You could almost hear the tumbleweed drifting across the floor of the Brighton Centre.
Sir Menzies' first turn on the main stage in his first big conference as leader (the spring one doesn't count), a session with the Guardian's own Michael White, and 45 minutes of aplomb and gravitas all ruined by one embarrassing howler.
Stoking up the party faithful by reminding them of their terrific byelection performances in Dunfermline and Bromley, the 65-year-old party leader proudly declared "and we won in both those places!"
Er...not quite. While the party did overturn a safe Labour seat in Scotland, in true-blue Bromley they only managed a creditable second.
You could almost hear the sharp intake of breath among the party faithful. Or was that just snoring?
