Standing ovation for Cameron at Tory conference

David Cameron has received a standing ovation for his speech at the Conservative party conference in Blackpool.

The 38-year-old Shadow Education Secretary - the youngest contender in the Tory leadership race – appealed to the party to “start feeling good again about being Conservatives” in his keynote speech.

Speaking ahead of fellow leadership contender Kenneth Clarke’s speech, Mr Cameron stressed the need to change the party’s image and attract more young voters, saying that he wanted to “switch a new generation on to Conservative ideas”.

Chancellor Gordon Brown came in for heavy criticism in Mr Cameron’s speech, with the Shadow Education Secretary branding him a “great roadblock” to public service reform. He said: “Everyone knows that our economy needs lower and simpler taxes. Who’s standing in the way? The great tax riser and complicator, Gordon Brown. Everyone knows that business needs deregulation to compete with China and India. Who’s standing in the way? The great regulator and controller, Gordon Brown. How are we going to stop him? Tony Blair can’t. God knows, he’s tried hard enough.

“There’s one thing Gordon Brown fears more than anything else… a Conservative party that has the courage to change. So, let’s give him the fright of his life.”

Mr Cameron said that people knew that Labour had failed and wanted to know how the Conservative party would succeed. However, he warned against a shift to the right, saying that this would lead to the Conservatives becoming a “fringe party”, which would “never be able to challenge for government again.”

He said: “We don’t just need new policies or presentation or organisation or even having a young, passionate, energetic leader… though come to think of it that might not be such a bad idea!

“We have to change and modernise our culture and attitudes and identity. I’m talking about fundamental change, so that when we fight the next election we have a message that is relevant to people’s lives today, that shows we’re comfortable with modern Britain and that we believe our best days lie ahead.”

David Davis, who is regarded as the frontrunner in the leadership campaign and Dr Liam Fox are due to speak at the conference on Wednesday.

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley also delivered a speech at Tuesday’s conference calling for “radical transformation of the NHS and other front line public services.

Mr Lansley unveiled a ten-point programme for change, which included the scrapping of performance targets, more patient choice and new measures to allow the independent sector to supply the NHS.

He told the conference: “I came into politics because I saw how Margaret Thatcher’s government created Britain’s enterprise culture. Twenty years on, we need to be the party that will transform Britain’s public services, unlocking social enterprise to match the enterprise revolution of the 1980s in industry, realising the benefits of competition and choice.”

(KMcA/SP)