The prime minister has begun delivering his keynote speech to MPs and party members at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, setting out his vision.
The Hillsborough law was announced at the start of the conference, and as it came to an end, Hillsborough advocate Margaret Aspinall introduced Starmer to the audience.
Ms. Aspinall praised the PM's efforts to advance the law and support their cause, saying,
"Today, I've got to be truthful, I've met a prime minister who's kept his promise."
At a party convention that has occasionally been dominated by concerns about his leadership and the overall course the Labour Party is taking, Starmer's speech comes at a pivotal moment in his tenure.
Starmer acknowledged the challenges the UK faces and emphasized the need for tough choices in the "fight for the soul of the country" he said the nation was in.
Starmer did not hesitate to speak out against the people he believed this war was against, even at times calling them out directly. Like in most political discourse, Nigel Farage of Reform UK started to appear frequently in the prime minister's address because of his high polling position.
The prime minister's speech, which targets the MP for Clacton, lays the groundwork for Starmer to outline his principles in stark contrast to Farage in the hopes that the nation and his party haven't already decided on a course of action.
The prime minister presented the nation's problems as a "decency" or "division" dilemma, stating that the UK could either choose "renewal" or "decline."
Invoking wartime spirit, Starmer went further, claiming this was a "fight for the soul of the country, every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war."
If the politics of populism are sometimes framed as easy answers to complex questions, the PM made clear the "path of renewal" would not be such.
"It's long, it's difficult, it requires decisions that are not cost-free or easy."
Taking aim at the politics of parties like Reform, Starmer admitted,
"it's a tempting path because it asks nothing of people."
How MPs and Labour delegates are reacting in the hall?
Members of the Labour Party in the Parliamentary Labour Party part have been waving flags, namely Union Jacks, St George’s Cross and the flags for Wales and Scotland, as staff were handing them out before the speech.
The MPs were giving a slightly awkward, but enthusiastic cheer for the short films and policy presentations before the speech, although the wider hall of delegates at the conference had been significantly quieter and more restrained than the MPs had been.
It shows an atmosphere of caution for members of the party, which can be supportive of Starmer's call for unity and his belief that the country was "at a fork in the road", but there are also some delegates and MPs saying there is much to do still.