THE danger for David Cameron is that next week’s Conservative conference will be dominated by ‘two Bs’ – when voters want to hear about one particular ‘A’.

The first B is Boris, the larger-than-life Mayor of London who torments his fellow Etonian by offering unhappy Tories the dream of a popular leader who speaks more for their values.

At No.10 recently, I watched in fascination as Mr Cameron went bright red, listening to Mr Johnson speak about his mate “Dave” – clearly dreading what he might say next.

No doubt, Boris is dreaming up fresh ways to prick the Prime Minister’s authority at a “re-elected and Olympo-tastic” rally in his honour next week – and, no doubt, the media will lap it up.

The second B is Brussels, as pressure grows for Mr Cameron to promise a post-2015 “in-out” referendum on Britain’s tortured relationship with Europe.

Last week, the Prime Minister hinted that a new settlement was coming, apparently keen to appease Tory Europhobes ahead of the conference gathering.

But that is unlikely to prevent Europe becoming a flashpoint in Birmingham, as many Tories yearn for a vote before the next election – or, at the very least, legislation now to guarantee one after 2015.

Equally, Mr Cameron’s plans to opt out of new EU powers later this year fall far short of Conservative thirst for a repatriation of existing powers.

In the background is the rise of Ukip, with the power to deprive the Conservatives of seats in 2015, by snatching votes from the party’s right flank.

But, to be successful, the conference will need to address the ‘A’ – the mounting anxiety that voters feel about their lives and their livelihoods.

In the boom years, Mr Cameron appealed to voters looking upward with ambition, pledging to share the proceeds of growth and “let sunshine win the day”.

Now people are looking downward with anxiety, his harsh economic medicine – failing even on its own terms, in this double-dip recession – means he no longer looks like a leader who understands those fears.

Mr Cameron’s task must be to show he is on the side of ordinary people. Women, in particular - hardest hit by the cuts – are deserting him in droves.

It would be a disaster for the Tories to be obsessing about the bogeyman of Europe – or an alternative leader who isn’t even an MP.

ED Miliband returned to the conference stage in Manchester – 24 hours after his no notes triumph – and was, once again, relaxed and witty.

Eager would-be questioners waved around cardigans and sweaters to attract his attention, prompting the Labour leader to get saucy in a way I couldn’t remember Gordon Brown ever doing.

Urging women not to take off any more clothes, Mr Miliband joked: “Let’s keep this decent. Be careful with those garments.”

Has the geek become Tom Jones?

DID he dive, or didn’t he – the key question after Ed Balls took a tumble to claim a penalty in the MPs’ 3-0 victory over us journalists, in the traditional conference game.

Just a few yards away, I saw clearly the defender’s boot tap the Shadow Chancellor’s shin. But, after that, he fell over as easily as.....well, the High Street banks when Ed was helping Gordon Brown regulate them.