Starmer brings the steel – and draws up battle lines with Reform UK

Prime minister answers his critics in conference speech but the real challenges still lie ahead

When Keir Starmer sat in the chair for his broadcast interview at the start of the Labour conference on Sunday, he already had a clear idea of what he wanted to pull off during the four-day political gathering in Liverpool.

With the historic Liver Building behind him, he told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: At the end of it people can agree or disagree, but they can't say they don't know what we stand for, what this government is trying to achieve."