Will Starmer's conference speech be enough to cheer up the party?

There were at least two Cabinet ministers taking it in turns to DJ at a party at Labour conference last night, with one of them ending the set by playing the D-Ream soundtrack of the party's 1997 victory, 'Things Can Only Get Better'.

Others, including ministers and advisers, threw their hands in the air, singing along to the tune.

Perhaps, it was a little symbol of the more optimistic mood that Labour MPs, ministers and mayors had privately said they were hoping for from Keir Starmer today.

And his speech was certainly more upbeat than the one he delivered in the Downing Street garden, where his deep focus on the party's economic inheritance, and how difficult things are about to become, led to a sense that the new PM had told the country - things can only get worse.

Where was the hope, asked the party faithful?

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Today, Starmer offered a much more optimistic vision under the idea of 'change begins' in a speech that stressed the Labour nature of his government (notably getting standing ovations for the more left-wing parts of the agenda including workers' rights, rail nationalisation and a Gaza ceasefire).

And Starmer was more personal and delivered the crescendo of the speech in a way I've rarely seen before.

Downing Street had heard the complaints, but they weren't changing the entire message. As one senior aide said - we shifted the treble and the base, but the tune was the same.

And it is true that Starmer still had a negative message - around the idea that the country was suffering from anxiety and that every change required difficult compromises - such as prisons near communities to solve the justice crisis, or pylons above ground to spread green energy.

Will it be enough to cheer up the party?

Certainly, his cabinet was spinning hard at the end of the speech.

But it is still the case that Labour has had a difficult start - with scandals around clothing budgets and staff pay that went unmentioned.

That led to a slightly more strained atmosphere at the conference this year than last.

Today was Starmer's attempt to lift his party.

Whether it will work might depend on the substance, however.

It was moving when he said he wanted his carer sister to be given as much respect as him as PM.

But the evidence of whether he really believes that will be when we find out what the government's fair pay for carers really looks like.

Respect can't just come in words - it is going to require actions.

And with the difficult economic circumstances, I suspect they make some time to actually land.

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