Kemi Badenoch finally has something to announce. But is anyone listening?

This year’s Conservative Party conference was never going to be a joyous affair. It is still less than 18 months since the Tories suffered the worst election defeat in their 191-year history; last year’s conference was little more than part of the process to choose a new leader. This is the first “normal” event of Kemi Badenoch’s tenure.

Of course there is nothing “normal” about any party conference. They are events for politicians – by definition an abnormal class – and those with an abnormally intense interest in politics, but no one has yet devised a better alternative. The Conservatives first gathered at the Freemasons’ Tavern in the West End in November 1867 and have been doing it ever since. But this year’s conference in Mancheste r is unlikely to be a high point.

The Conserv