There were signs on Manchester’s rain-soaked streets on Tuesday that sympathy for the Tories is growing, though there is simmering distrust of politicians of all stripes and none of the euphoria that swept Tony Blair to power in 1997.

The city, where the Conservatives are meeting, remains mainly hostile territory for the party. It was not always so, and David Cameron hopes talk of fairness, social justice and tough love could win back the northern inner-city areas lost during the 1980s.