One of the key themes of Labour’s conference – apart from fairness etc – was attacking Daniel Hannan, the NHS-hating Tory MEP for Brighton and the rest of the South East region.

Hannan made his name by appearing on US TV networks to condemn our Health service as a “60-year mistake”.

They were all having a go – Deputy Leader Harriet Harman, Health Secretary Andy Burnham – even the Prime Minister alluded to Hannan in his main speech when he said: “The NHS has not been a 60 year-long mistake but a 60-year-long liberation”.

Tory leader David Cameron insisted over the summer that Hannan’s views did not represent mainstream Tory opinion – even describing said views as “eccentric”.

But this was disputed by Communities Secretary John Denham, who pointed out at a conference fringe meeting that Hannan topped the Conservative Party’s candidates’ list for June’s European elections. This meant the party knew he would be the first Tory elected in the region under the Parliament’s proportional voting system, and was perhaps therefore less of an outsider than Cameron’s comments would suggest.

Denham, whose Southampton Itchen seat also falls within Hannan’s European constituency, said at the meeting: “Daniel Hannan is the MEP for [Brighton]. When he launched his attack on the NHS David Cameron said he was a maverick. But he was top of the list in this region. He was the one person above all others the Tories wanted to get elected. The attack [on the NHS] was first made months ago. When the Tories had him at the top of the list they knew what he believed.”