Labour conference sings God save the King without a hitch - but some trade union delegates stay away

Dominic Penna
·2 min read
Starmer leads God Save the Queen - Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Starmer leads God Save the Queen - Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Trade union delegates opted to stay away from tributes to the Queen as the singing of the National Anthem at Labour's party conference without a hitch.

Multiple rows of seats that were reserved for a group from the trade union Unite were virtually empty during the tribute, with nobody at all sitting on two of the rows.

Party leader Sir Keir Starmer led tributes to the late Elizabeth II as he opened this week's proceedings in Liverpool, before an impeccably-observed minute's silence and a rendition of God Save the King.

Only the first verse of the National Anthem was sung at conference, with the lyrics written out on a leaflet given out to members.

Hailing the country's "greatest monarch", Sir Keir said in his opening remarks: "She created a special personal relationship with all of us, a relationship based on service and devotion to our country. Even now, after the mourning period has passed, it still feels impossible to imagine a Britain without her.

Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner - Oli Scarff/AFP
Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner - Oli Scarff/AFP

"Hardly any of us have ever known anything else. For us the late Queen has always been simply the Queen, the only Queen, above all else our Queen."

At this point, spontaneous applause broke out across the hall and fears there would be boos during God Save the King ultimately proved unfounded.

"She knew that the country came to symbolise is bigger than any one individual or any institution," Sir Keir said.

"Between the history we cherish and the present that we own, she was the thread, a reminder that our generational battle against the evil of fascism and the emergence of a new Britain out of the Second World War do not only belong to us are the inheritance of all of us.

Labour members standing during a minute's silence for the Queen - Phil Noble/Reuters
Labour members standing during a minute's silence for the Queen - Phil Noble/Reuters

"So, conference, as we enter a new era let's commit to honouring the late Queen's memory. Let's turn up our collar and face the storm. Keep alive the spirit of public service she embodied and let it drive us towards a better future

"For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II stood as head of our country, but in spirit she stood amongst us. And I'm proud to lead our party's tributes."

A Unite spokesman told the Telegraph: "The conference began earlier than was originally planned. Because of prior scheduling commitments a number of Unite delegates did not attend the opening of conference."

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Iran sentences rapper Toomaj Salehi to death over 2022-23 unrest, lawyer tells paper

    An Iranian revolutionary court has sentenced well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi to death for charges linked to Iran's 2022-23 unrest, his lawyer told Iranian newspaper Sharq on Wednesday. Salehi in his songs supported months of protests in Iran in 2022 sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman arrested for allegedly wearing an "improper" hijab. Salehi was initially arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of the nationwide protests.

  • The summer after Barbenheimer and the strikes, Hollywood charts a new course

    In the fallout, theaters lost big summer titles like “Mission: Impossible 8,” “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts” to 2025. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” once set to kick off the summer moviegoing season on May 3 like many Marvel movies before it, is now sitting happily on July 26, patiently waiting to dominate the summer charts.

  • Canadian Pacific Kansas City reports Q1 profit down from year ago

    CALGARY — Canadian Pacific Kansas City reported its first-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago. The railway says it earned net income attributable to controlling shareholders of $775 million or 83 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31. That is down from a profit of $800 million or 86 cents per diluted share a year earlier. Canadian Pacific completed its acquisition of Kansas City Southern in December 2021, but had to wait to combine operations until April last year follo

  • Mum diagnosed with epilepsy after symptoms dismissed as panic attacks

    Madeleine Dippnall suffered with anxiety for years before her diagnosis.

  • Interpublic Group Q1 2024 Earnings: Adjusted EPS Aligns with Analyst Projections, Revenue Dips ...

    Insight into IPG's Financial Performance and Strategic Moves

  • Man steals $1,500 in sex toys — then tries to sell them on Facebook, Missouri cops say

    He was asked to leave the store a day prior, according to police

  • Q1 2024 Enphase Energy Inc Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Enphase Energy Inc Earnings Call

  • Sunak defends plan to ‘prioritise defence’ as he declines to rule out other cuts

    The Prime Minister said it’s ‘right’ to spend more on defence in ‘dangerous’ world.

