A major hunting organisation has been barred from the Labour Party Conference, leading to accusations of “prejudice”. The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA), the governing body for trail hunts, said that the refusal to allow them a stand at the event in Liverpool shows that Labour does not understand the countryside.

The Labour party is gathering in Liverpool for its first annual conference in government for 15 years. The party faithful ought to make the most of the occasion. This will be Labour’s 120th annual conference, taking place in the centenary year of the party’s first ever such gathering as a governing party.

As the political world descends on Liverpool at the start of what promises to be an intense season, Sean O’Grady asks if it’ll be party time for Keir Starmer – or if things are just too grim for celeb