The party conference season was marked by statements from the Prime Minister which renewed interest in the Blair-Brown relationship this September.

Tony Blair told journalists he was going into hospital for an operation, that he had bought a new house, and wouldn’t be standing as Labour leader for a fourth term all on the last day of the Labour party conference.

The operation was routine and was over the next day, but Blair’s statement that he wouldn’t continue beyond another term caused a wave of controversy.

Leadership contest

Many argued that by limiting his time in office Blair lost the authority he once had. The move caused a return to speculation about his relationship with Brown and the possibility of Brown taking over his role as leader.

Speculation than seemed confirmed by the chancellor’s speech, in which he claimed credit for the New Labour project. As the unions and backbenchers become more vocal in his favour, Brown’s momentum may become unstoppable.

Hartlepool

The Tories had a disastrous opening to their conference after coming fourth in the Hartlepool by-election. They even pushed for a humiliating recount in a bid to get into third place after being edged out by UKIP.

Labour won after a controversial campaign and there was a good turnout of 46 per cent, and it ended in a positive showing for the party.

But things didn’t get any better for Howard and the Tories.

On the first day of their conference Newsnight released a poll revealing that only 12 per cent of voters believe Howard stands a chance of becoming prime minister. Another poll suggested that the Tories were less popular under his leadership than they were under Iain Duncan Smith.

The conference lacked a bold theme, after the euphoria of Howard’s accession last autumn; the Tories had taken yet another hard fall.

War on Terror

Charles Kennedy’s main theme was the war on terror, using it to display the party’s liberalism but also take a swipe at New Labour.

In a wave of alliteration Kennedy criticised the foreign policy of Blair and Bush. "Dissent, democracy, debate must never be beaten by bullets, barbarism and bombs. But we should also remember this: we do a disservice to democracy if we simply meet terror with terror."