We’ve been here before, a leadership election with a clear favourite going into conference season then we had the speech of a lifetime which upended the leadership contest, I am of course referring to the 2005 Tory leadership election where David Cameron went from rank outsider to the longest serving Tory leader this millennium.

The Labour party conference starts a week on Sunday so there’s that opportunity for Bridget Phillipson, I think there might be some value in backing her on that basis.

TSE