Jeremy Corbyn's Prime Ministerial Speech

Interviewed in the wake of this year's Labour leadership contest, Progress director Richard Angell conceded that not only were they out-organised, they had lost the battle of ideas because, well, they didn't got any. Witness poor Owen Smith, who offered only Corbynism minus Corbyn but with nuclear weapons and immigration controls, and last year's candidates whose managerial, vision-free politics fell flat. To underline the vacuity Richard spoke of, Jeremy Corbyn's conference speech today was, to borrow a phrase, ram-packed with them.

Old favourites were dusted off - the national/lifelong education service, an end to punitive DWP sanctions, restoration of rights at work, the national investment bank, the return of the migrant impact fund, and house building. And newbies shown off too. Allowing councils to borrow against the value of their housing stock, restrictions on private rents, support for small businesses, greater access to the arts, all are entirely welcome. It was also good to see Jeremy spell out Labour's opposition to a hard Brexit and the party's commitment to a Lexit politics - if the Tories are determined to make working people bear the cost, or they come to an arrangement with the EU by which the sorts of interventionist policies our economy needs are disallowed, we will oppose. More important for the future health of our politics, I was pleased to see Jeremy not shy away from immigration. Given Rachel Reeves's disgraceful and cynical speech yesterday, the real "tough decision" is not to ape UKIP and decades worth of tabloid lies, but stand up to them. He made it absolutely clear this means concentrating on economics, housing, on unscrupulous employers and deregulated labour markets, not capitulating to scapegoating and hate. Good.

There was something quite unusual about the speech. Perhaps it's the darker suit, but whatever. Jez was a man transformed. Jeremy came over as articulate, polished, and convincing. He avoided lefty jargonbabble while setting out the stall, sounded passionate and firm in his belief in what he was saying was right (a sincerity, alas, that always evaded his predecessor), and was as assured as he was galvanising. Readers know I don't do uncritical cheerleading, but this was Corbyn at his best. A man with the vision of the good life, with a coherent policy agenda, and a confidence in his leadership and our movement's capability to deliver it. Jeremy has had more stick than any other mainstream politician, but today's performance gives hope that it can be turned around. We had a glimpse of something we never expected to see from Jeremy Corbyn, that rarefied and seldom spotted commodity: prime ministerialism.

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