Andy Burnham has been stealing the show in Liverpool. Whether it’s electoral reform or rejoining the EU, Labour members have crammed into fringe venues to hear from Manchester’s man of the moment.

“There’s nothing more unstoppable than an idea whose time has come,” Mr Burnham quipped last night. And it appeared that Labour members were rather taken by the Manchester Mayor’s offer.

It makes a huge change from 12 months ago when GB News was quizzing Mr Burnham on whether he would rule out a return to Westminster.

One Fleet Street journalist even labelled the People’s Channel’s question last year as “stupid”. But I bet they’re not now, are they?

Despite Mr Burnham’s personal popularity, there is one thing standing in the way of the Greater Manchester Mayor: his job.

After hinting at a potential challenge to Sir Keir Starmer for days, Mr Burnham has since admitted: “There is no ability for me to launch a campaign.”

However, Mr Burnham is still making the Prime Minister slightly twitchy.

“I’m not going to say every conversation I have with every MP,” he added. “I have many conversations with MPs.”

As last night came to a close, MPs, journalists, lobbyists and Labour members were stumbling outside of bars after perhaps having a little too much to drink.

With conversations flowing about as quickly as the booze, GB News heard that Labour MPs who have been promoted into ministerial positions have been getting some lessons on communications.

“It’s a how to talk like a robot guide,” one MP said. Another warned: “It’s not actually about answering questions properly. There’s no straight-talking.”

Labour MPs might have forgotten that the man whose message they are hoping to sell is himself accused of being a political robot.

The Prime Minister left audience members howling when his response to whether he was indeed a political robot was to freeze.

However, with a growing number of fresh-faced MPs from the 2024 intake have been promoted into ministerial posts, it will come as no surprise that Morgan McSweeney is trying to get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet.

And one Labour MP even managed to find himself at Sinn Fein’s drinks reception.

Staunch socialist Ian Byrne, who only had the whip restored earlier this year, shared snaps of Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald delivering her speech to attendees.

“A quite brilliant speech from Mary Lou McDonald tonight in Liverpool at the packed Sinn Féin Fringe,” Mr Byrne said.

Labour has long held Sinn Fein events at its party conferences, with then-Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Louise Haigh’s billed appearance in 2021 sparking particular fury.

However, Labour still considers itself a Unionist party, even if the Prime Minister himself is sometimes slightly wobbly on the matter.

However, the key message from the 2025 Labour Party Conference is that Sir Keir isn’t a fan of Nigel Farage.

While Mr Burnham might be nipping at Sir Keir’s heels inside the Labour Party, No10 insiders know all too well that the biggest threat to the Prime Minister is the Reform UK leader.

Mr Farage, who has now become the “unofficial leader of the opposition” to Labour insiders, is the subject of dozens of fringe events across Liverpool.

The appetite to learn how Labour plans to take on Reform also forced Blue Labour to move room to accommodate for almost 100 people crammed into a room initially holding around 40.

Labour MP Jonathan Hinder also shut down calls for Sir Keir to start batting against Brexit.

“The idea that the Labour Party should spend its time doing what it did for half a decade, telling its base ‘you’re wrong, you’re stupid’,” the former police inspector told one Remainer in the audience.