AFTER four days, almost 40 events and an unhealthy amount of coffee to get through, Labour Party Conference left a consensus that hope is here. Andy Burnham is turning the tide from the politics of point-scoring to the responsibilities of governing, taking on some of the long-term challenges that successive governments have too often deliberately chosen to avoid.

Hope, underpinned by honesty about the challenges of our times, was encapsulated in Andy's Leader’s Conference Speech. If you haven't yet had a chance to watch it yet, you must. Yes, the absence of a lectern and tie attracted the attention of the media, but neither style nor the raw emotion of what was a deeply personal speech alone earns eleven standing ovations in little over an hour. Finally, a Prime Minister with the courage to address some of the greatest challenges of our times - done so with ample time left in the Parliament, working cross-party, and as part of a national conversation.

Take water: Certainly, for us in Cornwall, we are fed up of sewage discharges, poor infrastructure and a system that too often prioritises shareholders over its customers and the environment. In his speech, the PM committed to break down the ideological legal barriers put up under Thatcher to prevent greater public control over water. Whether reform is by nationalisation or other forms of public ownership, the speech recognised the simple truth: People want systems that work in the interest of the many, not the few.

The same is true for housing: One of the three key Pledges I was elected on the back of. Last Tuesday, Andy committed to reform the outdated Right-to-Buy scheme, exempting new-build council homes from the scheme, whilst retaining the ability for those already in their homes. Another personal highlight for me – after consistently calling for it – was his commitment to regulate leasehold management companies, stopping leaseholders being squeezed for every penny through unfair charges and poor management. Providing quality, truly affordable homes and working water infrastructure are the very basics of good government.

Perhaps the most powerful part of the PM’s speech, however, was on social care. So, many families, including my own, are familiar with the issues and, if you know the indignity of wrestling to deliver and fund care for a loved one, you will know something must change. Despite 22 further studies since the Royal Commission on Social Care, the system hasn't altered much since it and the NHS were founded in 1948.

There is a similar story of avoidance about the triple lock, with criticism largely reserved for politicians on their way out of Parliament, content for another government to deal with the consequences and some very confusing positions occurring within all parties. Pensioners deserve dignity and security in retirement, just as families deserve confidence that a care service will be there when they need it most. And, beyond a certain point, stability and confidence in one’s life outcomes trumps income but, with still too low pensions by European standards, we are not yet at that point. This is why we will, as promised, maintain the triple lock in full until the end of Parliament.