John Healey's laidback conference speech was engaging - but lacked detail

He didn’t get animated as he spoke about all the great things which he thinks Labour has done, or display fake outrage when discussing the Tories’ supposed failings.

He is not one of Labour’s most exciting figures. In fact, some might accuse him of being boring.

But actually, despite there being little key details in his speech, he was very engaging.

He marked a real contrast with his predecessor Rachel Reeves.

Ms Reeves was very awkward. Her delivery was often stilted and she looked as if she wanted to be finished and offstage as quickly as possible.

It didn’t endear members or the public, as her nerviness contributed to her unpopularity.

Read more: Faslane floating docks will be built in the UK, says Labour Chancellor

Mr Healey was the complete opposite on Monday afternoon.

He seemed very comfortable while giving his speech. In fact, it looked like he was enjoying it.

His genuine happiness at being there shone through and he was completely relaxed.

He also wasn’t over-enthusiastic - something which often plagues conference speakers as they try to give a rousing speech to get the crowd going.

The Chancellor spoke with the quiet confidence of a man who is proud to have reached the peak of his career at the ripe age of 66.

There was a warmness to him which drew people in.

He has an old time energy - not a slight - from the days before politicians were expected to be bombastic for the rolling social media news cycle.

He showed that you do not need to be full of energy to give a good address, and that your manner of speaking is very important.

Perhaps this is all down to experience. Mr Healey has been around a long time.

His first Labour conference was in 1986 - 40 years ago.

Read more: Michael Marra was more genuine than Anas Sarwar - but also more boring

He was first elected in 1997 and served in the UK Government in the New Labour years.

He told a funny story about how he had to lend Gordon Brown a tie for his 1999 conference speech.

Just before Mr Brown went onstage in Bournemouth 27 years ago, Mr Healey realised that the then chancellor was not wearing a red tie.

It turned out that Mr Healey was the only person in the room with one on. So he lent his boss his tie, and afterwards Mr Brown signed it and gave it back.

Mr Healey said he had never worn it again - until his conference speech on Monday.

It drew big applause from the audience. It is exactly the sort of story that Labour members lap up.

This was the most memorable moment of the speech. Not a great sign.

You would have expected that a Chancellor who has only been in the job for a matter of months would have bigger things to say than an anecdote from the best part of three decades ago.

There were some smaller moments of note, for those listening carefully.

Significantly, he gave a warning to the country that the current government would not be able to spend the way that the last Labour one did.

He said: “I know the 90s is having a bit of a revival. To Andy [Burnham]’s excitement, Oasis is going back on tour, to Angela[Rayner]’s joy Gladiators is back on TV.

“But I have to level with you conference, the money New Labour had in the 90s is simply not there now.

“Economic growth under Gordon (Brown) was more than double the Tory years that followed, and Britain has it harder now.”

Beyond this, there was a real lack of detail about his economic plans for the country.

There was a small bit of optimism for Scotland, with news that Rolls Royce is investing £300 million in its factories - including Inchinnan in Renfrewshire.

Mr Healey also mentioned - as part of a story which had been shared overnight - that dry docks for the Faslane naval base would be built in the UK. The Navantia yard in Fife wants the contract, but there is no guarantee it will get it.

Mr Healey’s team said afterwards that the key part of the speech was on welfare.

He prepared members for what is to come, saying that Labour has a “moral duty” to reduce the benefits bill.

He said: “It is not progressive to allow a bigger and bigger benefits bill, and a system which offers an income but doesn’t offer a future.

“So once again, as a Labour government, it falls to us to act. And this is more than just an economic must. This is a moral duty.

“I refuse to write off a million young people like the Tories have done.”

He did not specify how he would reduce the benefits bill. It will be a difficult task for the UK Government, as the last time this was attempted it rallied backbench MPs against the government.

Mr Healey’s biggest achievement from the speech was that he came across as a reassuring sort of character who you could (probably) trust with the country’s purse strings.

That is probably enough for Labour party members in his first conference as Chancellor.

It will not suffice for the wider public, who want answers about how he will make them - and the country - better off.

The challenge awaits with his first Budget at the end of next month. Perhaps he will not be so quietly confident then.