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That was a grim performance, wasn’t it?

At Labour’s conference in Liverpool, Keir Starmer unveiled what he framed as a vision of national renewal, patriotism, and moral leadership.

He was trying to re-cast Labour as the party of British (shouldn’t that be UK?) values – and Reform UK, together with its leader Nigel Farage, as an existential threat to the nation.

“He doesn’t like Britain. Doesn’t believe in Britain,” Starmer declared, painting Farage as a figure of grievance and division.

But beneath the theatrical patriotism, Starmer’s speech offered little to ordinary people and much to elites.

He ruled out a wealth tax, defended the Chancellor’s fiscal rules, and prepared the public for November’s budget, signalling that the cost of government will fall on those who can least afford it.

The wealthy and well-connected remain protected; the rest of the country is left to absorb austerity disguised as responsible governance.

Education reform was one of few actual policy announcements: Starmer scrapped the New Labour target of getting 50 per cent of young people into university, promising instead that two-thirds (66-67 per cent) would pursue either higher education or a “gold standard” apprenticeship.

While superficially sensible, this move is no more than a cautious rebrand of policy, rather than a bold vision for social mobility, and it leaves intact the systemic inequities that Vox Political has repeatedly highlighted over the last year and more.

On migration, Starmer claimed Labour must confront “hard truths,” acknowledging voters’ concerns about illegal immigration while condemning racist rhetoric.

Yet his speech was suffused with doubletalk: he criticised Farage for sowing division, while signalling that tough, potentially unpopular immigration decisions would fall under his government’s watch — effectively framing hardship as inevitable, and blaming any alternative government for what his own will impose.

The political calculus was clear: Starmer was attempting to co-opt Farage’s nationalist, patriotic rhetoric while retaining a cautious, centrist, and largely pro-elite policy platform.

In short, he was dressing himself up in a flag to distract us from the structural inequalities in society that his government has done nothing to address.

Gosh. We haven’t seen anything like that since… since… oh! Since last week at the Liberal Democrats’ conference!

Critics on the left, including Jeremy Corbyn and The Canary, were scathing.

Corbyn called it the “longest resignation speech in history,” while The Canary highlighted the speech’s failure to address the two-child benefit cap, public service privatisation, and military spending.

Vox Political agrees that Starmer’s speech was hopeless on transformative policy, but the “resignation” framing may be premature.

The real story is political timidity: the prime minister has all the levers to enact meaningful change but prefers on-stage patriotism and off-stage timidity.

For voters hoping for a Labour government that will protect ordinary people, reduce inequality, and act decisively, this conference speech is a reminder: Starmer may talk about renewal and national pride, but when we demand action rather than words, he’ll be nowhere to be seen.

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