Jeremy Corbyn "is the past" of the Labour Party, a shadow minister has said ahead of Sir Keir Starmer's conference speech in Brighton today.

       The Labour leader is expected to set out a new focus on building links with business and being responsible with taxpayers' money as he looks to take a more centrist approach than his predecessor.

       However the conference has been overshadowed by the now-independent MP who admitted having a series of conversations with "my very close friend" Andy McDonald in the run-up to his resignation this week. He also addressed several fringe events.

       Asked if Mr Corbyn was trying to steal Sir Keir's thunder, David Lammy told Sky News: "Anyone can come to our fringe but I've got to say Jeremy Corbyn is the past. We lost the General Election, we lost decisively very sadly, we're down to the worst number of MPs since 1935.

       "Keir's job has been of course to rebuild our party but to earn the British people's trust and to put us in a place where we can win a general election rather than losing one. The British people will tune in and watch the clips so this is a hugely important moment for us."

       Labour's conference had been "bumpy at the start" amid changes to the party rulebook, Mr Lammy acknowledged but Sir Keir had been "as cool as a cucumber".

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       Eleven protesters have been arrested at junction 3 of the M25, Kent Police said.

       The force said: "The incident on the Swanley Interchange roundabout began at around 7.30am on Wednesday 29 September 2021, with those in attendance having glued their hands to the road surface.

       "Officers attended and within an hour had arrested those present on suspicion of obstructing the highway, conspiracy to commit public nuisance and criminal damage.

       "The roundabout remained closed until around 8.50am to enable National Highways to make the road surface safe."

       A Labour frontbencher hit out at the BBC for focusing on "identity issues" as the party's row over trans rights continued.

       Shadow justice secretary David Lammy was challenged after he told the party conference "there are some dinosaurs on the right" who want to “hoard rights”.

       But Rosie Duffield, the Labour MP who has received abuse after being labelled a "transphobe", told a fringe event: "It's ridiculous and nothing about me is a dinosaur. I'm angry at colleagues chucking me on the railway tracks."

       Challenged about the row, Mr Lammy said: "You could be asking about climate change, you could be asking about mental health, you could be asking about education, you could be asking about health. You deliberately are asking me about an issue that you know does not come up on the doorstep."

       He added: "You, the BBC, are choosing to land on this subject - that most British people aren't talking about in a fuel crisis - and spend minutes on this because it keeps Labour talking about identity issues and not about the substantive policies that Keir will set out."

       Labour's future decisions on nationalising industries would be made on a "best value" basis rather than as an "ideological mission", David Lammy has said.

       Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out state control of the big energy firms - prompting criticism from several on the left of the party.

       But Mr Lammy told the BBC: "A party that is set on an ideological mission is usually rejected by the British people. So, do we have a belief in common ownership? Yes, we do.

       "But you have got to look at the best value case as it sits at the time. We are some way off the next general election.

       "There may well be a case for nationalisation of the rail but it might be different in a different sector or an industry.

       "So we can't just say - in the way that you might do if you were the politburo - we are going to nationalise everything, that doesn't make sense. You have got to look case by case, sector by sector."

       Time after time, conference season delivers a visual metaphor, writes Madeline Grant. At the 1986 Labour Party Conference, desperate to rebrand the party, Neil Kinnock had dropped the red flag and introduced the rose used today.

       Unintended symbols can carry even more weight; who could forget poor Theresa May in Manchester 2017, floundering in a hung parliament, as the conference hall literally crumbled around her?

       For me, the equivalent from this year’s Labour’s conference in Brighton was the moment that the party’s new general secretary David Evans, a staunch ally of Sir Keir Starmer, unwisely asked delegates to think about what had first inspired them to join the party.

       He received an instant volley of “Ohhhhh Jeremy Corrrrbyn!" Nothing better encapsulates the Corbyn ghost that continues to haunt the Labour Conference. Or rather the poltergeist, because unlike more genteel phantoms, this one is inflicting real damage.

       Madeline Grant: The Labour Party has a long way to go

       Mental health policies to be announced by Sir Keir Starmer would be funded by a ￡1.7 billion tax burden on private schools, David Lammy has confirmed.

       He was asked by Kay Burley about how the proposals were to be funded and how much they would cost, although Mr Lammy declined to answer the latter question.

       "We're going to raise ￡1.7 billion by business rates and VAT levy on private schools and we've also set out that we will raise further funds on VAT," he said.

       With regards to the HGV crisis, Mr Lammy said his party had to be clear that "decisions were made in relation to the Brexit deal" that have contributed to the current situation.

       Labour must be "fiscally responsible" in its policy on the minimum wage, David Lammy has said.

       While he was "very sad to see Andy [McDonald] resign in the way he did" over the issue on Monday evening, he told Sky that Labour's policy had to chime with the reality for small and medium enterprise after the pandemic.

       "It's very important to be clear about the minimum wage and we've said ￡10 an hour but we have to be fiscally responsible," he said.

       "A lot of small business will say 'we've been struggling over the last year and a jump from ￡8.91 an hour to ￡15 is not something we can understand'.

       On Mr McDonald's resignation, David Lammy praised his "very good work with Angela Rayner" while in the shadow cabinet.

       David Lammy has said that the furore over Angela Rayner calling the Conservatives "scum" was "a sideshow" and that he would "not take lectures" from the Tory Party.

       "I don't want to get into it to be honest. What matters today is Keir Starmer's speech, mental health matters, education of our health matters, the climate emergency matters," Mr Lammy told Sky.

