Rachel Reeves is no longer ‘boring’

Rachel Reeves was once branded ‘boring snoring’ by a BBC editor. Today, she was more of a Scary Mary in her speech to conference, repeatedly casting herself as an Iron Lady whose iron discipline would make it difficult for any of her colleagues to get any money for their pet spending projects. In the decade since she was dissed as being dull, Reeves has grown in confidence and stature, and the speech she gave today was really very good: energetic and forceful to the extent that many of those shadow cabinet colleagues watching on the conference floor looking a little scared of her.

Some of those colleagues have already given their speeches: this morning’s conference session saw shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and shadow defence secretary John Healey speaking, followed by a session themed on work and business that included shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall and shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds.