David Cameron defends sacking Lord Young (but not Vince Cable), saying "politics isn't fair" and that coalition involves contradictions

By Jonathan Isaby

Today's Daily Mail carries quite a lengthy interview with David Cameron, conducted on Thursday on his way back from campaigning in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.

The paper leads with the family/lifestye aspects of the interview, but there is some politics too.

Here are some of the key points:

He defends the sacking of Lord Young as an adviser, but keeping Vince Cable in Cabinet:

"Look, I made the right decision with Vince. Lord Young, I was very sad about that. He is an extremely talented man, but this was going to be hung around his neck and we needed to deal with it. It’s a pity, but there we are. Is everything fair in politics, as in life? No. My father always used to say: 'Remember that not everything in life is fair.' And it isn’t in ­politics either. I think it was the right decision, but coalition does involve compromises, difficulties and even contradictions."

On fairness and the rise in tuition fees, he says:

"I was talking to some factory workers about this today. I asked them: “Do you think it is right that your taxes are going to educate my children and your boss’s children? If you want high-quality expanding universities, which we all know we need in the age of India and China and global competition, who is going to pay for it? You’ve only got two choices: the taxpayers, some of whom are poor. Or graduates, and only if they are successful. I think we can win that ­argument. I really, really do... When you think about it, I got a free university ­education which was paid for by those much less well off than me. Where is the ­fairness in that?"

On his relationship with Nick Clegg:

"Politics evolves. We trust one another. Both of us started off from the same position, taking a risk. It would probably have been easier not to do this, politically and ­personally. But in the end — and I don’t want to sound pompous or pious — you ask yourself if you are doing the right thing for the ­country. We both think we are."

On fighting the next election against the Lib Dems:

"If we fight the next election as an independent party on our own, which we will, it will be a different way of campaigning. The discourse will be politer. We will be more ­positive about ourselves, and spend less time having a pop at the Lib Dems. Would that be such a bad thing?"

On whether he is enjoying being Prime Minister:

"I don’t know if 'enjoy' is the right word. I get out of bed in the morning with a sense of ­purpose, knowing that important things need to be done."

Elsewhere in the interview, he talks about how the family have adjusted to life in Number 10, how he has dealt with having a new baby in office and his father's death last year. Read the whole interview here.