Politics today

Walter Wolfgang is manhandled from the conference after calling out "nonsense" during a debate on the Iraq war.

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The Prime Minister has apologised to Labour Party conference delegate Walter Wolfgang. The 82-year-old was ejected from the event yesterday, in what Tony Blair described as an "overzealous" manner, for heckling. "People are perfectly entitled to freedom of speech in this country and I am really sorry," he told the BBC. The apology was no doubt forthcoming following the scenes of the eviction on primetime TV news broadcasts.

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Labour's annual conference concludes today with speeches from constitutional affairs secretary Lord Falconer, Lords leader Baroness Amos, Commons leader Geoff Hoon, communities secretary David Miliband and environment secretary Margaret Beckett. The event finishes with an address by defence secretary Dr. John Reid. The results of a ballot on the government's NHS policy is also expected to confirm that the Labour leadership has been defeated. All sounds really fun !

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Dr Reid will close the conference with a call for unity and discipline. "If the priority of the Labour government is education, education, education, then the priority of the Labour Party is unity, unity, unity," he will say. "Whatever the controversy, whatever the difficulties, never under-estimate the need for unity and for us to retain our broad coalition. Always remember we have not achieved all that we have through our individual effort but together through our common endeavour." Now if we know the contents clearly the Defence Secetary's speech can hardly be spontaneous.

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Meanwhile the Conservative Party leadership election gets underway in earnest today when David Davis and David Cameron formally launch their campaigns. Both will be in London to launch their bids for the leadership, moves which come less than 24 hours after Kenneth Clarke appealed for grassroots members to back him in the forthcoming contest.

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The House of Commons Livingston by-election, caused by the death of former foreign secretary Robin Cook, takes place today. The candidates are Jim Devine (Lab), Charles Dundas (Lib Dems), Brian Gardner (UK Socialists), Angela Constance (SNP), Gordon Lindhurst (Con), David Robertson (Greens), Steve Nimmo (Scottish Socialists), Peter Adams (UKIP), Melville Brown (Ind) and John Allman (Alliance For Change).

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The Scottish parliament's Glasgow Cathcart by-election, triggered by the resignation of Labour MSP Mike Watson also takes place today. The candidates are Charlie Gordon (Lab), Maire Whitehead (SNP), Arthur Sanderson (Lib Dems), Richard Cook (Con), Ronnie Stevenson (Scottish Socialists), Chloe Stewart (Scottish Greens), Pat Lally (Ind), Christopher Creighton (Ind) and Bryan McCormack (UKIP).

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The election for the new lord mayor of the City of London takes place at the Guildhall. Following the election, the mayor will be heralded with a trumpet call from the state trumpeters before departing the Great Hall accompanied by the current lord mayor. The lord mayor elect, does not take office until the 'silent ceremony' which is held on 11 November.

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The family of Jean Charles de Menezes, shot dead by police who mistakenly believed he was a suicide bomber, today meet the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating his death.

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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair will today address the Metropolitan Police Authority, though he is not expected to announce his resignation - today anyway.