“I’ve been coming to Conservative Party Conference for years,” one avid attendee told GB News. “This is the worst it’s ever been.” That was the overall picture of the first day in Manchester.

“It’s f**king dead,” another conference-goer complained. A third added: “There’s so much empty space and the mood is flat.”

It was an interesting atmosphere compared to last year, when a feeling of hopeless optimism was afflicted on to the Tory Party during its leadership contest.

And it’s been Reform UK who have claimed their fourth conference victory. Just like in Bournemouth with the Liberal Democrats and in Liverpool with Labour, Nigel Farage was the man of the moment.

Perhaps surprisingly, a Reform bigwig even made the journey up to Manchester.

In The Midland’s glamorous hotel bar, where two pints will cost you £18, a major bolt from the blue was spotted schmoozing with old friends.

Tim Montgomerie, the founder of Conservative Home, appeared to be enjoying the party feel in Manchester, just weeks after he made a high-profile appearance at the NEC in Birmingham.

“I’m mainly here for the party part of party conference,” Mr Montgomerie admitted. “I’m very happy to have made my move to Reform.”

However, Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake gave clearance for Mr Montgomerie to enjoy the political festivities in Manchester.

‘Longest queue at conference!’

However, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman was met with perhaps the warmest reception of the first day at the Conservative Friends of Israel event last night.

Mrs Braverman, who is a proud Zionist and supporter of the Jewish community in Britain, was met by rapturous rounds of applause as she took to the stage in the depths of The Midland Hotel.

Around 500 people were crammed into the drinks reception, leaving Mrs Braverman to joke that it was the “longest queue at conference”.

Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, also made an appearance at the drinks reception.

She warned: “Out-of-control migration, particularly from Islamist communities hostile to your values, is reshaping your society. It is fuelling antisemitism on your streets. It is straining your social cohesion. ”

Glum Tories hit with hard truths

A group of glum Tory Party members gathered at the back of The Midland Hotel last night to hear from Britain’s polling expert.

Sir John Curtice didn’t pull any punches when he explained that the Tories were in an even more dire situation than they were a year ago.

One Shadow Minister in attendance let out an agonisingly desperate laugh when Sir John said: “You’ve been going downhill.”

But a lay member of the audience was even more emotive, sighing every time Reform UK’s surge was mentioned.

And it appeared that the polling prognosis was too much for some in the sauna-like room, with more and more making their way to the exit door in the final 20 minutes.

Robert Jenrick ‘snubbed’ from Kemi Badenoch’s Conference brochure

If voters were asked to name 10 Conservative MPs, the swashbuckling Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick would definitely make the cut.

However, if you turned up at the Conservative Party Conference yesterday, you would not have been greeted by Mr Jenrick on the handbook.

Kemi Badenoch is flanked by former leadership rival James Cleverly, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and a handful of other Shadow Cabinet Ministers.

Mr Jenrick, and for that matter, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, didn’t appear on the guide.

Despite seemingly being snubbed on the conference guide, the man touted as Mrs Badenoch’s successor-in-waiting has been relatively well-behaved in Manchester.

There have been plenty of fringe events for the Newark MP to enjoy his Tory stardom.

However, Mr Jenrick was far more coy when he was door-stepped about the crowd who decided to skip Mrs Badenoch’s speech to hear his thoughts on the ECHR.

One attendee told GB News: “Was Kemi speaking?”

‘Reform, Reform, Reform!’ The face of Nigel Farage is never far away

When Tory staffers started dishing out goodies for hacks at the back of the Manchester Centre, one item sparked a spree of giggles across the desks.

A mock-up Reform-themed cigarette packet, undoubtedly a dig at Mr Farage over his fag-puffing tendencies, included a major health warning.

“Unfunded promises can seriously harm economic health,” the warning said.

The cigarette packet, which we got our hands on for free as opposed to around £15 in the shops, was manufactured by: “Reform Manifesto Parody.”

And GB News has heard from Reform UK insiders who could also see the funny side.

However, and perhaps more tellingly, the Tory Conference book stand pit Michael Crick’s biography of Mr Farage alongside a litany of literature of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.