Starmer warns of 'struggle' to fix UK but insists 'light at end of tunnel'

LIVERPOOL - Prime Minister Keir Starmer said fixing Britain after years of right-wing rule would be a "long-term project" during his first Labour party conference speech as the country's leader Tuesday.

Starmer, 62, rebutted criticism of some of his new government's first steps by insisting it was his "duty to the British people to face up to necessary decisions".

The Labour leader has faced growing calls to offer a more positive outlook for the country since ousting the Conservative party from government in a landslide election win in July.

He said Britain must embark on a "shared struggle" and that he will resist "easy answers" during the nearly one-hour-long speech, the first at the conference by a Labour premier in 15 years.

But he also tried to inject some optimism, declaring that there is "light at the end of this tunnel".

After guiding the centre-left Labour party back to power for the first time since 2010, Starmer soon faced flak for scrapping payments to help the elderly pay for winter heating bills. The buildup to the conference was also overshadowed by a row over gifts accepted by Starmer and other parliamentarians.

The controversies have dampened celebrations at Labour's four-day gathering in Liverpool, in northwest England, but Starmer sought to retake control of the narrative by arguing it will take time and sacrifice to fix Britain.

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"The politics of national renewal are collective. They involve a shared struggle," he said.

"A project that says, to everyone, this will be tough in the short term but in the long term it's the right thing to do for our country. And we all benefit from that."

Starmer alluded to recent criticism of him and his finance minister Rachel Reeves that they are affecting economic growth and investment in Britain by being pessimistic about the state of the country.

Starmer has spent much of his first weeks in power blaming the Tories for leaving everything in a mess, from the public finances to prisons and the state-run National Health Service.

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The Tories accuse him of scaremongering over the inheritance and of laying the groundwork for tax rises in the October 30 budget.

Starmer has already warned the budget will be "painful".

"I know that the cost-of-living crisis drew a veil over the joy and wonder in our lives and that people want respite and relief -- and may even have voted Labour for that reason," Starmer said.

"Our project has not and never will change. I changed the Labour Party to restore it to the service of working people.

"And that is exactly what we will do for Britain. But I will not do it with easy answers. I will not do it with false hope."

He said "bad faith advice from people who still hanker for the politics of noisy performance" and "the weak and cowardly fantasy of populism" was "water off a duck's back".

Taking "tough long-term decisions now" will mean the "light at the end of this tunnel" can be reached "much more quickly", he added.

Labour is looking to move on from a row over expensive gifts, including clothes and concert tickets given to Starmer and other senior Labour figures.

All of the gifts were within parliament's rules but Starmer has been forced to fend off accusations of hypocrisy since the furore comes at a time when he is asking ordinary Britons to tighten their belts.

His speech was punctuated by several standing ovations. One heckler was swiftly ejected by security.

Starmer highlighted some of Labour's first pieces of legislation such as a new national wealth fund, a publicly owned green energy company and the renationalisation of Britain's railways.

"We're only just getting started," he said.