A year ago suggestions of a top rate of tax for high earners were confined to union wish lists. But what a difference a year (and their £13.4 million donations since Mr Brown arrived at No 10) makes.

Lord Mandelson has said that new Labour survives and recent policy changes have been necessities, not philosophical shifts. But behind the scenes, the unions have been growing in importance, working closely across government to ensure that aspects of their agenda are delivered. Nowhere is this more evident than the national policy forums where Labour ministers and the unions hammer out the next election manifesto. This year the talks, held in secret at the University of Warwick, went on until 5am on the Sunday. Officially few concessions were granted. Ministers insisted that they had held firm on issues such as secondary picketing and changes to union strike law. The unions knew that the Government needed to spin it cautiously, and did not demur from this assessment.

More union demands have appeared in the months since, however. Also at this year’s Labour conference Ed Balls revealed that he was sanctioning a trial of free meals for primary schoolchildren – a demand from Unison at Warwick.

It did not go unnoticed that when the Prime Minister was at his lowest ebb in the polls in September, it was the unions who stood behind him. No doubt they were hoping their loyalty would be rewarded.

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