Is the Tory conference even worth paying attention to?

Dazed, confused, but with more than a hint of defiance (foolish or otherwise), the Conservatives meet for their party conference in Birmingham with some important business to transact.

- SEANO ' GRADY

The members and MPs will see a great deal of the four remaining leadership candidates, and naturally there will be discussion about what went wrong for the party in the general election (and before).

Robert Jenrick is now the bookies’ favourite, having overtaken Kemi Badenoch, with James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat the outsiders – but that could all change.

The official theme is “Review and Rebuild”, which sounds about right. Given their fratricidal tendencies, however, and the spectral presence of Boris Johnson through the medium of his memoir Unleashed, it could easily descend into acrimony. The Tories may not be too relevant right now, but it will be entertaining...

Isn’t it going to be a bit of a beauty c ontest?

If that’s not too sexist an expression, it sure is. The four contenders for the thankless task of leader of the opposition will be putting themselves about a bit, at receptions, two sets of Q&A sessions (on Monday and Tuesday afternoons), and their Apprentice-style leader’s speech contest after lunch on Wednesday. They will be given 20 minutes each to sell themselves and their “vision” to the constituency activists and their parliamentary colleagues. They will speak in the following order, according to the agenda: Tugendhat; Cleverly; Jenrick; Badenoch.