Burnham sets out his stall

This was Burnham beginning to define his premiership – and, in many respects, starting to construct the offer Labour will take into the next general election. Under the banner that “hope comes from honesty”, he deliberately opened up arguments politicians have often preferred to avoid, while acknowledging that some of the answers may carry a political price.

Social care provided the clearest example. Burnham promised a universal National Care Service in the next Parliament and tied its funding to reform of the pension triple lock from 2030 onwards. Electoral reform was placed on a similar timetable, through a new national commission ahead of a manifesto commitment.

Behind those policies sat a broader governing argument: that Britain has lost control over too many of the things on which a functioning economy depends. Burnham’s answer combines greater public control of essentials such as energy, water and housing with devolution, reindustrialisation and a more active state – presented not in opposition to business, but as the basis for investment and growth.

Europe was another important part of that argument. Burnham declared Brexit had done “more harm than good” and promised options for a new long-term relationship with Europe later this year, signalling a willingness to reopen a debate Labour has spent years trying to move beyond.

And it landed. Burnham received a rapturous response in the hall, helped by an emotional conclusion centred on his late father, his family and his defence of the Union. Whether the same pitch resonates more widely and gives him a 'conference bounce' and increased political capital remains to be seen.

Looking forward, Burnham's 10-year plan for the country is due to be laid out later this year and should provide more of the detail. Before then comes the Budget on 28 October, when the Government will have to start showing how it intends to pay for an increasingly ambitious programme – and who will be asked to shoulder the cost.