The Conservative Party conference has been plagued by apparent division, as ministers queue up to contradict themselves and Tory grandees publicly question policy decisions.

And there was a distinctly mixed message from the two law and order speeches delivered on Tuesday. Justice secretary Brandon Lewis hardly played to his audience with large sections of his speech dedicated to praising the legal profession and talking up the worldwide reputation of English justice and its lawyers.

All of which was fine, but barely mustered much enthusiasm from the room of Conservative members. Their applause was instead reserved – to the point where she could barely get her words out at times – for home secretary Suella Braverman who went through the playbook attacking everything from the policing of pronouns to political correctness.

She saved her final attack for – you guessed it – the lawyers, and what she described as immigration laws being ‘abused by multiple meritless and last-minute claims, and abused by the tactics from specialist small boat-chasing law firms’.

Reflecting on how groups might respond to her speech, the former attorney general added: ‘Don’t get me started on the lawyers. I am a recovering lawyer.’

Based on the delegates’ response, Braverman’s lawyer bashing was much more warmly received than Lewis’ attempt to talk up the legal profession. His olive branch had been extended to the profession, and Braverman had promptly snapped it in half.

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