Live blog of David Cameron's press conference

Highlights, not verbatim:

This government has been in power too long. His long list includes the Department of Transport initiative that spent more on an efficiency drive than was saved (link), Labour's manipulation of knife crime statistics and a refusal to express regret over the arrest of Damian Green.

A big choice now exists in British politics; on the economy and society. He lists Tory proposals on the economy. On society we have a plan to repair Britain's broken society.  The Labour proposal to force single mums with children as young as one is a "rotten apple" in Labour's welfare reforms.  It is "shameful".  We will work with all MPs in all parties to stop that idea in its tracks.

The right moment for compulsion is when the children of single mothers start to go to school (link).

There is no excuse whatsoever for Gordon Brown delaying talks between the civil service and Conservatives on preparing for an orderly transfer of power.

It would be "outrageous", "classic Gordon Brown Enron accounting" if the Government acquires the assets of the Post Office and hives off the liabilities.

Conservatives are not against a fiscal stimulus in principle. Nations like Germany can afford one. Britain with borrowing equal to 8% of GDP means we cannot.

Asked by The Sun's George Pascoe-Watson whether he could guarantee that all his shadow cabinet would be in place in three months Mr Cameron joked back that The Editor of The Sun couldn't guarantee all of the political lobby would be in place and neither could he do something similar. The Tory leader then singled out Andrew Lansley, Michael Gove, Chris Grayling, Dominic Grieve and George Osborne for praise.

The Mirror's Jason Beattie asks if the fifteen members of the shadow cabinet with outside interests should be compelled to work full-time as Her Majesty's Opposition. DC replies that he'll judge his frontbenchers on the quality of their output.

Robin Oakley asks if there are any circumstances that the next Tory government would join the Euro. "No" replies Cameron and then says current crisis has hardened case for not joining. Europe, he says, needs more than one interest rate.

Jean Eaglesham asks why Tories won't return donations from David Ross. The question doesn't arise says Cameron. The donation was made perfectly properly.

In reply to a question from the Daily Mail he rejects the idea that the control of interest rates should be restored to the Treasury Mr Cameron rejects a return to politicisation and notes the Tories believe in greater independent oversight of fiscal policy too.

David Cameron tells Fraser Nelson that he does not plan to cut overall levels of public spending but reduce the rate of its growth.

I ask David Cameron what he thought about IDS' proposals on asylum seekers. I haven't read report yet but will post a reply on ConservativeHome. I look forward to that!

In response to questions from The Times and Independent DC declines to expand upon which public spending causes will be treated most and least generously.

Tim Montgomerie

Comments

[m dowding]

Measured, true, thoughtful, factual. Splendid electioneering and a very good marker for our strategy as and when needed. One ever so tiny gripe. Labour get the "frits" like before and Nosepicker bottles yet again. Why a gripe? I genuinely believe they will suffer a big defeat whenever the election is called. A Nationwide Crewe, delightful thought and as soon as possible, please, Labour.

[GB£.com]

Well that all sounds very reasonable. Let's hope we get a chance to vote on the Tory platform before the LT is ratified.

[GJTory]

Disappointing, if politically sensible, that overall levels of public spending will not be cut.

[Barry Williams]

I am disappointed that we are not going for large scale cuts in public expenditure but I do realise the political reality.

[Cobblers]

No shoes thrown!?

[snegchui]

If DC gets the Service Delivery side of his platform sorted out well ( ie no more cost-increasing savings initiatives as per DoT), then savings can be made from efficiencies rather than pure service-cutting. The BERR is going to be critical in any revival in keeping businesses going and cutting the costs of doing business.
I note in another thread that detail is just not going to be forthcoming (talk of an early election is an attempt to flush out Tory policies), so we wait. But I tell you better have vastly improved communication strategies in the time allowed pre-election to convey what the Conservatives are about.

[David Belchamber]

The conservatives would make a significant advance in terms of popularity if they concentrated rather more on thinking the unthinkable - how to create jobs in a recession.

You can't force people into the armed forces but it would be nice to think that the MoD could be substantially slimmed down to make more money available from the same budget for our armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe civil servants thereby made redundant could join the army and bring that back up to strength!!

In rural areas, especially where there has been widescale flooding, people might be employed on hedging and ditching - by hand rather than by machine. In Wiltshire last week, my wife and met a chap who had been made redundant from the railways and now had a job maintaining bridges in the county.

He told us that there were 1660 bridges in the county - and he was the only person doing this job. Yet every year, the drains are blocked, some roads become impassable and there are no ditches for the water to run off into.

Not jobs that will earn bankers' fortunes but hard and necessary jobs that are not being done at all at the moment and which would not cost much more than benefits.

[snegchui]

David Belchamber,
As a guide to costs, you wouldn't mind asking your bridge-maintenance man what bonus he got last year and what bonus his managers (sic) got last year?
I am going for £0 for him and £8-10,000 average for managers for creative thinking.

[Jack Stone]

I think redundant civil servants would be of much better use re-training and becoming doctors or nurses as our health service is sorely short of both than becoming members of the armed services.
I would like to see them used to save life rather than take it.

[Votedave]

"No shoes thrown!?"

That would have made a good starting joke; "Could I politely request that no shoes are thrown at me?" :)

[Richard Calhoun]

Cameron is digging himself into the same hole as he did by pledging to follow Labour's spending plans and then having to do a U turn.

The Country is broke, financially that is, and when you are broke you don't reduce the increase in your spending you reduce your spending!

[the bishops wife]

Sensible, measured, reasonable, rational all of words describe Dave. He sounds like a safe and fair-minded pair of hands. He is even setting out some of his stall or stock in trade if you prefer. What he doesn’t want to do is scare sheep, so there is perhaps a little wise restraint in the words he has chosen. I still wonder if he is really connecting with the vast bulk of the “people”. After all I have reservations, and I am fair minded and open to change. Maybe the only way we will really know if he is up to the job is after his first year or so in the office of PM.

[Mr Angry]

And we wonder why we are starting to see our poll lead consistently eroded.