Labour rallies troops as it begins fightback

As Labour prepares to hold its annual conference, deputy leader Alan Kelly says what makes the party different is that its vision is grounded in realism and in achievement

The Labour Party must come out fighting more. As our party conference kicks off this evening, there is no better time for the party to assert itself and step away from the persistent narrative that this country is a failure.

Throughout its history, Labour has stepped in and not been afraid to take responsibility in order to see the country right. Every time Labour has entered power, we have delivered back to the people a much better and fairer country than we inherited. With an election due next year, we as a people, have made too many sacrifices to throw away our economic potential and risk it on those who have never accepted or never intended to accept the responsibilities of office.