As Labour meets for our Spring Conference, we can be confident that we are getting the fundamentals right. We have built a strong economy, well-placed to withstand international financial turbulence.

We are taking the long-term decisions to equip our country for the future: on renewable energy, on pensions, and on housing. We are investing in our hospitals, schools, transport and police. Labour is bursting with energy and ideas – in just the past few weeks, we’ve announced action on health screening, on compulsory cooking lessons in schools, three-year pay deals for teachers, more powers for local councils, trade deals with India and China, and the Children’s Plan to unlock the talents of our young people.

We are restless for change. We know that no matter how far and fast we make progress, the task is never completed.

People’s expectations are constantly rising, and new challenges constantly emerging. We have conquered mass unemployment, but next we need to tackle low pay, and the work-life balance. NHS waiting lists are tumbling, but people want faster, more personalised care. This weekend we can showcase our ideas for meeting this rising tide of expectation, and demonstrate that we are facing the future with confidence.

This conference should also be a spring-board to the elections on 1st May. They are the first genuine test of Labour’s support after a volatile political period. Cameron’s Conservatives will be looking to make significant advances – hundreds more Tory councillors and scores more Tory-led councils. Without such success, the revival of the Tories under Cameron will have stalled.

So in the elections in Wales, across England, and in London, every Labour activist needs to be out on the streets and estates, with Labour’s positive message. Put simply, Labour councils give you cleaner, greener and safer places to live, with affordable council tax.

The Prime Minister is right when he says 2008 is a pivotal year for our country. I am confident that Labour will meet the challenge.