Labour leader still has much to prove

The rapturous reception which greeted Jeremy Corbyn as he made the closing speech at the Labour conference would have been unthinkable a year ago and shows the depth of folly of the snap general election.

Designed, in part, to wipe a divided and embattled Labour party off the map, it has had the opposite effect.

The opposition leadership and its grassroots left wing movement have been galvanised and united under Mr Corbyn.

Open dissention from the party ranks, so common in the early days after his ascension, is now rare.

Of course, it is one thing to unite the Labour party and quite another to persuade the electorate it is ready to govern. The Labour leader still has battles to fight.

The Brighton conference was dogged by controversy including accusations of anti-Semitism within the party and continued confusion over its Brexit stance.

The Scottish Labour leadership must be settled and if Anas Sarwar wins, divisions with the party north of the border – vital for electoral success – could deepen.

Policy positions on a range of issues have also to be settled to the satisfaction of various factions, lest new internal rifts be opened.

Mr Corbyn’s crowd-pleasing call for another general election may have suited the mood in the conference hall but it feels too early for such bombast.

Credibility as a government-in-waiting is not yet earned.