There may have been a decent turnout of both youthful Tory members and elderly cardholders at this year’s Conservative party conference in Manchester, but it was the missing group in the middle that made all the difference. The crowds were significantly slimmed down without the corporate types, with parts of the venue ghostly quiet by mid-afternoon. And the party could have done with more support from its elected representatives: despite the Holyrood election being just seven months away, just a smattering of MSPs journeyed down from Scotland.

Former crime journalist-turned-party leader Russell Findlay was on good form, however, quipping during the Scottish reception that Wales was Kemi Badenoch’s ‘second favourite devolved’ nation before adding: ‘I despise defection, I demand loyalty.’ B

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