  • ASML CEO says US restricts servicing some China equipment, won't hurt earnings

    The outgoing chief executive of top semiconductor equipment supplier ASML said on Wednesday that the U.S. government will prevent the company from servicing some machines it has previously sold to Chinese customers in some cases. Such restrictions "will not have a significant effect on the 2025 to 2030 financials, because it will be a limited number" of Chinese plants that are affected, Peter Wennink said. ASML, the largest maker of equipment used to manufacture computer chips, has faced a series of restrictions and licensing requirements from the U.S. and Dutch governments in selling its more advanced equipment lines to Chinese customers.

  • Let us hire foreign cabin crew, says Ryanair boss

    Ryanair will be forced to scrap a planned expansion of UK flights unless it is allowed to hire foreign air stewards, chief executive Michael O’Leary has said.

  • Fed rate cut around election would be 'complicated': Economist

    Wall Street forecasts are pushing back the timeline for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in 2024, if at all. Citi experts are still standing firm on their call for a rate cut to come as early as June or July. Inflation has remained persistent in 2024 while labor market data has been resilient, complicating the Fed's plans to ease rates in an election year. Deutsche Bank Chief US Economist Matthew Luzzetti joins the Morning Brief in-studio to elaborate on his expectations for the Fed to holdout and cut rates as far back as December. "If it's a clear case, probably driven by a weakening labor market and growth data, they could cut rates around the election. I think it's more complicated if it's just about inflation," Luzzetti says. "The Fed is thinking about cutting rates because of disinflation, but inflation is still well above the Fed's target. Cutting rates for the first time, just based on inflation right around the election, I think is more complicated." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

  • Josef Newgarden’s win in IndyCar’s season-opening race has been disqualified. O'Ward named winner

    Josef Newgarden’s win in IndyCar’s season-opening race at St. Petersburg was disqualified Wednesday because Team Penske manipulated its push-to-pass system during the race, making Pato O’Ward the winner. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third, was also disqualified. Will Power, the third Penske driver, was docked 10 points.

  • Indonesia declares Prabowo Subianto president-elect after court rejects rivals' appeal

    Indonesia declares Prabowo Subianto president-elect after court rejects rivals' appeal

  • Reggie Bush reinstated as 2005 Heisman Trophy winner. Changes in NCAA rules led to the decision

    NEW YORK (AP) — Reggie Bush has been reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner more than a decade after Southern California returned the award following an NCAA investigation that found he received what were impermissible benefits during his time with the Trojans, the Heisman Trust announced Wednesday. “We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments,” said Michael Comerford, president of The Heisman Trophy Trust. “We consider

  • Moon 'Photobombs' Weather Satellite Imagery

    A weather satellite captured the moon “photobombing” the Earth as it orbited on Tuesday, April 23.The “cosmic cameo” was released by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellites, which said the imagery was captured by the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Himawari-9 satellite. Credit: NOAA/JMA via Storyful

  • Why Prince Edward could become Prince William's closest adviser

    Prince Edward might have a central role when it comes to the reign of his nephew, Prince William. Here's why the Duke of Edinburgh could become William's closest adviser…

  • Seven Russian officers killed in strike near Mariupol

    At least seven Russian officers have been killed in a missile strike near occupied Mariupol, a Ukrainian official has claimed.

  • Stabbed Bishop Backs Musk’s Bid to Keep Footage of His Attack on X, Court Told

    Mario Anzuoni/ReutersThe Sydney church leader who was stabbed during a livestreamed service last week supports Elon Musk’s view that footage of the attack should remain accessible on X, a court in Australia heard Wednesday.A lawyer representing the platform formerly known as Twitter claims Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel—a controversial Assyrian Orthodox leader who was allegedly stabbed by a 16-year-old boy—has written an affidavit arguing against the position of Australia’s eSafety commissioner, which

  • Sadiq Khan: 'Mould sensors' in London's rental homes could hold bad landlords to account

    The latest campaign pledge from the Labour mayor comes just eight days before Londoners go to the polls

  • Is Reddit Stock A Buy After Hitting New Lows?

    Social media platform Reddit soared more than 120% from its IPO price. Following the IPO, is Reddit stock a buy in today's market?