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Cameron vows government 'thrift' Cameron promises age of 'thrift'
(about 3 hours later)
Conservative leader David Cameron is to say he plans to "replace Labour's spendaholic government with a new government of thrift". Conservative leader David Cameron has said he plans to "replace Labour's spendaholic government with a new government of thrift".
Mr Cameron will tell his party's spring forum in Gloucestershire later that cutting wasteful spending will not be enough to save the UK's finances. Mr Cameron told his party's spring forum he wanted a "complete change of direction" on public spending.
What is needed is a "complete change of direction" across government and the public sector, he will say. And he vowed an end to Labour waste and "incompetence".
Mr Cameron is also challenging Gordon Brown to hold a TV debate with him. Labour accused him of plotting tax cuts for the wealthy few at the expense of ordinary voters. The Lib Dems said he had "bottled" tough decisions.
The Tory leader made that challenge - something he has done before without success - in an interview with the Sunday Times. Mr Cameron received a standing ovation from delegates at Cheltenham racecourse for his speech, in which he set out his priorities for a general election campaign, which could be less than a year away.
He is using the spring forum, being held at Cheltenham racecourse in Gloucestershire, to set out his priorities for a general election campaign, which could be less than a year away. He announced plans to name and shame overpaid civil servants, with a "people's right to know" scheme a Tory government would publish all items of public spending over £25,000 on a website and all public sector salaries over £150,000.
He will attack Labour's new 50% top tax rate as a "pathetic piece of class war posturing" aimed at distracting attention away from the "vast hole in the public finances". He attacked Chancellor Alistair Darling's new 50% top tax rate as a "pathetic piece of class war posturing" aimed at distracting attention away from the "vast hole in the public finances".
"When I see Brown and Darling, I'm reminded of those people who come to your door; one pretends to read your gas meter, while the other robs your house."When I see Brown and Darling, I'm reminded of those people who come to your door; one pretends to read your gas meter, while the other robs your house.
"50p income tax when you have a budget deficit of £175 billion? That's not responsibility - it's distraction burglary." "50p income tax when you have a budget deficit of £175bn? That's not responsibility - it's distraction burglary."
Mr Cameron has so far resisted calls to make axing the new top rate a priority for an incoming Conservative government.Mr Cameron has so far resisted calls to make axing the new top rate a priority for an incoming Conservative government.
'Change of direction''Change of direction'
Responding to the dire state of the public finances revealed in Wednesday's Budget, he will say Britain is entering a "new age of austerity" and there needs to a "complete change of direction" at the top. Responding to the dire state of the public finances revealed in Wednesday's Budget, he said Britain was entering a "new age of austerity" and there needed to be a "complete change of direction" at the top.
He will argue for a "whole new, never-been-done-before approach to the way the country is run". He said any government would have to make cuts in the years ahead and he said he was not "frightened about their (Labour's) idiotic ritual chants about Tory cuts".
He will tell delegates: "Cutting out spending we can do without is not going to deliver the scale of change we need. And he pledged to come up with more detailed proposals when the party had completed a study of the public finances.
He argued for a "whole new, never-been-done-before approach to the way the country is run".
He told delegates: "Cutting out spending we can do without is not going to deliver the scale of change we need.
With a Conservative government, if ministers want to impress the boss, they'll have to make their budgets smaller, not bigger David CameronConservative leader Send us your reactionWith a Conservative government, if ministers want to impress the boss, they'll have to make their budgets smaller, not bigger David CameronConservative leader Send us your reaction
"Delivering more for less, on a sustained and long-term basis, cannot just be about top-down cuts imposed by ministers. We need a massive culture change at every level of government, so the state is no longer casual, but careful, with public money.""Delivering more for less, on a sustained and long-term basis, cannot just be about top-down cuts imposed by ministers. We need a massive culture change at every level of government, so the state is no longer casual, but careful, with public money."
He will list examples of public sector waste and attack what he says is the culture in government that "prizes profligacy over prudence". He listed examples of public sector waste and attacked what he said was the culture in government that "prizes profligacy over prudence".
"With a Conservative government, if ministers want to impress the boss, they'll have to make their budgets smaller, not bigger."With a Conservative government, if ministers want to impress the boss, they'll have to make their budgets smaller, not bigger.
