BEFORE she became Prime Minister, Theresa May was best known for her remark some years ago that the Tories were regarded as the nasty party.

Today in her speech to the Conservative Party conference, she will attempt to remove that slur by outlining what the Tories will do to help ordinary people who feel they are struggling a bit.

There are millions of them all over Britain. They often work long hours in poorly paid jobs. Yet they are just above the benefits limit, so they do not get much help from the Government.

There is a widespread feeling that no one in authority is listening to them. That is why so many sprang a surprise on the ruling elite in June by voting in the referendum for Britain to leave the European Union.

Some have supported Ukip in the general and local elections while others are convinced that the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has the answer in his 21st century Socialism.

After watching the Liberal Democrats and Labour keep sharply on the left of politics, Mrs May has spied an unexpectedly large gap in the centre and has moved smartly to fill it.

She now hopes that the Tories will be seen in a better light by many people and that this will also help them in future contests.

It is certainly true that the Tories are regarded by many as hard hearted. Opinion polls have to be weighted to take account of people who vote Conservative while saying they will not.

Despite winning the 2015 general election outright, the Conservatives are not a popular party and their policy of austerity to solve the financial crisis has angered many people, especially those who work in the public sector.

They see their wages frozen and services cut year after year. Many good officials are leaving or retiring early as a result. Those remaining are often afflicted by a sullen resentment which occasionally leads to industrial action.

Theresa May will still practise careful housekeeping in the public services but she will abandon targets for reducing national debt which have been hard to meet. It will be tough but it won’t be the rigorous austerity imposed since 2010.

Theresa May is a canny politician. Although supporting Britain to remain in the EU, she kept remarkably quiet during the referendum campaign, almost disappearing from public view.

When the result was declared and David Cameron stood down as Prime Minister, Theresa May was not tainted by her view on Europe. While Michael Gove ruled himself out through all too naked ambition, Mrs May adroitly moved in to fill the top job.

She is now enjoying the honeymoon period granted to most new premiers. But she will know from looking at Gordon Brown and John Major that this will last for weeks rather than months.

The Prime Minister may appear dominant politically with the Liberal Democrats reduced to only eight MPs and Labour going through very public internal turmoil. But her Parliamentary majority is small and there are plenty of right wingers who would not hesitate to rebel on points of principle, especially if they concerned Europe.

And the electorate is in a funny mood these days. The two-party system, which dominated British politics for 30 years after the war, has long gone. Parties like the Greens and Ukip are only prevented from having a substantial Westminster presence by the electoral system while the Scottish nationalists have shown how swiftly seats can be gained once a tipping point is reached.

At a time when the Tories are largely untroubled, it is a good idea to turn them into a more benign, one nation movement. Getting rid of the nasty party tag could be vital when the going gets tough.

The Argus: People in Brighton love sea swimming.

Norman Swaysland, who has died aged 87, looked like a pocket-sized Mr Universe. He more than made up for his lack of height by being imposingly muscled.

For many years he was a keen member of Brighton Swimming Club and would go into the sea all the year round. No matter how cold the water was, he would plunge into it.

While never being reckless, Norman would, also brave the waves in all but the very roughest seas and never got into trouble. Yet as a qualified life saver he was always on the lookout for anyone less able.

Despite his formidable appearance, Norman was the mildest of men and contributed greatly to the close camaraderie of the club for several decades. He was remarkably modest about his exceptional strength and skill as a swimmer.

I always found it reassuring to swim with Norman even though he was far better than I was. When he was in the water, no matter how rough or cold it might be, you knew you were safe.