Rachel Reeves has begun the daunting task of restoring Labour’s lost credibility

The shadow chancellor is right to make her starting point different from Jeremy Corbyn’s plan to boost public spending by £80bn and capital projects by £400bn, writes Andrew Grice

Reeves can deliver prudence (AFP via Getty Images)

To the relief of Labour MPs, the party conference spotlight moved on to policy today after Keir Starmer won approval for his watered-down reforms on how the party chooses its leader. The euphoria of Starmer allies here in Brighton was overdone, revealing their desperation for some good news. 

But the conference has not gone according to plan. Angela Rayner, Starmer’s plain-speaking deputy, complained privately that his reforms were a needless distraction from showcasing Labour’s policies but then eclipsed them herself by refusing to apologise for describing  Boris Johnson as “scum”. Several shadow cabinet colleagues believe this was a needless distraction.

Today Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor and, unlike Rayner, one of Starmer’s closest allies, got Labour back on track and began the daunting task of restoring the party’s lost credibility on the economy. In voters’ eyes, Labour is still blamed for the deficit that contributed to its loss of power in 2010, even though the main cause was a global financial crisis. Today the Tories are seen as the best party to manage the economy by 41 per cent of people, and Labour just 27 per cent, according to Opinium. Focus groups show voters fear Labour would borrow too much to spend money it didn’t have.