'NHS safe in Conservative hands' - Cameron

David Cameron has pledged that the NHS will be "safe in Conservative hands," if the party gets back into power at the next election.

Speaking at the end of the party's conference in Bournemouth, Mr Cameron said that he intended to make the NHS "a key priority" and vowed never to cut its funding, while ensuring that the money was "better spent".

Mr Cameron said that the creation of the service was "one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century" and, citing his personal experience as the father of a disabled son, said: "The NHS is vitally important to every family in this country. It certainly is to mine. When your family relies on the NHS all the time - day after day, night after night - you know how precious it is."

Recalling how Prime Minister Tony Blair declared his priorities for government as "education, education, education", he said: "Well, I can do it in three letters: NHS."

Mr Cameron continued: "We will serve and support the National Health Service. We will never jeopardise the NHS by cutting its funding. But we will make sure the money is well spent. No more pointless and disruptive reorganisations. Yes, change is necessary in the NHS. But that change must come from the bottom up: driven by the wishes and needs of the NHS professionals and patients."

Commenting on taxes, Mr Cameron once again refused to be drawn on promising tax cuts. He said: "A low tax economy is a strong economy. But some people want me to flash up some pie in the sky tax cuts to show what we stand for. We're not going back. We've laid it out clearly at this conference. We will not take risks with the economy. We will not make promises we can't keep."

Mr Cameron also declared his support for British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said: "It is vital to keep Britain safe. A lawless, broken Afghanistan was the cradle for the terrorist attacks of September 11. Our armed forces are doing important work in Afghanistan and Iraq. So, let the message go out from this conference, to the best armed forces in the world. You are fighting in our name... and we are proud of what you do."

The Conservative leader also stressed his commitment to tackling the threat of terrorism, saying: "We are dealing with people who are prepared to do anything, kill any number, and use suicide attacks to further their aims. Defeating them will be a battle of hearts and minds, as well as force. But this threat cannot be negotiated away of appeared - it has to be confronted and overcome."

Mr Cameron concluded: "Family. Community. Society. The NHS. The environment. Our quality of life. These are the things that matter most to me. And I want us here to be optimistic about their future. This is an old country, with a proud past and a bright future.

"We are getting ready to serve again. The best is yet to come."

(KMcA/SP)