As Shadow International Trade Secretary, I see first-hand how vital it is for us to have a government negotiating trade deals which both boost our economy and safeguard important issues like the environment and animal welfare standards.

It’s therefore doubly disappointing to see Liz Truss refusing to enshrine such things and failing to strike deals – Tory ministers selling the UK and the planet short.

It’s hardly surprising though – after all, the Tories are focused on their own internal squabbles about who their next leader is, rather than dealing with the issues that are most important for the public.

Take the current state of our economy after 12 years of Tory misrule. Inflation hitting double figures. Price rises hitting both consumers and small and medium-sized businesses. Energy bills skyrocketing, as well as the cost of food and other essentials going through the roof.

I know how many people are struggling to get by, and I fear for the consequences when it gets colder and people need to heat their homes. But where is the Conservative government? Missing in action - they just don’t get it.

The rise in energy bills is a national emergency, threatening the wellbeing of millions of families across the country. That’s why Labour is calling for a freeze in energy prices this winter, to protect people by saving them £1,000, paid for by a windfall tax on the huge profits being made by oil and gas companies.

There is a choice, and, instead of letting families suffer, the government could do something about it. But they don’t.

It was also telling to hear Rishi Sunak admit that he’d changed Treasury rules to funnel more money to rich Tory shires and away from more deprived areas of the UK.

After years of empty slogans about levelling up, this shows the reality of what the Tories think. Public money should be distributed fairly, according to need, not to win votes in Tory leadership contests.

Then his opponent Liz Truss talks about cutting the pay of school and NHS workers outside London, widening the divide between the capital and the rest of us. Talk about showing your true colours!

Under the Conservatives, our economy has ground to a halt. They’ve run out of ideas and don’t even understand the suffering people are going through. We don’t just need a new prime minister, we need a change of government – and I’m determined to make the case for the change our country and our people need.