And they’re off! The banners are up, and the stage is set for a Conservative Party conference that could define the course of British history.
Will the next Tory leader rebuild the party from a historic low? Could we be witnessing the coronation of the next Conservative prime minister?
The excitement surely must be palpable?
“God, no,” a former Tory MP, who lost their seat in July, tells me when I ask if they will be attending. “I’ve got better things to do now than watch that lot”.
The mood among many Conservatives I’ve spoken to, and notably business people (who for the most part are not going), is lacklustre.
One former Tory minister tells me they feel “obliged” to go “to make the case for sensible conservatism” and “bring the party back from the brink”.
Others are more upbeat: “I’m an optimist,” one Tory MP tells me. “We can already see Labour making mistakes and I’m optimistic we will find a leader who can win the next election.”
What’s clear is that all four candidates are taking Wednesday’s stump speeches very seriously.
Kemi Badenoch was the one-time favourite with the bookies but is now trailing behind Robert Jenrick. Her team tell me “nothing is for granted”.
Her allies say she is a more natural speaker and her style will be more authentic and “less rehearsed”.
I’m told Tom Tugendhat has been testing sections of his speech on his young children, who have not quite shown the level of interest he hopes to ignite in the conference hall.
Tom Tugendhat arriving in Birmingham. Pic: PA
Mr Tugendhat has been practising “on trains, in cars, before events and late at night”, while Mr Jenrick has been hauled up in a secret country hideout rehearsing his lines with a small number of aides.
Team Jenrick say they have been up past midnight all week, surviving on takeaways.
