to rewire the entire state from top to bottom if we want to turn around the legacy of the 1980s and bring back hope to Britain.

So first, we’ll build a new economy. One that puts power back in people’s hands and works for everyone, putting essentials like energy, water and housing back under stronger public control. They’ll be in the service of people rather than shareholders, bringing down costs for taxpayers across the board.

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Second, we’ll push power into every community in the country, giving people the ability to make the right decisions for them on housing, transport and education. Within a week of becoming Prime Minister, we’d opened Number 10 North, a front door through which power flows out to the people who can use it to make a difference.

And finally, we’ll reindustrialise the nation. We’ll build a new Britain by backing our businesses and industries, and teach young people the skills they need for good growth in every postcode.

This Party Conference is a chance to say thank you to members who fight tirelessly every day for a better country. It’s a chance to come together with our entire Labour family. And it’s also a chance to take another step towards that better future for Britain together.

The last time I gave a speech at Party Conference before I left Westminster was ten years ago, when our party was in opposition. I said we needed to be a country of justice. I said we needed a united Labour Party to deliver the hope this country needs and change the way this country is run.

That is still what I believe from the bottom of my heart, but there’s a key difference now. The Labour Party is in government. We have the power and the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Let’s take that opportunity, put that power back where it belongs and make Britain a fairer country that believes in itself once more. Let’s bring back hope.

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