Most Secretaries of State tend to lay low the night before their big conference speech, redrafting and practising. Not so Theresa May. The glammed-up Home Secretary was working the party scene hard last night, flanked by a bolstered entourage. After losing her Special Adviser Fiona Cunningham in blue on blue briefing row, May has brought in former Mail journalist Liz Sanderson to handle her media. If it looks like a leadership campaign…
May’s speech this morning was steely. She talked about freedom and a free society. With her smart new haircut, it was not long before obvious comparisons were being made to a the last strong woman to dominate the Conservative Party.
Mr S suspects that we have not heard the last of the theme that May worked her speech around: apparently ‘we must not become a society where these things are no longer possible.’ In this case, ‘these things’ were freedoms to work and learn without interference or threat from extremism, but ‘these things’ will doubtless prove interchangeable with other things, should Mrs May have the opportunity to expand her brief one day. ‘Because, in the end, as they have done before, those values, our British values, will win the day, and we will prevail.’
As the cameras panned around the conference hall, May’s cabinet sparring partner Michael Gove was left looking rather glum, and it was fixed grins from Team Osborne. As if by chance, another future leadership contender was next to the stage. He followed the sustained ovation that May won.
By contrast, Boris’s panto act today seemed rather tired and flat. We’ve heard it all before, but there was one difference: he did appear to have brushed his hair. Boris would only have to burp and the conference hall would clap him, but it was not a vintage performance. The jokes, such as ‘bus crime is down, which is obviously not crime committed by buses’, were laboured. When the Mayor fluffed another quip, he just shrugged and gave up, saying ‘there is a joke in there somewhere,’ managing to salvage at least a small laugh.
The race to be the next Tory leader has begun and today Theresa May turned up to a knife fight with a sawn off shotgun. Boris brought a spoon. He’s going to need more.
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