Under the grand lights of Liverpool’s Arena convention centre, the Labour Party Conference of 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most consequential—and contentious—in recent memory. With the future of Britain’s railways, digital privacy, economic growth, and party leadership all in the spotlight, the conference pulses with a sense of both urgency and uncertainty, reflecting a nation at a crossroads.
On September 27, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander delivered a headline-grabbing announcement: by mid-2026, the majority of UK rail services—including West Midlands Trains, Govia Thameslink Railway, Chiltern Railways, and Great Western Railway—will return to public ownership. As reported by The Guardian, this move fulfills a major Labour manifesto promise and marks a historic shift after three decades of privatization. With Govia Thameslink, the nation’s largest train operator, joining the public fold, eight in ten rail journeys will soon be run by the state. Legislation to create the new ‘Great British Railways’ body, set to oversee daily operations, is scheduled for introduction before the end of the year.
Heidi Alexander minced no words: “For too long our railways have been run in the interests of private profit, under a broken system that failed passengers over and over again. This Labour government is calling time on 30 years of failure, frustration, fragmentation.” Her remarks were echoed by a wave of applause, but outside the conference hall, not everyone was celebrating.
While Labour pushes forward on public ownership, Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a storm of opposition over his government’s proposal to introduce mandatory digital ID cards by July 2029. The system, designed to verify eligibility for work and access to public services, is touted by Starmer as a tool to modernize bureaucracy and enhance border security. “Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure,” Starmer argued, according to LabourList.
Yet the backlash has been swift and fierce. More than 1.6 million people have signed a petition against the digital ID initiative, voicing concerns over privacy, surveillance, and cybersecurity. Civil liberties advocates warn that such a system could create a sprawling surveillance infrastructure, touching everything from benefits and tax to health records and internet activity. Technology experts have raised alarm bells, noting that a centralized database of sensitive information could become “an enormous hacking target.”
As the conference unfolds, internal party tensions are palpable. The past weeks have seen Labour’s unity tested by a series of scandals and leadership challenges. Angela Rayner’s tax misstep, Peter Mandelson’s sacking over historic links to Jeffrey Epstein, and controversy surrounding Starmer’s advisor Morgan McSweeney have all fueled speculation about the party’s direction and discipline. Polls now show Labour trailing Reform UK by ten points, with Starmer’s popularity and vision under scrutiny.
According to Jewish Voice for Labour, “Nobody likes Keir Starmer it seems and his unpopularity seems to have no limit.” Even contributors critical of former leader Jeremy Corbyn are sharply critical of Starmer’s leadership. In a candid interview with The Guardian, Starmer framed the stakes in existential terms: “History will not forgive us if we do not use every ounce of our energy to fight Reform. There is an enemy. There is a project which is detrimental to our country. It actually goes against the grain of our history. It’s right there in plain sight in front of us. We have to win this battle.”
This rhetoric did not go unnoticed. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, responded by accusing Starmer of “bordering on inciteful” language and “total desperation.” Farage shot back, “To call somebody in politics an enemy is language that is bordering on the inciteful. The only enemy the British people have got is a weak prime minister allowing tens of thousands of undocumented young males into our country who would do us great harm.” (Daily Mail)
The conference’s internal drama is further heightened by speculation over a potential leadership challenge from Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester. A Survation poll conducted between September 23 and 25 for LabourList revealed that Burnham’s approval rating among Labour members dropped nine points to +69, down from +78 the previous month. The share of members with a very unfavorable opinion of Burnham jumped from 3% to 8%. Despite the decline, Burnham’s favorability remains far higher than Starmer’s, whose net favorability among Labour members sits at -11. Burnham’s strongest support is in South West England at +85, with his weakest in London at +54. As Emma Burnell, editor of LabourList, observed, “Andy Burnham remains one of Labour’s most popular—and visible—politicians. However, clearly not all members take kindly to the idea of him semi-overtly challenging Starmer for the leadership.”
Beyond the leadership intrigue, the conference has tackled pressing social policy issues. The two-child benefit cap, widely criticized for exacerbating child poverty, is a flashpoint. Labour recently restored the whip to John McDonnell and Apsana Begum, both suspended for rebelling against the cap. Begum, whose constituency suffers a child poverty rate of 44.6%, vowed to “continue to expose the two-child limit at every opportunity.” Pressure from MPs and unions to abolish the policy is mounting, especially from Liverpool’s representatives.
On the education front, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced a significant expansion of free breakfast clubs, backed by £80 million in funding. The scheme will reach 500,000 more children and add 2,000 new schools in 2026. Phillipson declared, “The start of the national rollout of free breakfast clubs will be an historic change in working families’ daily routines,” underscoring Labour’s commitment to “breaking down the barriers to opportunity.”
Meanwhile, debates over housing and migration have intensified. Anti-migrant activists are increasingly targeting houses of multiple occupation (HMOs), accusing them of housing asylum seekers. Charities report a rise in hate crimes near these properties, fueled by social media campaigns and inflammatory rhetoric from politicians such as George Finch and Nigel Farage. The Home Office plans to close dozens of asylum hotels, but speculation persists about relocating migrants to military barracks or more HMOs, stoking tensions in already strained communities.
Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves is pushing for economic growth, reviving the contentious Heathrow expansion and considering new planning legislation to limit judicial reviews—moves that could see the UK leave the Aarhus convention, with significant implications for environmental protection and constitutional balance. Alongside this, Labour is proposing a youth experience scheme to allow young Britons and Europeans to work, study, and live across Europe, a plan welcomed by some but criticized by others for its potential to increase migration pressures.
Public opinion, however, remains skeptical. An exclusive survey for the Daily Mail found that two-thirds of the public believe Labour has failed to meet expectations just one year after its landslide victory, with disillusionment highest among working-class voters. The cost-of-living crisis and immigration remain top concerns, and only 28% believe Labour will succeed in stopping small boats crossing the Channel. Notably, the public now backs the return of the Rwanda deportation scheme—scrapped by Starmer last year—by a margin of 46-34.
As the Labour Party Conference continues, the party faces a daunting array of challenges. It is delivering on major promises—nationalizing railways, expanding education programs, and tackling child poverty—yet it is beset by fierce debates over civil liberties, migration, environmental protections, and internal leadership. The decisions made in Liverpool this week will ripple far beyond the city’s borders, shaping not only Labour’s future but the direction of Britain itself.
For now, the mood in Liverpool is urgent but uncertain, as Labour seeks to unite its ranks, deliver on its pledges, and confront the populist right—without losing sight of its own principles or the trust of the public it seeks to serve.