       "I've been accused over the years of strong language in relation to my opponents but in the end it's the substance of policies that will win an election.

       "And to be honest I don't think the Labour Party need to take lectures from a Conservative Party with a leader that's said terrible things about all sorts of people. He called people like me 'people with watermelon smiles' and 'piccaninnies'."

       Pressed on whether Boris Johnson's past comments were racist, Mr Lammy said "that's how I'd define it".

       However the shadow justice secretary added: "These issues of identity are not what the British people need at this time - they can't get fuel."

       Jeremy Corbyn "is the past" of the Labour Party and its focus must now be on winning an election, a shadow minister has said.

       David Lammy was asked by Sky News' Kay Burley whether Mr Corbyn was trying to "steal Keir Starmer's thunder" by addressing multiple events in Brighton since Sunday.

       "Anyone can come to our fringe but I've got to say Jeremy Corbyn is the past," Mr Lammy replied. "We lost the General Election, we lost decisively very sadly, we're down to the worst number of MPs since 1935.

       "Keir's job has been of course to rebuild our party but to earn the British people's trust and to put us in a place where we can win a general election rather than losing one. The British people will tune in and watch the clips so this is a hugely important moment for us."

       Asked if Sir Keir would be hurt that his own loyalty to Corbyn was not reciprocated, Mr Lammy said "I don't think [Keir] is bothered... he's as cool as a cucumber."

       Labour's conference had been "bumpy at the start" amid changes to the party rulebook, Mr Lammy acknowledged, but said the current fuel crisis represented "a massive opportunity" for Labour's policy offering.

       Food shortages are "down to Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab and the promises they made to the British people", a Labour frontbencher has said.

       David Lammy told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there were no queues in EU countries, despite them also having shortages of HGV drivers. "So what's the difference? The difference is we exited the EU on Boris' deal, we are out of the customs union... drivers aren't coming."

       He said Sir Keir Starmer would "hold Boris to account for his deal", but declined to comment on Labour's position towards free movement.

       David Lammy has blamed Boris Johnson's Brexit deal for the HGV driver shortage.

       The shadow justice secretary told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "Brexit is responsible for some of the problems we are seeing. On this fuel crisis, there are not queues to get fuel in France, in Spain, in Germany, but there are fuel queues in our own country.

       "That is as the result of exiting the European Union with the deal that Boris Johnson struck."

       Mr Lammy said: "This was his deal, we hold him to account for his deal.

       "What it means is - why would drivers come here, when they are going back without goods, when they have got to pay tariffs? They would rather be in another country in Europe."

       Boris Johnson is "a clown" who has nothing to offer the British public, and it is down to Labour to get that message across, David Lammy has said.

       The shadow justice secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This is a Prime Minister who is unable to set priorities. Everything is a priority, everything is a joke.

       "He is a clown and we have to demonstrate that."

       Mr Lammy added: "We are returning to politics as normal after years of just talking about Brexit and the pandemic and the cupboard is pretty bare."

       Sir Keir Starmer will look to convince the public that he can be trusted to run the country - and be fiscally responsible - David Lammy has said.

       The shadow justice secretary told Radio 4's Today programme: "The British people will be looking in for first time at this conf speech... and yes, they want to see change."

       People want to know the Labour leader's "back story, what his values are and what course he is setting for the country", he added. "This is not a PhD thesis on Marxist philosophy... it's about having values, yes, but being responsive and flexible to what people want."

       That might include "a degree of nationalisation" and a higher minimum wage, he added, but it would be "responsive to needs" as they arose.

       The head of a fuel supplier has predicted the UK is over the worst of the shortage at petrol pumps - but warned that HGV driver shortages could affect general supply chains over Christmas.

       James Spencer, managing director at Portland Fuel, told the BBC "the worst is behind us" when it comes to fuel - but noted that HGV driver shortages were far worse than tanker drivers.

       He explained: "There is a minor supply problem which is related to a shortage in tanker drivers. The shortage of tanker drivers is nothing like as acute as the shortage of general haulage drivers."

       Mr Spencer added: "That has a knock-on effect for everything we rely on and certainly we rely on for Christmas... it's going to be a tough few months for consumers."

       The hospitality industry has raised another warning about shortages in their industry, saying they "cannot cope" without Government support.

       Hospitality UK boss Kate Nicholls told Sky News the staff shortages from earlier this year remain with approximately 180, 000 jobs empty throughout the industry. As a result, firms are unable to reopen fully, either restricting hours or keeping sections of premises shut.

       She called for a Covid recovery visa to enable workers to come back from the Continent, saying: "We would like to see govt welcome them back, Simplifying rules… to get staff in.

       "We are doing our bit, but we have a two year hiatus, where we haven't been able to train chefs and workers. We need to get over that bump."

       Asked how the industry would cope without it, she said: "We simply can’t cope."

       A fresh Brexit fishing war threatened to break out on Tuesday night after the Government rejected three quarters of applications from small French boats to fish waters around Britain.

       Ministers announced that just 12 licences out of a total of 47 will be granted to French vessels under 12 metres applying to fish the UK's inshore waters.

       Jersey will also confirm on Wednesday that it is granting fewer licences than the 169 requested by France only months after a French flotilla surrounded St Helier, its main port, amid a row over access to its waters.

       Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping to make a splash in Brighton today when he gives his big conference speech.

       But the Labour leader faces choppy waters convincing the left of the party to back him as he looks to adopt a more Blairite approach to winning.

       Meanwhile shortages at the petrol pump look set to ease - but problems remain elsewhere.

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