Breaking the strict no-complacency rule that was supposed to be in force at the Labour conference, a member of the shadow cabinet said to me: “In his head, Keir can picture himself walking into Number 10.” At no other time since Labour was removed from office in 2010 has it looked more like a party that is hungry to be in government, believes it can win, and is thinking seriously about what it would do with power. An organisation that was in thrall to Jeremy Corbyn and his unmerry comrades not so long ago has been thoroughly Starmerised. “The party has really changed. They want to win,” remarked a different member of the shadow cabinet at the conclusion of the gathering in Liverpool. Devotees of the last leader were extremely thin on the ground and the conference hall was filled with people much more aligned with the ideas and values of the current management. Angela Rayner led a minute’s silence in remembrance of the victims of the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas in Israel. They applauded when the shadow chancellor heralded “economic credibility” and “fiscal responsibility” and ovated for a leader’s speech which accompanied the promise of “a decade of national renewal” with the warning that it will be a long, hard slog. They put their hands together for Wes Streeting after he’d told them that the NHS, most revered of all Labour’s household gods, needs “fundamental and deep” reform. In one of the few peeps of dissent, trade unions won a vote demanding the nationalisation of the energy companies, but that felt so unthreatening to the leadership that one senior shadow cabinet member could simply shrug: “It won’t be in the manifesto.” Another striking development is the increasing boldness with which Labour is thrusting into electoral territories that have traditionally been regarded as Tory strong points. Rachel Reeves presented herself as a chancellor-in-waiting who would be the world’s most unforgiving scourge of wasteful government and the galaxy’s sternest custodian of taxpayers’ money. It was not just by characterising herself as “iron-clad” that she channelled some Margaret Thatcher. “We want our money back,” was another echo of the Iron Lady when the shadow chancellor talked about recovering the billions stolen by Covid frauds. The announcement that a corruption commissioner will chase down the missing moolah speaks to an intent to punish the Conservatives for their record now and to carry on punching the bruise when the Tories are in opposition. Sir Keir’s speech was his most confident to date. The fool who sneaked on stage at the beginning to shower him with glitter did the Labour leader an unwittingly tremendous favour. After recovering his composure with impressive aplomb, he delivered his trademark “protest or power?” line. Shedding his jacket, he adopted the shirt-sleeves rolled-up look of a man ready to get cracking rebuilding Britain.