Sir Keir Starmer finally pulled himself off the ropes and came out swinging at his opponents and critics after 15 hard months of government, which have seen him lumbered with the worst approval rating of a prime minister since records began.
But in a strange way he can thank Nigel Farage for helping him drop his inner robot and replace it with a previously suppressed Churchillian spirit.
The PM arrived in Liverpool on Saturday knowing that his speech on Tuesday was a make-or-break moment for his premiership.
Previously, he had never enthused his audience, failed to deliver a real vision and too often pulled his punches with his opponents.
But there was a vibrancy to his language as he took to the Labour conference podium to articulate a vision for the country based on his politics of decency compared with the division and racism espoused by Mr Farage and Reform.
This conference speech was unlike any Sir Keir has delivered before. His typical robotic style was replaced by that of an impassioned, even charismatic leader.
Gone were the endless lists, and in came the rousing language and waving of flags to prove the proud patriot is on the side of working people.
A man, often seen to be reserved, suddenly became a politician who could speak from the heart.
He took on all the criticisms he has faced and tackled them head-on. He made the case for why his politics is truly patriotic rather than the nationalism of Reform and Mr Farage, and embraced the British and nations’ flags, to reclaim them from those on the right who want to claim them as only theirs.
To those who claim his government has done nothing, he was particularly impassioned as he detailed the many changes he has brought in 15 months – including improvements on workers’ rights, renters’ reform, extra money for the NHS, support for jobs, trade deals and more.
This was not a man who is shy about his record anymore or apologetic about what he stands for.
Noticeably, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, the pretender to Sir Keir’s crown, was not there. But for those who thought Mr Burnham had the passion Sir Keir lacked, today, he had an answer with his own infectious energy.
In the end, what has helped Sir Keir, apart from having his back to the wall politically, is the fact that he has identified – and called out – his enemy.
Realising that his fight is with Mr Farage and Reform’s divisive politics has energised Sir Keir and, in turn, seen a reluctant Labour embrace him.
But the question remains as to whether Mr Farage is the one forcing the prime minister’s hand when it comes to Labour policy change.
The tough stance on illegal migration and scrapping the 50 per cent target on school leavers going to university are two things previously championed by Reform that Sir Keir has now embraced.
The PM, though, knows that he needs answers and solutions which can be delivered on these subjects if he is to successfully take on Mr Farage.
This did not look like a prime minister who would be leaving office in a hurry or one who would be forced out without a fight.
At last, Labour has a leader again who can articulate a vision and fight for the sport of decent politics, which reaches beyond the party to the country.
