The stark contrast between Labour and Tory conference shows Starmer is preparing for power - analysis by Christopher Hope
'Labour believes it is getting ready for power'
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What a difference a week makes. It was standing room only for the conference speech by Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner today.
The sheer numbers of people were in stark contrast to the sparse audience which gathered to hear Foreign Secretary James Cleverly speak last Sunday at the Tory conference. I tweeted the contrasting audiences here and here.
It was standing room only for the conference speech by Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner today
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What's going on? Last week I speculated that the audience for Cleverly was tempted away by a strong fringe programme elsewhere.
But this is the case at the Labour Conference too, with a packed fringe programme away from the hall.
The Tories' conference was also hit by a national rail strike on the Saturday before the start of their conference.
But the audiences were small too on other days for key ministers - Rishi Sunak excepting.
For me, there is no doubt that the two contrasting films of the audiences in the halls at the Conservative and Labour conferences neatly summarise the state of the two parties.
Here in Liverpool, the conference cardigans of the Corbyn era have been replaced by sharp suits as lobbyists start to hover around shadow ministers.
Labour believes it is getting ready for power.