Loyal Tories 6 October May, dubbed a “dead woman walking” by George Osborne in the immediate aftermath of the general election, gave a closing speech at the Conservative party conference in Manchester that achieved new heights of incompetence. A comedian managed to present her with a P45 as she spoke, and as the speech wore on, her voice gave out and was reduced to a croak. Then at the end, as a crowning humiliation, the letters on the slogan on the stage set behind her began to fall off, one by one. Conservative supporters were uncertain whether to rant, rave, laugh or cry.

Illustration: Steve Bell