UK’s Labour party annual conference to begin in Manchester (VIDEO)
A delegate walks past a sign with the words ‘Rebuilding Britain’ the slogan for the 2012 annual Labour Party Conference which starts at Manchester Central on September 29, 2012 in Manchester, England.
British Labour party leader Ed Miliband told a panel of voters that the country faces an economic emergency on Saturday, ahead of the Labour party's annual conference in Manchester.
Speaking in Manchester, Miliband highlighted policies that would lead to fairer energy bills and pension charges, said the BBC.
"I think we face a genuine economic emergency because we're at risk of a whole decade of people's living standards not going up," he said.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Miliband also spoke about the youth of the country, focusing on their education debts.
"We've said we will cut [tuition fees] to £6,000 ($9,682) and in my view that is not enough – but it is a start. I would like to go further," said Miliband.
The Guardian said Miliband focused on three priorities of his party: lowering youth unemployment, raising living standards and creating a fairer Britain.
Miliband also said he backed plans to give 16-year-olds the vote, in an effort to get young people involved in politics.
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He attacked the current government's income tax cut for the wealthy, saying, "We can't have people going to food banks while millionaires have been given £40,000 ($64,548) tax cuts. What sort of country is that? It's not right."
According to a poll by Opinium/Observer, the Labour party goes into its annual party conference a solid 10 points ahead of the Conservatives. Labour polled at 39 percent, and the Tories polled at 29 percent, said the Guardian.
However, party leader Miliband's numbers lagged behind Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron on the question of which leader was more capable of making "tough decisions."
The Labour party's conference slogan is "Rebuilding Britain." The BBC said that while Conservative polls suggest that Labour voters do not see Miliband as prime minister material, Labour surveys show that the Tories are "utterly desperate."
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Here is a clip of Miliband addressing the panel of voters, via The Daily Telegraph: