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)