It was classic Peter Mandelson: measured, unambiguous and ever so slightly menacing.
"I believe, and I hope that you will agree, that we should recognise Tony Blair's extraordinary achievements. Let's recognise that at his age he has a lot more to offer. Let it be his decision, not the decision of old-style operators in the party, who operate in smoke-filled rooms - and are best left there, quite frankly."
A delegate in front of me snorted and hissed between her teeth.
The cabinet may (by and large) be sticking to a self-imposed silence on the subject that everyone else is talking about - the Great Succession Debate - but some people, as Mr Mandelson pointed out at a fringe meeting last night, are ex-members of the cabinet.
And those people are free to say whatever they like.
Conferences / UK politics
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