The Tory conference was a pseudo-sacred affair, with devotees paying homage in front of Thatcher’s old shrouds — and your reporter, initially barred, only need mention he’d once met her to gain access. But would she consider what was on offer a worthy legacy, asks ANDREW MURRAY

ON FRIDAY, the Labour Party announced the results of the recent elections to the national executive committee. They prove there is still a huge appetite in the party for an explicitly socialist politics that puts people before profit, tackles the climate emergency and has a serious plan for protecting public health and defending living standards in the wake of the covid pandemic.
The elections also provide an important lesson to the left on the centrality of unity in successfully arguing for this agenda in the party.
In the Youth Representative election, the left-wing incumbent, Lara McNeil, deservedly sailed to victory with 61 per cent of the vote, having established herself as a formidable critic of the Tories and a strong voice for young members on the NEC.



