It was never going to be an easy conference for the Labour party. The party in government. The conference that ought to be all about new ideas, new plans for how to take the Labour agenda forward, solve the economy and transform the lives of those less fortunate.

Yet instead, as a Mori poll put Labour in third place for the first time, it was about trying to convince Labour delegates to get out there and convince for Labour. To minimise the damage at the next election and maintain enough Labour MPs to still be a convincing opposition.
 
MPs and delegates that we talked to were all fairly downbeat and looking to the next eight months rather than beyond with a leaked document confirming a 6th May election date. Gordon Brown’s speech was good – policy announcements on social care, money for international development and sorting out bank bonuses and the slightly more dubious homes for teenage mothers.
 
We got support from many Ministers and MPs we met for our proposals and a commitment from the schools Minister to look further at our proposal that the procurement of schools and other public buildings could be cheaper, quicker and of better quality.
 
But we kind of all know that the real party of the party conferences will be next week in Manchester for the Conservatives. I’m at least hoping for a bit of free champagne.