Twelve months ago, in Bournemouth, ministers dodged farmers' pickets before rallying the party faithful with the Treasury's hastily composed "Rip-off Britain" anthem. What a difference a year makes. This weekend, New Labour's crestfallen conference circus slides into Brighton, and this time the Rip-off chorus will be sung by fuel tax protestors targeting Gordon Brown. Just how many of the banner carrying blockaders will make the trip is unclear, but early rumours suggest they'll form one of the largest lobby groups in the resort's smoke filled corridors and bars. But while fuel issues will never be far from the conference agenda, the discredited Rip-off campaign will be taxing the mind of one cabinet minister in particular. For still languishing on Stephen Byers' desk is the Competition Commission report on its inquiry into supermarkets. And given that even the most occasional food shopper couldn't have failed to spot that Britain actually has a highly competitive grocery sector, our Stephen faces one heck of a problem disposing of the issue without losing too much ministerial face. Of course, he would have loved to have steamed on to the Brighton platform and pronounced that the Rip-off jibes against grocery were justified all along. Some even suggest he might still try to do that. But given the blood spilt among the multiples in recent months, it's hard to see how he can risk his fragile cabinet credibility by aiming new profiteering charges at the high street giants. However, the big chains aren't out of the woods yet. Westminster was again buzzing with stories that the DTI will ultimately fiddle with the planning system and perhaps even order some of the big boys to give up certain sites to allow competitors into an area. Surprise, surprise, even a Murdoch paper proclaimed this week that food retailing is an industry that patently doesn't need to be tampered with. But will that stop Blair's beleaguered government, as it seeks to regain credibility, from meddling with the grocery business ? Clive Beddall, Editor {{OPINION }}