Labour Conference: Dad’s the Word?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivered his first Labour Party Conference speech as leader in Liverpool on Tuesday 29th September 2026, setting out a number of key policy priorities and offering some clear signals of the Government’s direction of travel. From social care and pensions to housing, energy and youth employment, the speech combined headline announcements with broader indications of what businesses and individuals can expect in the months and years ahead. The key points from the conference are below!

1) Social Care Reform

A major focus was the proposed creation of a National Care Service, designed to provide care 'free at the point of use' and protect the basic State Pension from care charges.

The ambition is to create a more person-centred system in which care does not erode people’s savings, while giving greater recognition to the role of care workers. The Labour Government intends to begin laying the groundwork during this Parliament, with implementation proposed for the next.

2) Changes to the pensions triple lock

Funding for the National Care Service would partly come from changes to the pensions triple lock from 2030. Under the proposal, the link to average earnings would be removed, while the State Pension would continue to increase annually by at least inflation or 2.5%. The existing triple lock commitment would remain unchanged for the duration of this Parliament. The resulting savings would then be directed towards establishing the National Care Service.

3) Tackling youth unemployment

Youth employment was another key theme, with a focus on investing earlier in education, skills and employment support rather than allowing more young people to move onto long-term benefits.

Proposals include clearer academic and technical pathways from age 14, greater access to work placements and apprenticeships, and shorter waiting times for young people requiring mental health support.

A wider rethink of the welfare system was also signalled, alongside an expectation that young people take up the employment and training opportunities made available to them.

4) Electoral reform

Plans were also announced to establish a national commission on electoral reform, with political parties invited to participate.

The commission would examine potential changes to the current electoral system, with an intention to take proposals for reform into the next general election manifesto.

5) Greater public control of water

The conference also brought a commitment to strengthen public control and accountability within the water industry.

Proposed legislation would remove the existing restriction on public ownership of water companies and begin what was described as a 10-year transition towards a different model.

Local leaders would also receive additional powers to hold water companies accountable, alongside measures intended to tighten the rules around executive bonuses.

6) A new Great British Grid

A new publicly owned Great British Grid was announced under the Great British Energy umbrella.The organisation would operate alongside private-sector network operators, with the aim of increasing competition, reducing costs and accelerating connections to the electricity grid.

Grid capacity and lengthy connection times have become increasingly important considerations for businesses and major development projects, making the detail of how this proposal operates one to watch.

7) Housing and home ownership

Housing announcements focused on affordability, leasehold reform and improving standards in the private rented sector. Plans include reducing the deposit required to buy a home, with the stated aim of widening home ownership beyond those able to rely on financial support from family.

Further leasehold reform legislation was also promised, while councils could receive new powers to take control of poor-quality properties where landlords repeatedly fail to make necessary improvements.

For businesses, investors and property owners, the detail behind these proposals -particularly around leasehold reform and enforcement of housing standards - will be important as legislation develops.

Author Opinion Point:

Burnham made an undeniably personal appeal for the country to back both him and his plan, drawing heavily on the story of his father. It was clearly intended to add an emotional dimension to the speech, although for us, the tears ran somewhat drier than our water reserves.

Beyond the personal messaging, there was a familiar theme: ask those with more to contribute more, to support those with less.

For the property sector, however, another knock at the door of the Private Rented Sector raises questions. The measures introduced through the Renters’ Rights Act have not yet had the opportunity to be fully realised, yet we are already hearing proposals for further intervention. That begs the question: are the original measures being given a genuine opportunity to achieve their intended purpose before the Government reaches for the next lever?

At this stage, private landlords could be forgiven for wondering whether they are simply expected to hand their properties over to local authorities and apologise for decades of lost council housing while they are at it.

It is easy to focus political attention on the private landlord. It is considerably harder to confront the long-term consequences of housing policy.

The Right to Buy helped thousands of people into home ownership, but every council property sold was also a property removed from the social housing stock. If those homes were not replaced at a sufficient rate, the inevitable consequence was a shrinking pool of council housing.

If you sell a council house, you need a plan to replace it.

Private landlords did not create that equation - but increasingly, they appear to be expected to solve it.