Conservative conference: Boris Johnson’s speech won’t leave Cameron in a cold sweat

Tory party members were queuing for half an hour to get into the Mayor of London’s box office speech this morning. Even Ken Clarke struggled to get a seat in the nosebleed section of the Symphony Hall. It was the perfect hype for Boris’ campaign to become the anointed next leader of the Conservative party. But as Boris burrowed his way through his speech, joking and punning, sending the floor into paroxysms of laughter in one very cleverly-written passage about the filmmaking industry in Soho, it became obvious that this wasn’t a performance that is going to leave David Cameron in a cold sweat as he prepares his own speech tonight.

Boris’ speech was actually rather tame. Yes, he’s brilliant at jokes. He sent grumpy hacks into fits of laughter. He even kept Ken Clarke awake in his perch in the gods. But this was the same old Boris: the funny Boris who the Tory party loves as Mayor and comedian.