Conference predictions

As Iain Martin wrote last week, for once, David Cameron doesn't have to make the speech of his life. This is clearly good for the Prime Minister and his team but may result in the media causing mischief looking for a good story.

The Conservatives have often suffered by their conference finishing the season meaning journalists frequently arrive at the Tory bash exhausted and even more sceptical than usual. This year they are arriving at Birmingham on the back of a roller coaster of a Labour conference that was packed with great stories (and genuine soap-opera moments).

The Conservative media team will be hoping for one of the dullest conferences in years and this, I  believe, is what we will get. With literally tens of thousands of sources for good stories, interacting with journalists over four days, the possibility for something spicy to emerge is an ever present danger for media handlers.

The stories I expect to emerge out of conference are:

• A junior Minister is overheard being less than complementary about their Lib Dem partners;
• The row over defence cuts will rumble on;
• IDS will be very honest about the need to reform welfare;
• Champagne will be drunk at more than one party;
• David Davis will be less than complimentary about his Parliamentary colleagues. 

Should be fun.