Andy Burnham revives Labour as Greens and Reform battle conference chaos

That's another mammoth conference season done and dusted. The fragmentation of British politics - with the rise of parties like Reform UK and the Greens - has meant the fight for voters' attention is more alive than ever. Andy Burnham's ascendancy as Prime Minister has given Labour a bounce in the polls, while Reform UK and the Greens' surges have begun to peter out. According to the latest YouGov polling published on Tuesday, Labour is now five percentage points ahead on 27%, while Reform UK is on 22% and the Tories are third on 20%. The Lib Dems and Greens are both on 11%. This conference season saw rows, scandals and bold policy pledges. The Mirror takes a look at how the conferences went for each party. To see more of the stories you love from The Mirror and to find them easily in Google then make us your preferred source. Free and easy-to-do, just click on the link here to find more from The Mirror at the top of your feed. Labour buoyed by 'invigorating' Burnham speech It's hard to outline just how different Labour's annual conference was compared to the last two years. After the 2024 general election - when you'd think Labour would be buoyed by its historic landslide victory - members head into conference amid a row over freebies and a controversy over the salary of No10 chief-of-staff Sue Gray. The following year, conference came after Angela Rayner had resigned over a council tax row and Peter Mandelson had been sacked over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Instead of whispers in corridors about unease over the latest row, this year Labour members were bright about their party's prospects. The so-called "Burnham bounce" - the bump in the polls for Labour since Andy Burnham became PM - is true for the energy and optimism for Labour's party faithful too. As the Mirror stood with a senior Downing Street staffer at the bar one night, they were often interrupted by people coming over with words of congratulations or a declaration of the conference slogan "Hope Again!". And Mr Burnham's speech - with bold promises on social care and ending the pensions triple lock - gave both Labour supporters and the country a clear and bold vision for the country. One party member told the Mirror the address was "invigorating", others said it was "fantastic" and "awesome". Many said it was emotional and brought the "passion" back into politics. Getting through party conference with no major rows, and with people feeling more hopeful than when they arrived, is no small feat. It's fair to say Labour will be delighted with its success. Tories recycle 'same old playbook' - but draw line with Reform One former staffer in Downing Street under the recent Tory government told me they would often measure the success of a party conference on two points: Do people leave more united than when it started and were there any major gaffes? On the first point, this hasn’t been the worst of all conferences for the Tories (Liz Truss’s catastrophic gathering might take that crown in recent history). Being rid of troublemakers like now-Reform MP Robert Jenrick - whose complaint about not seeing “another white face” in a Birmingham area overshadowed last year’s conference - has helped to bring a sense of unity to the party. On the second point, the conference was certainly not gaffe-free. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch tied herself in knots over the naming of their so-called "Iron Dome" defence plan, the Tories were forced to clarify shadow housing secretary Katie Lam's suggestion she wants to scrap renters' rights reforms, and shadow minister Blake Stephenson was branded “deeply irresponsible” after claiming there are “no-go zones” in Luton where “white people won’t go”. Mrs Badenoch was praised for her conference speech, where she drew a line in the sand with Reform UK after some Tories suggested a Tory-Reform coalition should be an option. The Conservative leader received repeated standing ovations for her fierce attack on Reform MP Suella Braverman debating the definition of Englishness. But while she received applause from party faithful, there were questions over her appeal to families who are struggling with the cost of living. Her pledge to slash inheritance tax - which benefits the top 5% richest in the country, alongside a £700million childcare giveaway for high earners and plans to cut benefits for under 25s, sparked accusations that she is recycling "the same old Tory playbook: cutting taxes for their rich mates and leaving working people to pick up the bill". Reform overshadowed by chaos and scandal Reform UK's annual conference at the start of September went off the rails in spectacular fashion after the party was plunged into a dodgy donations scandal. Nigel Farage's plans to get voters talking about his hardline policies were dashed, as two of his top aides were forced to step down after being caught in undercover filming allegedly seeking to evade the rules on foreign donations. Long-standing aide Dan Jukes and policy chief James Orr were suspended following the sting by Channel 4 News and undercover group Verbatim, which appeared to show the pair seeking to orchestrate funds from journalists posing as a wealthy American and his UK-based son. Mr Farage dismissed it as "loose pub talk", but Scotland Yard later launched a criminal investigation into the allegations. If their annual conference wasn't already on the rocks, Mr Farage's keynote speech descended into chaos after repeated hecklers interrupted him. Sickening footage later showed a woman being assaulted by members as she was removed from the main hall. The clip showed her being hit around the head with a crutch before her hair is pulled and a hand put over her mouth. Reform's business day was also a disappointment, with business leaders left frustrated by the lack of access. Mr Farage yet again tried to rally his troops with blaring music, pyrotechnics and eyebrow-raising claims he could save the country from the so-called establishment. But the fireworks only served to see his conference policies go up in smoke, with the annual gathering likely to be remembered for little more than its scandals, rows and chaos. Lib Dems sleepwalking into oblivion? The Liberal Democrats' conference was by no means a disaster, but nor was it a success. That's the trouble for the party at the moment: They're neither here nor there. The atmosphere was fairly downbeat with MPs and members anxious about how the party battles for attention in a crowded political field. One councillor's warning that his party is “sleepwalking into oblivion” cast a shadow over the start of their annual gathering in Brighton. Some party faithful welcome the cautious approach of leader Sir Ed Davey, with polling showing the Lib Dems are the least disliked party. Others think he needs to be more bold in showing what the party stands for, with a broader offering than its focus on targeting rural Middle England seats. At a fringe meeting at the conference, polling guru Sir John Curtice drew applause as he concluded the party had “maxed out their strategy”. The conference season also showed splits in how Lib Dems want to approach the Burnham government. Sir Ed drew some surprised reactions after hitting out at the new PM's conference speech, where Mr Burnham vowed to contest the next election on the offer of a National Care Service (social care is a key policy area for the Lib Dems). Sir Ed said the triple lock shouldn't be ended to pay for it, but some of his own Lib Dem MPs criticised this approach. Where Sir Ed goes next could be a defining moment in how his MPs and members judge his ability to lead the party. Green Party descends into crisis - when it really needed some calm It is hard to look at this year's conference in Brighton as anything other than a disaster. By all rights the gathering should have been the biggest celebration in the party's history, with record numbers signing up in the past 12 months and huge gains in May's elections. Leader Zack Polanski was keen to hammer home the success, urging voters to back him in order to pull the Labour government to the left - pointing to his record in the last 12 months. He was hoping the party's pledges on rent controls, youth unemployment and de-proscribing Palestine Action would land with the public. But with a tricky by-election to contend with, the Greens could have done without any major controversy from their three-day conference on the south coast. That wasn't to be, though, with a behind-closed-doors motion vote on whether Zionism is racism dominating the headlines. The Greens operate differently to other parties in that they allow members to vote on their party's position, rather than being dominated by the leadership. This hyper-democratic approach was to haunt them this year. Despite four of the party's five MPs publicly opposing the Zionism motion, as well as deputy leader Rachel Millward and former chief Caroline Lucas, it sailed through Sunday's vote. With members entitled to an equal vote and Mr Polanski a long way from Brighton - sparking questions about his leadership - it now means the Greens are committed to a single state - encompassing Israel and Palestine - in the Middle East. It set up a number of awkward and very public resignations and inevitably months of soul searching for those at the top of the party. The party's five MPs, leader and deputies - one of who, Mothin Ali, voted for the motion - later put out a statement saying they opposed discrimination and harassment. And it concluded: "We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people." Having made enormous gains in the past 12 months, though, the Greens came out of this year's conference looking like a party in crisis.