The mood here in Manchester is odd. No one expects a move against Brown this week but most people expect that this will be Brown’s last conference as leader. Talking to folk on the left, it seems that the one thing that could save him with the Labour party is him tacking hard to the left in the coming days.
At the same time, no one is quite sure who will succeed him; it really is all to play for. David Miliband doesn’t seem prime ministerial yet. Last night he was at the excellent New Statesman party–he could be seen in a corner briefing some of the most influential commentators on the left—but there was no presence, no sense of awe that surrounded him. I suspect that most people in the room were unaware he was there.
Harriet Harman’s stock is rapidly rising.
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