Cameron says he is the 'man with a plan' to rebuild economy

DAVID Cameron today presented himself as the "man with a plan" to rebuild Britain's battered economy and repair its "broken society".

But the Conservative leader admitted he had no "miracle cure" to the challenges facing the country and told delegates at the party's annual conference in Birmingham that a Cameron administration's first priority would be to rein in Government borrowing and spending, not to cut taxes.

Tory victory in the upcoming election would not mean an "overnight transformation" for Britain. The Conservatives would inherit "a huge deficit and an economy in a mess" and would need to do "difficult and unpopular things for the long term good of the country", he said, adding: "I know that. I'm ready for that."

In his crucial keynote speech on the final day of a conference which has been overshadowed by turmoil in the banking sector, Mr Cameron insisted that Britain needs "judgment and character", not experience, from its leader in difficult economic times.

In a direct challenge to Gordon Brown's claim that in the current crisis it is "no time for a novice", Mr Cameron said that Britain needs "a change in direction".

"The risk is not in making a change," he said. "The risk is sticking with what you've got and expecting a different result ...

"Experience means you are implicated in the old system that's failed.

You can't admit that change is needed, because that would mean admitting you've got it wrong."

Although the country is going through "difficult times", Mr Cameron said he was "optimistic" that Britain will come through to "better times ahead".

Three years after his election as Tory leader, the party was now "united in spirit and united in purpose", said Mr Cameron.

And he added: "We know that our task is to take people with us. Rebuilding our battered economy. Renewing our bureaucratised NHS. Repairing our broken society. That is our plan for change.

"But in these difficult times we promise no new dawns, no overnight transformations.

"I'm a man with a plan, not a miracle cure."

He added: "I know we are living in difficult times, but I am still optimistic because I have faith in human nature in our remarkable capacity to innovate, to experiment, to overcome obstacles and to find a way through difficulties whether those problems are created by man or nature.

"We can and will come through. We always do. Not because of our government. But because of the people of Britain."

And he told delegates: "I believe that we now have the opportunity and more than that the responsibility to bring our country together.

"Together in the face of this financial crisis. Together in determination that we will come through it.

"Together in the hope, the belief, that better times will lie ahead."

In an address which contained no new policy initiatives, Mr Cameron focused on the immediate need to tackle the financial crisis which has seen a string of banks collapse and stock markets plummet around the world.

He restated his offer to work with the Government on action to restore stability to the financial sector, but insisted that this did not mean that Conservatives would hold back from criticising Mr Brown and the mistakes which they believe have contributed to the credit crunch.

He promised he would reverse Mr Brown's decision to strip the Bank of England of the power to regulate financial markets and would end the Government's "spendaholic" approach to the public finances.

In contrast to last year's bravura speech without notes striding around the stage at Blackpool, Mr Cameron delivered today's speech from a prepared text, standing at a lectern before members of his shadow cabinet and youthful Tory candidates.

His text was virtually free of jokes and his sober delivery was calibrated to match the seriousness of the economic situation.

"We understand the gravity of the situation our country is in," he said. "And our response is measured, proportionate and reasonable.

"The test of a political party is whether it can rise to the challenge of what the country requires and what the times demand. I believe we have passed that test this week."

Mr Cameron was scathing in his rebuttal of Labour claims that he lacks the experience to run the country at a time of economic crisis.

In a direct comparison between himself and the most revered Tory leader of modern times, he pointed out that James Callaghan had long experience in office when he was ousted as Prime Minister in 1979, adding to loud applause: "He had plenty of experience. But thank God we changed him for Margaret Thatcher."

And he added: "If we listened to this argument about experience, we'd never change a government, ever. We'd have – wait for it – Gordon Brown as Prime Minister for ever.

"Gordon Brown talks about his economic experience. The problem is we have actually experienced his experience. We've experienced the massive increase in debt. We have experienced the huge rise in taxes. We experienced the folly of pretending that boom and bust could be ended.

"This is the argument we will make when the election comes. The risk is not in making a change. The risk is sticking with what you've got and expecting a different result.

"There is a simple truth for times like this. When you've taken the wrong road, you don't just keep going. You change direction – and that is what we need to do."

Mr Cameron left no doubt that he will resist pressure from inside his party to promise major up-front tax cuts ahead of the election.
Repeating his warning that "the cupboard is bare", he said that his government's first economic duty would be to ensure sound money by reining in state borrowing.

This will mean clamping down on waste and "destroying all those useless quangos and initiatives", he said, adding that he has ordered his shadow ministers to review every government spending programme to see if it is really necessary.

Only after cutting borrowing and getting spending under control would he be able to deliver on his ambition to lower taxes, he said.

"I believe in low taxes, and I know that people in this country are crying out for relief," he said. "But I am a fiscal conservative. So is (shadow chancellor) George Osborne. We do not believe in tax cuts paid for by reckless borrowing."

His message to hard-pressed voters hoping for tax cuts was: "I know it's your money. I know you want some of it back. And I want to give some of it back to you. It's one of the reasons I'm doing this job.

"But we will only cut taxes once it's responsible to do so, once we've made government live within its means.

"The test of whether we are ready for government is not whether we can come up with exciting shadow budgets. It is whether we have the grit and determination to impose discipline on government spending, keep our nerve and say 'no' – even in the teeth of hostility and protest.

"That is the responsible party we are and the responsible government I will lead."