91Èȱ¬

...they've all got it in for me.

Is that what the Prime Minister's thinking right now? I've just talked to one of his close aides who told me he was "rather chipper" but I get the sense that Mr Brown is actually being shielded from the worst excesses of the sniping against him.

David Miliband's appearance on PM yesterday was - how shall we say - "interesting" . He was the man who was everywhere yesterday - speech, fringes, posing for photographs, pressing the flesh with delegates. You could hardly move for bumping into him. Unfortunately just like the old bus joke, when we really wanted him, he wasn't there.

He was due to turn up to our 91Èȱ¬ stand at 4.45pm to record the interview. No sign of him.
4.50 - no sign. Sweat breaking out on PM team brows.
4.53 - D. Miliband is spotted a few yards from the stand posing for photos with some of our Olympic heroes. Doesn't seem in a rush to get away.
Editor Nick Sutton steers him forcefully towards the stand, I just have time to sit him in his seat before we open the microphones and start recording. His aides said he couldn't stay to do a live interview because he was due on television at 5.05.

Phew.

Anyway, today we turn our attention to a speech that a senior Labour figure told me last night can't "make " Gordon Brown but could "break" him. I'll be lurking by the stage with my tape machine - but I think my usual tactic of seeking analysis from cabinet members watching the speech might be a bit redundant today, don't you. Something tells me they won't all be perfectly truthful!

See you at 5

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