DELEGATES queued to be admitted to Welsh Labour’s conference in Llandudno on Saturday to listen to the first Labour prime minister to address them in 16 years.

They were struggling to get in due to hold-ups at security, meaning the conference hall was half empty when proceedings began.

The top table desperately filibustered to string out proceedings so the hall would be full for Sir Keir Starmer.

So desperate was the need to kill time that First Minister Eluned Morgan grabbed the microphone and sang Welsh hymn Calon Lan, to bemused delegates.

When the speech finally began, the Prime Minister noted Labour had won “27 seats in Wales in July and made Wales a Tory-free zone.”

The party leader also noted that three women were in charge of Wales, including the country’s first female first minister.

“Three truly formidable women who will change the future of Wales for the better,” he said.

The Prime Minister was referring to Ms Morgan, deputy Welsh leader Carolyn Harris and Wales Secretary of State Jo Stevens.

“There will be young women and girls in Wales who are looking at the TV — and who notice this is now a nation led by women.”

Sir Keir noted that “politics in our times is volatile and it can change very, very quickly.

“But conference, be under no illusions the British people will judge us on actions, not words.”

As he spoke, the conference centre was under siege by protesting farmers and by a march and rally of hundreds of protesters demanding Labour speak out against the genocide in Gaza and end all arms sales to Israel.

But Sir Keir did not mention the slaughter in the Middle East and refused to apologise for Budget changes hitting pensioners. 

The Prime Minister said the Budget had given a record figure of £21 billion for Wales and £25 million to deal with coal tip safety.

But the Prime Minister did not acknowledge the extra billions for Wales from the HS2 rail scheme in England or the devolution of the crown estate, as it is in Scotland.

Sir Keir said that economic growth is his most important mission, but warned: “A Labour government can’t be reduced to an ever-expanding state sector, funded by ever-increasing taxes.”