Mandelson fighting talk outshines Darling
Updated on 28 September 2009
The election is up for grabs and Labour can win, Lord Mandelson tells the Labour conference as he launches his party's political fightback.
The one-time pariah won a standing ovation in Brighton as he described Labour as the "underdogs" and said: “If I can come back, we can come back”.
His rallying cry stole the thunder from the Chancellor Alistair Darling, whose speech on the economy was billed as today's keynote address.
In his speech Mr Darling said: "Within months, the country also faces a big choice. A choice not just about who's in government but about values that will shape our country and the opportunities for our people. A choice that will affect every area of our lives, every aspect of our future.
"Let me assure the country - and warn the banks - that there will be no return to the business as usual for them.
"So in the next few weeks we will introduce legislation to end the reckless culture that puts short-term profits over long-term success."
Mr Darling promised that "it will mean an end to automatic bank bonuses year after year. It will mean an end to immediate payouts for top management.
"Any bonuses will be deferred over time, so they can be clawed back if they are warranted by long-term performance.
"We won't allow greed and recklessness to ever again endanger the whole global economy and the lives of millions of people."
Mr Darling discussed his speech with Jon Snow.
