Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, opened the debate, criticising Starmer for removing the allowance while “leaving the super-rich untouched”.
Speaking to loud applause, she told delegates: “Our public services and British industry need investment now.
“It’s no good having sympathy for workers at Grangemouth losing their jobs: they don’t need pity, they need Labour to step up to the plate and not allow a billionaire, who buys a football club as a hobby, to throw these workers on the scrapheap.”
She added: “We are the sixth richest economy in the world; we have the money. Britain needs investment, not austerity mark II. We won’t get any gold badge for shaving peanuts off our debt.
“It’s the wrong decision, and it needs to be reversed.”