Cameron on Newsnight touches on immigration, green taxation and the outside interests of the frontbench

The Tory leader is on Newsnight at 10.30pm but News 24 have already broadcast the whole encounter between Mr Cameron and Gavin Esler, Michael Crick, Stephanie Flanders and Mark Urban. I missed the preview but here are three toplines from the interview:

• Under repeated questioning David Cameron says that immigration is too high in Britain;
• He says that Tories will raise taxes on air travel;
• He concedes that frontbenchers may be spending too much time on outside interests but that the team is overall hard-working.

6.15pm: The BBC website is headlining the interview as 'Immigration too high - Cameron'.

6.30pm: This is what Cameron says on immigration: "I think that there are benefits from immigration  and want Britain to capture the benefits from that immigration... But I think the levels of migration we see in the early part of the decade of this Government, when the asylum numbers were very high, and the later part of the decade, when immigration settlement numbers were very high; I think we have put too great a burden on public services and I think it needs to be better controlled... What's required in the whole debate about immigration is a careful use of language but actually some fairly tough and rigorous action... What we have had from the Government sometimes, particularly from (former Home Secretary) David Blunkett, was loose and inflammatory language but weak and ineffective action. I think we need the complete opposite."

11.15pm: I've deleted the third point above.  Contrary to what I was briefed I do not think David Cameron conceded anything on outside interests.   My overall view: A very strong, confident performance.  No sign of panic.  More commentary tomorrow on the detail of what DC said.

Comments

[AnotherOne]

What is that supposed to mean? People here are complaining because the BBC would never treat Brown or any other of his Comrades that way.

There would be no problem if they were fair and behaved the same way to him and the rest of Labour. Would Flounders have said to Brown - "you and your poor wife are messing up the economy?" I think not.

[Chris Palmer]

'So, Conservative activists out there – stop complaining about the BBC. If you are that bothered, make a formal complaint.' - Fiona

What, waste our time in making a complaint which they will ignore? The BBC is unaccountable. It has a billion pound guaranteed income. It can be as politically biased as it wishes without consequence.

Those words of you sound very much like Mr Cameron in his leadership victory speech claiming that the Conservative party should stop moaning/complaining about modern Britain.

When there is so much wrong, there is much to complain about - especially with the BBC.

[Fiona]

Chris: Well I did work for him, and I agree with him. Don't just moan - do something!Change it - go out and argue the case.

[Patrick Harris]

Wait until the present "Public Sector Industrial unrest" is concluded and Brown is seen to be the tough PM who says what he means and means what he says. I can hear the BBC now, there will be no mention that it was all contrived to this end.

[Fiona]

Another one: I did say 'They should do the same to Brown. Whether they will or not is another matter.'

But the point is, deal with it, do something about it. Sitting at home complaining will never change anything - step up, take responsibility, create the climate for change.

Actually I thought Stephanie Flanders' point was a good one (although I'm not sure she should have personalised it in that way). But as I argued last week in the 'What DC should do next' series, we have to personalise the solutions we put forward, and using examples is a good way to do that.

[AnotherOne]

Chris: Their estimated guarunteed income now stands around £3.5 billion.

Fiona: Yeah you make a fair point. Time to get the grassroots moving! But I was trying to explain why there is so much criticism here and why it is so warranted!

[Chris Palmer]

AnotherOne: Thanks, I was looking for an exact figure but couldn't find it, but assumed it was at least one billion.

Fiona: I have argued on this website and others countless times for ways to change the BBC. I have also done so with friends, family and political others. However, at the end of the day, I can only do so much as a 'nobody'. It's people like you who have worked for Cameron (and are probably still very close to him) that can make that difference and have the opportunity to 'change' things.

However, since you don't really seem particularly concerned by the BBC's output, as admittedly many of those on the progressive left of the Conservative party are not, then I suppose I am arguing with the wrong person.

[Fiona]

Chris: OK - write us a post then. Contact us through the hyperlink in my name.

No whingeing - proper solutions and suggestions as to what to do. I will publish it some time next week.