David Cameron’s media handlers were less than impressed that Dave went out for a jog without telling them on Tuesday, generating some of the less flattering photographs of the Tory leader this week. Such off-message behaviour will not be tolerated in future, they insisted. But the pictures could have been worse. Apparently running alongside him, but narrowly out of shot, was the blond bombshell Desmond Swaine, Mr Cameron’s emissary on the back benches. The occasionally eccentric Mr Swaine had chosen to go barefoot.

The audience in Symphony Hall did a double take when they saw Mr Cameron on the giant screen above the lectern. Sarah Palin, the huntin’, shootin’ and fishin’ US vice-presiden-tial candidate, appeared to be in the second row behind him. Closer examination revealed that it was Theresa Villiers, the Shadow Transport Secretary, who is a dead ringer for the Alaska Governor – when the top of her head is obscured.

David Cameron’s truce with Gordon didn’t last long. Liam Fox, the puckish defence spokesman, was perhaps the most egregious offender during his turn at a gala dinner on Tuesday night. Going directly for Gordon Brown’s jugular, he said: “He used to be a control freak. Then he lost control. Now he’s just a freak.” Tory HQ said they had been on the receiving end of much worse from Labour politicians.

One Tory who did overstep the mark was Eric Pickles, the Shadow Communities Secretary. He was forced to admit that he had been “silly” on Tuesday to express pride that he might have contributed to John Prescott’s bulimia. Mr Pickles told the audience in Birmingham that he could sometimes be a “complete b**tard” to political opponents. “When old Prescott came out as bulimic I thought, ‘I wonder if I’ve added to that’,” he said. “I thought for a while, and I thought, ‘Good’.”

A sigh of relief from the staff inside the International Convention Centre at the end of Tory conference. “I’ve never experienced a such a rude group of people gathered for a conference,” one of the bar staff said. But at least they preferred them to the Labour crowd, who were here for their spring conference. “The Labour lot never had any money, so they never bought anything.”

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