What some of the most famous Labour figures got up to after dark in Liverpool

When the lights go down, after the important speeches are done and the music comes on, the real personalities of those who attended the Labour Party Conference this week come out. The conference actually saw some of the country's most important politicians perform some rather questionable song selections and dance moves.

While their claims to actually be 'DJing' may be questionable, the songs they choose when given the opportunity tell us something about the personalities behind the people running our country. The night saw a DJ battle between Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and his Liverpudlian counterpart Steve Rotheram, as well as pop Idol legend Will Young perform at the event.

But a star-studded line up of DJ sets from well-known party figures - including Wigan MP and self-proclaimed Minister for Fun Lisa Nandy - kept the crowds going hours later, reports M.E.N.

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Here's what songs the politicians chose and what it says about them:

Lisa Nandy - Pop princess

Following on from Will Young is quite a tall order. But Labour's culture secretary was in her element on stage. After the obligatory niceties about the importance of the music industry and thank yous to Labour campaigners, Lisa got straight into her 'Britney power hour'. She declared the American pop star 'the greatest cultural icon of the last 20 years', before telling the audience: "If you don't like Britney Spears, get out of my nightclub. It's Nandy b****."

Dedicating 'Stronger' to the women in the Labour movement, the Wigan MP also took the opportunity to take a swipe at the Conservatives on stage. Introducing her final track of the set, 'Toxic', she said: "I think we should be nice, I think we should dedicate this to the poor old Tories. And there's only one song for it. Here's to you guys."

David Evans - Punk

While he is by no means a household name, he's certainly a powerful figure in political circles. David Evans has served as the general secretary of the party since 2020 and formally stood down at the party conference this week. He openly admitted he had 'no idea' what he was doing behind the decks. But he certainly took his picks seriously.

Opening with 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' by Gil Scott-Heron, he hardly broke a smile on stage and had to be press-ganged to take off his tie. The 63-year-old provided commentary between each song though, not least for his final track which had 'minor chart success' many years ago - a hit from the post-punk collective he was part of.

Anas Sarwar - Daddy Cool

The leader of the Scottish Labour Party spared no time slagging off the 'grandad' who came on before him. But it was all an act of self-deprecation, acknowledging that his own picks were those of a 'dad' - albeit quite a cool one.

Anas played old-school R&B bangers such as Mary J Blige's Family Affair, before inviting another famous face on stage for 'Uptown Funk'. Dancing with Emily Thornberry, the pair partied away to the Bruno Mars hit.

Compared to some of his contemporaries, the 41-year-old's dance moves weren't bad at all. Although he didn't seem particularly comfortable when things got a bit touchy feely on stage with Emily towards the end of the song.

Emily Thornberry - Brat

The London MP, who stood for Labour leader in 2020, knows her crowd. The set was full of gay anthems for all ages. Troye Sivan's 'Rush', Chappell Roan's 'HOT TO GO!' and the Weather Girls' 'It's Raining Men' all featured on the set list, to name but a few. But one particular pick at the start of the set stood out more than any other - Charli XCX's '365'.

She may not have had a 'Brat summer' herself, after missing out on a job in the new government. But the 64-year-old, who has previously been referred to as a 'gay icon', still knows how to party - and she's got the moves too.

Tracy Brabin - Disco diva

West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin has had quite an illustrious career. Having starred in Coronation Street, appeared in Eastenders and performed on West End stages, she went into politics in 2016 as an MP before becoming mayor.

But perhaps her proudest achievement was being crowned 'West Yorkshire Disco Dancing Champion' in her youth. The cash prize may have only been £50 - but the pride that has endured over the decades that followed is priceless.

She created her own contest, promising to invite the best dancers in the audience on stage as she started her set with a remix of Chic's 'Le Freak'. The modern-take on the 1978 hit showed the 63-year-old is still down with the kids.

Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram - Local legends

To be fair to them, the mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region had quite a specific brief. The Manchester vs. Liverpool DJ battle hosted by the Fabian Society on Monday featured all the classics you'd expect.

And while it was well received by some who'd patiently awaited Andy's late arrival, it didn't help do away with Manchester's reputation of trading on our past. The Greater Manchester mayor, who sung over most of his selections, picked New Order's 'Blue Monday' to start the set which also featured Oasis's 'Rock 'n' Roll Star'.

Meanwhile, Steve selected 'Relax' by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, before seemingly running out of Liverpudlians and going for Soft Cell who formed in Leeds. Unlike Andy though, the 62-year-old let the crowd do all the singing.