This year’s speech was a big moment for Ed Miliband. A defining moment. His first real chance to tell the party and the country who he is and what he stands for. It would have been easier to play it safe. He could have erred on the side of caution. But he chose not to.
 
His central argument was that Britain’s model of capitalism isn’t working. He charted a new direction. Taking on the economic orthodoxies of the last three decades. Attacking Southern Cross ‘predators’, the big six energy companies and vested interests.
 
Anecdotes about his nose job and family made for an informal, relaxed and confident opening. But these jokes had a more serious undertone. They underlined his values which underpinned the rest of the speech. Connecting the personal with the political.
 
He made clear that his decision to take on the Murdoch press this summer strengthened his resolve. It confirmed his belief that if you speak your mind and say what is right and wrong, people will respect you for it. It is this quality which sets him apart from David Cameron and Nick Clegg: a willingness to take on and face down vested interests.
 
Rebuilding Labour’s credibility on the economy took centre-stage. He stressed that there can be no path back to power without winning back the public’s trust on the economy. And this commitment was backed up with a concrete pledge: that every penny from the sale of the nationalised banks will be used to pay down the deficit. ‘If the government don’t fix the deficit in this parliament, then we will in the next’.
 
He reinforced his theme of responsibility from those at the top and the bottom of our society. The big crises which have gripped Britain in the last few years – banking, phonehacking, MPs’ expenses and the riots – are symptoms of a lack of responsibility. And he underlined the need to reform the welfare state to secure its future. Time and again in my constituency during the 2010 general election campaign, working people accused the Labour government of being soft on those who don’t want to work. But just as important was Ed’s criticism of the Tories desire to get rid of the 50p tax rate for the highest earners.
 
He landed some punches on the Tory reforms of the NHS. He accused the prime minister of betraying people’s trust and failing to protect the NHS. And there were some specific new policies, such as, putting an employee on companies’ pay committees and only awarding government contracts to companies who give apprenticeships.
 
But this speech wasn’t about specific policies. The next general election is three and half years away. Labour has time to put more meat on the bones. This speech set out a distinct, challenging new vision for the country.
 
It wasn’t a speech for the faint-hearted. It was bold, brave and personal.
 
As the packed hall emptied onto the docks of Liverpool, the sun was shining. And it was a Labour sun.
 
Emma Reynolds is MP for Wolverhampton North-East

Photo: Labour.org.uk