Scottish Labour leaders must have felt a mixture of satisfaction and relief that Manchester remains home turf as their red battle bus the #indyrefexpress pulled up at party conference on Sunday. 

Jim Murphy had become accustomed to being mobbed during his Irn Bru box tour.

But this time he and Johann Lamont were greeted by a gang of loyal party supporters rather than egg-wielding Glaswegians.

A couple of nationalists were waiting for them, holding their battered blue and white Yes placards high but found themselves outnumbered for the first time by Better Together. 

And inside Labour’s Scottish royalty attracted such a crowd to their first fringe meeting that dozens (including your correspondent) were locked out. 

Trickier times lie ahead for Labour, they know they must emerge from Britain’s constitutional crisis with credit or risk losing their heartlands — from Scotland to Salford.