John Reid is not ruling himself out

In an exclusive conference interview with Matthew d’Ancona, the Home Secretary sets out his manifesto for the party’s future once Tony Blair has gone

‘The opportunity is that every end marks a beginning,’ John Reid says. ‘That is the nature of life, and it’s the nature of politics, and therefore we have an opportunity here to begin to shape an agenda for the next decade. People throw around this word “renewal” all the time. Actually, that is something that should be intrinsic to New Labour. It should be done every year.’

Tea time at the Home Office, and Mr Reid, gesturing pugnaciously with every phrase, is warming to his theme. What Labour needs, he says, is not a one-off dose of refreshment at its conference in Manchester, but a sharp reminder that a progressive party is always in what Bill Clinton calls ‘the future business’. With a doctorate in history, the Home Secretary prefers to cite the philosophies of Max Weber (‘the routinisation of charisma’) and Eduard Bernstein (‘permanent revisionism’).