THE hints being dropped by the shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling are clear enough. It is surely a matter of when, not if, the Conservative Party brings its annual conference to Liverpool.

That was probably the case the moment the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre opened for business, given the relative scarcity of the combination of big halls and suitable hotel accommodation up and down the country.

But the Tories and the other big parties will have wanted to see the centre in operation before committing themselves to putting it onto a public short-list.

Now, it seems, Liverpool has passed the test and, at some point soon, will play host to the Conservatives.

From Liverpool’s point of view, it will complete the set of the three big political conferences, plus the TUC annual Congress.

It is a remarkable achievement considering the centre has been in business less than two years, since the start of 2008. Managers may well say that this was part of their business plan all along, but it is still a credit to everyone that everything has gone absolutely the way it was meant to.

But it’s not just the Convention Centre. Events with delegates in the thousands need the support of the city’s hospitality business, from the multi-starred hotels to the homely guest houses, from the grand restaurants to the fast food diners, and from high culture to a let-your-hair down sing-song.

Everyone in this most hospitable of cities has played their part in bringing this about. We are sure that, when the time comes, everyone will rise to the occasion and send the message out that, whatever the economic storms breaking about our heads, Liverpool means business.