Darling enters the lion’s den

Is Alistair Darling in for a mauling at the TUC conference later today? The official line from the brothers is that he’ll get a “frosty but polite” reception. But given that the Chancellor is most likely going to turn down calls for public sector pay rises, it’s anyone’s guess as to how long the politeness will last.

Whatever happens, there’s certainly an extra buzz about this latest union get-together. Rachel Sylvester nails it in her column today, when she writes:

“[The TUC conference] in Brighton this week is worth watching … because it could actually be a picture of the future. The union leaders promoting an ever-more left-wing agenda – with calls for punitive taxes on the super-rich, threats of a general strike and proposals to nationalise the utility companies offer a snapshot of what the Labour Party could become if it suffers a landslide defeat.

Watch this space.