Starmer’s speech will go down as a success

Keir Starmer gave a very long speech on the final day of Labour conference. It lasted an hour and a half, and had 17 standing ovations. But it will largely be remembered as the speech in which the Labour leader was repeatedly heckled by the hard left.

These heckles worked hugely in his favour and made the speech all the better. Those shouting from the conference floor largely chose to do so at very inappropriate moments, including when he was talking about his mother being seriously ill in intensive care. 

Many other delegates turned on the woman who repeatedly shouted about the need for a £15-an-hour minimum wage, shouting ‘shhh!’ and ‘shame!’ at her. If this was an organised campaign, its ringleaders will be hugely disappointed, or lack a grip on reality. That subsequent shouts included ‘free Julian Assange!’ and ‘where’s Peter Mandelson?’ underlined that these delegates were perhaps not the people whose opinion Starmer needs to worry about.