Welcome to F.T. Politics, the Financial Times's podcast on British politics.

I'm Sebastian Payne and in this week's episode we'll be discussing the Conservative Party conference

to his extraordinary speech and a lack of new policy ideas and a lack of new thinking.

I'm delighted to be joined by our political editor George Parker, political correspondent Henry Mans,

and political commentator Miranda Green. Thank you all for joining. So it was the turn of the Conservatives

to hold that annual gathering in Manchester this week until the last day it was a pretty

lifeless and dreary event.

Aside from Boris Johnson, Ruth Davidson, there was no really exciting speeches, the crowd

weren't very enthused, there were no new policy directions

and little substantial discussion about how to beat Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party.

And as I'm sure listeners know, things took a slightly different turn for the words on the last day.

When Theresa May took to the stage, her efforts to apologize the party for June's general election

and lay out her British dream were somewhat undermined by a protester handing her of P45, a coughing fit

that almost curtailed the whole speech and the state falling apart behind her.

Or told it was one of the most bizarre political speeches of modern times.

George Parker, we were in the hall and it's still slightly painful to

recall that hour of torture, but then we were just the journalist listening to the speech never mind poor Theresa May

and the cabinet having to give it is that a fair assessment that it was bizarre and

extraordinary and excruciating yeah I mean I must have watched 20 or 30 party leaders prime minister or

speeches of party conferences through the years and it was the first one I've had to

watch through my fingers it was that bad you and me both oh my goodness and it was

you know you were just willing her to get through it the party tried to help

...