Saturday 24 January 2026 was the first day of the Labour North West Conference, held in Liverpool, and delegates from all over the region met at the Titanic Hotel. It might seem like inadvisable foreshadowing to hold a Labour Party conference in a hotel named after one of the most famous shipwrecks of modern times, but the Titanic was also a great feat of engineering that the City of Liverpool is rightly proud of. That sense of pride in the North West was a clear theme throughout the event, one shared by speakers and delegates alike.
The regional conference, although much smaller than its national counterpart, is well attended. The agenda boasted talks from multiple cabinet members including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Deputy Leader Lucy Powell, as well as the popular Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotherham, and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
Politicians spoke with clarity
Streeting was the big draw on the first morning, handling some awkward questions with a confident clarity that’s refreshing when so much of what’s coming out of Westminster feels decidedly restrained. Referring to the Corbyn era motto ‘For the many, not the few’, Streeting set the tone. Speaker after speaker drove home the message that this government is here for normal people, engages with their colleagues at all levels, listens to local people, and supports a return to a strong, healthy Britain built from the bottom up.
As you would expect, Reform 2025 Ltd. were repeatedly identified as the threat to watch for, and the upcoming by-election in Gorton and Denton marked out as a battleground where activist help would be needed. While Burnham’s application to stand there has mostly been seen as the first step in a run at party leadership, it’s very telling that such a big hitter who’s in a comparatively safe post was willing to risk it to go back on the ‘frontline’.
Greens not seen as a serious threat?
Interestingly there was little mention of the Greens, despite their surge in the polls. It was an odd omission from speakers who were drilling home traditional left-wing Labour values, when many people now see the Greens as the home for voters on the left. It seems that Polanski’s history as a stage hypnotist is considered a bigger voter turn off than Reform scandals such as the imprisonment of the former Welsh leader for accepting Russian bribes while an MEP.
The two ‘Fringe’ events had a more corporate leaning, with sponsors such as United Utilities given a platform in panels to discuss their socially conscious work, and a copy of the New Statesman on every chair. It was a shame that space was not also made for grass-roots speakers, but the aim was clearly to keep party members on board with the business partnerships Labour sees as necessary to the country’s future. Stress was put on business with a purpose over business simply profit, and was embedded in discussions of social mobility and nationalisation of services where possible.
We are Labour, and will keep fighting
The second day was shorter and featured Deputy Leader Lucy Powell back to back with former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. While Powell gave a solid speech it was Rayner who earned the only standing ovation of the event, with an energetic, positive, and hopeful speech. Powell was clear in saying Rayner hasn’t gone anywhere despite her change in position, and watching her in action it was easy to see why.The closing panel of first term MPs was slightly undermined by the number of people who had their phones out following the news that Andy Burnham’s application to stand as MP for Gorton and Denton had been rejected by the National Executive Committee. It was a strained note to finish on after a successful conference, but it didn’t dim the message – we are Labour, we are the party of working people just as we have always been, and we will keep fighting.
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