"On my watch it will be simple: if you do more for less you get promoted; if you do less for more, you get sacked."On my watch it will be simple: if you do more for less you get promoted; if you do less for more, you get sacked.
Rather than David Brent-style marketing waffle, David Cameron needs to start being straight with people about what what the Tories would really do on the economy Liam Byrne, cabinet office minister Today David Cameron once again showed that natural Tory instinct to make the many suffer to pay for tax cuts for the very wealthiest Alan Johnson, Health Secretary
"If we'd had this approach over the last 12 years, I don't suppose there'd be a single minister left.""If we'd had this approach over the last 12 years, I don't suppose there'd be a single minister left."
He will say the "culture of thrift" must also apply to the civil service, promising "a new fiduciary responsibility on senior civil servants - a contractual obligation to save the taxpayer money" and a "proper finance director" for every government department. He said the "culture of thrift" must also apply to the civil service, promising "a new fiduciary responsibility on senior civil servants - a contractual obligation to save the taxpayer money" and a "proper finance director" for every government department.
Top tax rate 'Bottling out'
The Conservatives are using the spring conference to launch what is likely to be a key policy at the general election - extending the city academy programme to primary schools. Mr Cameron earlier hit back at criticism from the right of his party that he should axe the 50% top rate of tax
They will be hoping this will head off any rows over the new 50% top rate of income tax after Mr Cameron said it would not be a priority to cut it if the Tories win the election. He also suggested in an interview with BBC One's Politics Show that his party's inheritance tax plans might still be "operable".
London Mayor Boris Johnson has said he would scrap the top rate but has so far managed to avoid being drawn into public criticism of Mr Cameron at the conference. This prompted Labour to claim he was planning tax cuts for the few "at the expense of the many".
Boris Johnson has denied reports he "despises" the Tory leader Labour also seized on Mr Cameron's call for the government to ditch its "irresponsible" plan to increase public spending by £20bn in 2010.
He made a typically colourful speech at a rally for Tory election candidates, in a room below the one of the main stands at the racecourse, telling them - to loud cheers - "break your piggy bank and put it on the jockey wearing blue" and saying "the Labour animal is knackered". Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: "Today David Cameron once again showed that natural Tory instinct to make the many suffer to pay for tax cuts for the very wealthiest.
He has also denied, in an interview with the ConservativeHome website, a report in the Times' that he "despised" Mr Cameron, saying the report was "obvious tripe" and "fantasy". "Behind all the marketing speak designed to disguise their true plans, David Cameron let slip today that he is considering cuts of £20bn to public services and help for families.
He also played down recent reports that he is planning to be prime minister saying that being London mayor is "almost certainly my last big job in British politics". "He also revealed today that he is so determined to cut taxes for the 3,000 wealthiest estates in the country that if he had to then he would 'put some taxes up' to pay for it."
The Conservatives have said they want to make savings through spending cuts rather than tax rises if they get into power, which they argue would slow down any economic recovery. Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable accused the Tories of "bottling out" of the debate on the "hard decisions" that had to be made by all parties on public spending.
They have not said where any cuts will fall, beyond saying that health, schools, defence and international development will be protected from cuts in 2009 and 2010. "They can not wait until after the election before confronting all of this stuff," he told the BBC News channel.
For 2010 to 2011 they only have two commitments - real terms increases in health spending and matching Labour's 2013 target for 0.7% of GDP to be spent on overseas aid.
'Hide and seek'
Pressed on where cuts would come under a Conservative government, shadow foreign secretary William Hague told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Most of those will have to be set out when we are in government.
"Some others may be set out before the election. I'm not going to set them out casually on a Sunday morning... We haven't done all the work on how we would change public spending, of course not."
Labour called on the Tories to be more honest about their public spending plans.
Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne said: "Rather than David Brent-style marketing waffle, David Cameron needs to start being straight with people about what what the Tories would really do on the economy.
"So far, it has taken Boris Johnson to flush him out on opposing our measures to ask the very wealthiest to make an increased contribution to the recovery.
"At least Boris has the guts to be straight with people about the Conservatives' plans for Britain. It's time for David Cameron to stop playing hide and seek and do the same."