Rachel Reeves brutally snubs Sir Keir Starmer in major speech after disastrous polling
Rachel Reeves failed to name check Sir Keir Starmer in her Labour conference speech
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Rachel Reeves barely even mentioned Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in her speech at the party's annual conference, as polling continues to show the leader's failrue to cut through with the public.
Giving her keynote address to delegates, the Shadow Chancellor set out her vision to get the UK's economy booming again.
She painted the choice of the next election was “five more years of the Tory chaos” or a “changed Labour Party”.
She declared: "We are ready to serve, ready to lead, ready to rebuild Britain."
Rachel Reeves said the choice of the next election was 'five more years of the Tory chaos' or a 'changed Labour Party'
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But the man leading the Labour party was largely mysteriously absent from the speech.
Despite being sat on the stage while Reeves made her speech, Starmer was only given a name check.
She said: "For too long, we have gathered in these halls with the power to talk, but not the power to do.
"Thirteen years of opposition to remind us of that eternal political truth: That it is only through power that we can put our principles into action.
"Under Keir Starmer’s leadership, that opportunity is at last within our grasp."
New opinion polling by Opinium from a survey undertaken between October 4 and 6 gave Labour a 13 point lead on the Conservatives. It puts Labour on 42 per cent of the vote, compared to the Conservatives' 29 per cent.
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Rachel Reeves only name checked Sir Keir Starmer as she said under his leadership power 'is at last within our grasp'
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Rachel Reeves said Labour’s 'defining economic mission is to restore growth to Britain'
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However, YouGov polling from last month shows that UK voters continue to believe Starmer is personally doing a bad job. Asked "How well is Keir Starmer doing as Labour leader?" 48 per cent of those surveyed said "badly", while just 34 per cent said "well."
Giving her speech, Reeves said Labour’s “defining economic mission is to restore growth to Britain”.
She said: “You cannot dream big if you cannot sleep in peace at night, the peace that comes from knowing that you have enough to put aside for a rainy day and the knowledge that when you need them, strong public services will be there for you and your family.
“The strength that allows a society to withstand global shocks because it is from those strong foundations of security that hope can spring.
“The choice at the next election is this: five more years of the Tory chaos and uncertainty which has left working people worse off or a changed Labour Party offering stability, investment and economic security so that working people are better off.
"It falls to us to show that Labour are ready to serve, ready to lead and ready to rebuild Britain.”
Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer posed for pictures at the end of the speech
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She added: “In chess, you learn to think several moves ahead but even I couldn’t have predicted the mayhem that we have seen, week after week, year after year from this Conservative government.”
Reeves reiterated Labour’s intention to abolish the non-dom tax status, telling delegates: “If you make your home in Britain, you should pay your taxes here too, and with Labour you will.”
She also said her first budget would see her end the “tax loophole” exempting private schools from paying VAT and business rates, adding: “We will put that money into helping the 93 per cent of our children who are in our state schools.
“I tell you, if Rishi Sunak wants a fight on this, if the party that has herded our children into portacabins while our school roofs crumble wants a fight about who has the most aspiration for our children, then I say bring it on.”
Despite failing to be given a mention in his shadow chancellor's speech, Starmer gave Reeves a standing ovation at the end of her address.
The pair posed for pictures as the crowd cheered her announcements.