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08/10/2009
Cameron Says 'Tough Times Ahead'
Conservative Leader David Cameron took centre stage at his party's conference this afternoon, pledging to take the "steep climb ahead".
Mr Cameron told Tory delegates he is "ready to be tested" amid "tough" times.
The Conservatives currently lead national opinion polls, however the party is not a shoe in at the next general election.
Earlier the Tories outlined their plans for public spending, which could see civil service wages frozen and tax credits stripped from families earning more than £50,000.
Today, Mr Cameron conceded there would be "painful" spending cuts, but "the view from the summit will be worth it".
The opposition leader said his party would put more emphasis on the troops serving aboard, in a nod to the recent appointment of General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the UK military.
General Dannatt is to join the House of Lords, serving on the Tory benches.
Mr Cameron said the benefits system should no longer 'penalise' the married and civil partners.
He vowed the reform the tax system and end "the couples penalty".
Mr Cameron poignantly discussed losing his six-year-old son earlier this year.
"When such a big part of your life suddenly ends, nothing else - nothing outside - matters. It's like the world has stopped turning and the clocks have stopped ticking," he said.
The Tory leader said he questioned his position within politics.
"You ask yourself all over again: do I really want to do this? You think about what you really believe and what sustains you."
Mr Cameron pointed to his wife and family, adding he is now ready to lead the country.
In a stinging attack on the government, he said: "Don't you dare lecture us about poverty. You have failed and it falls to us, the modern Conservative Party, to fight for the poorest who you have let down."
Mr Cameron dismissed suggestions they were the "wicked Tories", instead accusing Labour of having made "the poorest poorer" and making inequality greater.
(PR/BMcC)
Mr Cameron told Tory delegates he is "ready to be tested" amid "tough" times.
The Conservatives currently lead national opinion polls, however the party is not a shoe in at the next general election.
Earlier the Tories outlined their plans for public spending, which could see civil service wages frozen and tax credits stripped from families earning more than £50,000.
Today, Mr Cameron conceded there would be "painful" spending cuts, but "the view from the summit will be worth it".
The opposition leader said his party would put more emphasis on the troops serving aboard, in a nod to the recent appointment of General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the UK military.
General Dannatt is to join the House of Lords, serving on the Tory benches.
Mr Cameron said the benefits system should no longer 'penalise' the married and civil partners.
He vowed the reform the tax system and end "the couples penalty".
Mr Cameron poignantly discussed losing his six-year-old son earlier this year.
"When such a big part of your life suddenly ends, nothing else - nothing outside - matters. It's like the world has stopped turning and the clocks have stopped ticking," he said.
The Tory leader said he questioned his position within politics.
"You ask yourself all over again: do I really want to do this? You think about what you really believe and what sustains you."
Mr Cameron pointed to his wife and family, adding he is now ready to lead the country.
In a stinging attack on the government, he said: "Don't you dare lecture us about poverty. You have failed and it falls to us, the modern Conservative Party, to fight for the poorest who you have let down."
Mr Cameron dismissed suggestions they were the "wicked Tories", instead accusing Labour of having made "the poorest poorer" and making inequality greater.
(PR/BMcC)
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A Tory government would slash corporation tax to stimulate new jobs, in an attempt to reduce the impact of a looming recession, David Cameron has insisted. Opposition leader, Mr Cameron, who still leads in voter opinion polls, said a Conservative administration would generate an additional 350,000 by providing tax breaks to UK firms.
Conservative Tax Cuts Would Create Jobs, Says Cameron
A Tory government would slash corporation tax to stimulate new jobs, in an attempt to reduce the impact of a looming recession, David Cameron has insisted. Opposition leader, Mr Cameron, who still leads in voter opinion polls, said a Conservative administration would generate an additional 350,000 by providing tax breaks to UK firms.
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Widdecombe Slams Tory Selection Method
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Veteran Tory MP Ann Widdecombe has blasted her party's move to select candidates on what she described as "category rather than ability". She said David Cameron's decision to create an 'A List' encompassing more ethnic minorities and women was "completely misguided".
23 July 2007
Cameron denies leadership rift
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Cameron denies leadership rift
Conservative leader David Cameron has attempted to scotch rumours of a leadership rift in the party. Mr Cameron, who is on a trip to Rwanda to set out his approach to global poverty, has sought to dismiss the rumours. The Tory leader said that suggestions that Conservative MPs were seeking a vote of no-confidence was a "non-story.
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Tory Admits Donor 'Non-Dom' Tax Status
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Tory Admits Donor 'Non-Dom' Tax Status
Tory peer Lord Ashcroft has admitted he has "non-domiciled" tax status in the UK. The Conservative donor and deputy party chairman's financial arrangements have been the subject of speculation for some time. Lord Ashcroft said he backed Tory leader David Cameron's call for all peers to be "resident and domiciled".
04 November 2009
No 'Tory Turmoil' Over Lisbon: Cameron
The dissolution of a "cast iron" pledge to hold a UK referendum on the Lisbon Treaty has not brought the Tories into turmoil, David Cameron insisted today. Mr Cameron effectively dropped his party's commitment to hold a public vote on the EU treaty, which could be fully ratified by all member states within days.
No 'Tory Turmoil' Over Lisbon: Cameron
The dissolution of a "cast iron" pledge to hold a UK referendum on the Lisbon Treaty has not brought the Tories into turmoil, David Cameron insisted today. Mr Cameron effectively dropped his party's commitment to hold a public vote on the EU treaty, which could be fully ratified by all member states within days.
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