"He just loves being prime minister," a government insider observes. Andy Burnham might not yet have delivered his all-important conference speech, but he has been preparing for this moment for years. He'll lap up the inevitable whoops and cheers – not just as Labour's leader, but the kind of leader who chimes with the party's rank and file, who puts social justice at the top of his list, who is not averse to cranking up the greatest hits – whether taking a pop at Mrs Thatcher, privatisation, or the divides between north and south.
Speaking to MPs, ministers and advisers inside the party, there is no doubt whatsoever that Labour is in a much, much happier place than this time last year. There is a very simple reason, according to one cabinet minister, fans of Sir Keir Starmer, look away now, "people like the new prime minister more than they liked the old one – that's the truth of it". Another minister tells me: "There is no appetite for destruction – very little naysaying." But Labour is in a position that's been all too rare for all our political parties in the last few years – there are no whispers about chucking out the leader, no-one stirring revolt.
And even those who don't like the direction of travel are labelling their opinions as a desire to be helpful, they're not trying to criticise the boss. "The mood's good – everyone is going into conference with their ears open," one MP said, keen to hear more from the prime minister. The feel-good factor is also driven by the party inching up a little in the polls – one senior figure says: "We're all witnessing the Burnham bounce – whether that's how you feel when you see the polls, or how we all feel when we have meetings together." And those who work inside government also credit a more effective political operation around the prime minister.
"The system's better, you get clearer decisions, better steers when you need them," says a minister. Another government source also credits the new Downing Street operation but notes wryly, "it's unfair to compare the end of a regime which is always pretty nasty, with the arrival of a new one which is always more hopeful… these things can change". There are whispers of announcements in the next few days on housing and defence.
Some MPs also want to hear Burnham expand on themes they, and the country, have heard plenty about but that aren't specifically defined – "public control" and "re-industrialisation". And frankly, the happy prime minister would likely be only too glad to talk for as long as necessary about those favourite subjects. But however much he loves being PM there are also less tempting realities he'll have to confront.
"It's a new front man," says a minister, "but the song hasn't changed." And the soundtrack to this autumn might prove to be downright miserable. While Andy Burnham will be pressing the flesh at dozens of party events in the next few days, his Chancellor John Healey will be spending a lot of time holed up in his hotel room making decisions about the Budget which is only a month away. The pressure on public cash is intense as the budget approaches – the choice for the chancellor doing the rounds is, "10 billion of cuts or 10 billion of tax rises," according to a well-connected senior figure.
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