Of course, Blair??s political judgement isn??t infallible. But his comments aren??t the act of a back-seat driver, either. They??re the act of a passenger who??s tapped the driver on the shoulder and told him 'It??s OK, I??ll walk the rest of the way.' He??s not grabbing for the wheel. He??s getting out before the car ends up in the ditch. And there are several members of Ed Miliband??s shadow cabinet starting to wish they could get out with him.The slogan for Conservative conference is "Leadership for a better future", which speaks to Team Dave's belief that the public wants to see serious politicians for serious times showing that they can get the country through the economic crisis and back to growth. It helped, therefore, that Dave had a good outing on Marr earlier. He spoke clearly, in simple terms, and looked and sounded like a man in charge.

In October 2006, North Korea held its first nuclear test explosion, defying public pleas from Chinese leaders. Beijing is unlikely to risk the humiliation of a similar rebuff.

The Department for Work and Pensions said last night it would resist attempts by the EU to weaken its "right to reside" tests. A spokesman said a new, streamlined universal benefits system would make it more difficult to abuse.

Although the public is made very welcome and most concerts sell out, the festival is really more a treat for the musicians than for audiences - a chance for them to explore new repertory in a relaxed atmosphere where you rehearse in the morning, surf or swim in the afternoon, perform in the evening and make merry until the small hours.

Cardinal Pell stood down as Archbishop of Sydney in 2002 after he was accused of abusing a teenager at a church camp in the 1960s, but an independent investigation by a retired non-Catholic judge cleared him.