‘It’s like the night of the living dead’: denial-fuelled Tory conference ends without a new direction

Delusion and short-term relief brought a strange buzz to Birmingham, with the leadership race still wide open

Three months on from almost their worst ever election loss, Conservative MPs were curiously gleeful at their Birmingham conference this week.

Denial about the scale of the defeat, exaggeration of Labour's teething troubles in government and delusion about the party's chances of returning quickly were widespread.