Conference speeches by party leaders are more about mood music than detailed policy announcements and it was the template for Liz Truss.

The mood music has been a discordant cacophony for most of the week, hardly striking the right notes.

So after a turbulent week of rancorous recriminations and speculation that she could be dumped as leader, she managed to deliver a speech that was well received in the conference hall but will have left some pondering whether she is the right person for the job.

The party's biggest setback has been that its reputation for financial competence and prudent management of the public purse has been badly dented.

Voters will be reminded of this constantly by the opposition parties, who have been gifted an open goal.

So far as Kent is concerned, the cost-of-living crisis will be a key issue.

With the average house price in the county standing at £411,000, any interest rate rise will be particularly painful - especially for those who have fixed deals coming to an end and may find it hard to find and similar rates.

Labour has claimed that average mortgage payments in the south east could rise by as much as £640.

The problem for the government is that its solution lies in the proposals for "investment zones", which the Prime Minister hailed as a major policy cornerstone.

While acknowledging that the political upheaval might cause unease - “whenever there is change, there is disruption" - she said that zones would help resolve the shortage.

There are two problems here: first is that it is highly unlikely that any zone will be in place by the time of the next election - and even if they are, the number of new homes that will have been built will be fairly modest.

The zones will also come up against those who who are concerned at the government's determination to allow development to take place without going through the normal planning process.

This is something that will unnerve Conservative activists in the Garden of England, where the protection of the countryside is regarded as non-negotiable.

There is some irony that the attack by the Prime Minister on the "the anti-growth coalition" might include some members of her own party.

On immigration and the continuing numbers of would-be asylum seekers crossing the Channel, she declared there would be no change to the controversial plans to send people to Rwanda to have their claims processed.

There was to be no rabbit in the hat in what was a safety-first speech that brought to an end a conference in which party disunity has been a major talking point.

The Prime Minister came on stage to the song Moving On Up. If she fails to deliver on her promises it may be a case of moving on out.