Highlights from this morning's David Cameron press conference

David Cameron gave a press conference earlier today and promised to hold them regularly from now on.  He suggested about once a month.

He began by joking that we should be just nine days from polling day.  We should be walking the streets of Bury or Bolton or, if things were going particularly well, Wigan!  He was in relaxed mode.  Certainly confident.

His opening remarks had three main themes:

Policy development.  The road to the manifesto would now be rolled out in three chapters:

• Next month there will be a statement on the Opportunity agenda - with a big focus on schools reform.
• In January the focus will be on the Responsibility agenda - with fresh ideas on welfare reform.
• In February the emphasis will be on Security - with a focus on prisons reform.

No doubt, Mr Cameron joked, the Government will attempt to steal Conservative ideas on these subjects, too.

The six main policy groups were now wound up but the social justice work would continue to be pursued by Iain Duncan Smith's team, the party's green commitments would be exemplified by a forthcoming paper on decentralised energy, on localism the party would be bringing forward new ideas on how councils will be held accountability for their spending and Ken Clarke would be saying more about the West Lothian question.

Party funding.  Repeating the message of the weekend Mr Cameron said that caps on donations to political parties must be across the board - including trade unions.  Additionally he promised that the Conservatives want to scrap the new Communications Allowance available to MPs. 

Meeting world leaders.  Mr Cameron said that he would be meeting the Prime Ministers of Turkey and Israel later today.  He would be in Berlin on Friday to address a CDU/CSU Conference on global issues - a conference also to be addressed by Chancellor Merkel.  Next month (I think he said next month) he would be journeying to Prague for a conference with the Czech ruling party - the ODS.

We then moved on to the Q&A.  I didn't ask a question.  Before I go to these events in future I'll seek your questions and Sam or I will always try and ask one of them...

Most of the journalists asked about the EU Treaty and whether the Conservatives would still hold a referendum if the Treaty was ratified.  Gary Gibbon of Channel 4 news (I took this picture of the back of his head!) said that the Treaty would still, in the Tory view, be bad in 18 months' time and in two years - why wouldn't the Conservatives pledge to undo it?  Adam Boulton, Nick Robinson, Andrew Porter and Jean Eaglesham all pressed the same issue.  David Cameron said that there were too many 'ifs' to be definitive now.  Ratification depended upon Brown not changing his mind, on the approval of the Lords, on other countries including Ireland voting 'yes'.  This hypothetical debate about post-ratification was the debate Brown wanted.  David Cameron said that he was determined to keep focused on stopping the Treaty being ratified in the first place and pointing out the Prime Minister's broken promise.

Asked about the Liberal Democrats he said that their problems went much deeper than their leader.  He was determined to continue to lead a liberal Conservative party.  Voters who wanted sensible environmentalism, more localism, an end to ID cards, a focus on schools and real devolution should vote Conservative.  The liberal Conservative party was the only sure way of ousting Labour, he concluded.

He promised The Times' Francis Elliott that the EPP exit pledge would be delivered.  It was part of my leadership election programme, he said.  He had told Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy that Conservatives inside a new European parliamentary grouping would be "good neighbours" to the EPP rather than "unhappy tenants".

On extending the period of detention without trial he said that he would need to see real new evidence to justify any change in the current position.  He had not seen that evidence yet.  Furthermore there were dangers that an extension could play into the hands of extremists.

11.35am: Nick Robinson's blog of the press conference.

3.30pm video from Conservatives.com:

Comments

[Tony Makara]

David Cameron is right. Why shouldn't the Conservative party work to build a winning level of support in places like Wigan. It is precisely in towns like Wigan where Labour have let people down the most. The Labour party has had a monopoly on local government in Wigan for generations yet areas like the Worsley Hall estate are completely run down. Incidently this is an area that has seen very positive investment from the private sector around the JJB stadium. The Worsley Hall estate presents a good contrast between failed public sector housing and thriving private sector enterprise.

Poverty and class distinctions have widened under Labour and it is in Labour heartlands like Wigan that poverty is most extreme. This really is cause and effect. The Conservative party must work to take towns like Wigan away from degenerative Labour rule. Labour arrogantly assume that the Labour vote in Wigan and other redbrick towns is guarenteed, that is a patronizing stance that must be challenged. These towns do not belong to Labour.

[Chad Noble]

Nick Robinson: "This would amount to a commitment to re-negotiate Britain's whole relationship with the EU which is precisely why the Tory leader wants to avoid it."

David Cameron is facing the litmus test of his 'repatriate powers from Brussels' aims with the call for a post-ratification referendum.

'Repatriating powers' means changing ratified treaties, so if Cameron ducks a post-ratification referendum, it will leave the Tory 'third way' of EU reform with power repatriation (against full integration of withdrawal) in tatters.

Cameron needs to keep the pressure up now, but he must surely know that post-ratification, the heat will turn from Brown to himself.

[Spencer Wisdom]

Absolutely agree Tony.
Judging by last Thursday's by-election result the Conservatives are already challenging Labour in places like Wigan. I have to say the fact that we won and then held a seat in central Wigan suprised me.

Wigan MBC, Wigan Central
Con 1013 (48.2;+3.9), Lab 827 (39.3;+6.2), Community Action 262 (12.5;+5.6), [BNP (0.0;-6.3)], [Lib Dem 0.0; -9.5)].
Majority 186. Turnout 22.8%. Con hold. Last fought 2007.

[CCHQ Spy]

I like David Cameron's way of describing the EPP.

[Oberon Houston]

Glad he's taken my advice (well I gave it on this site after Tim posted a piece on Hague stumbling over the issue on the Today program) , yes, my advice on not answering hypothetical questions. Well, it's an obvious one really, but Labour are so obsessively tactical about dealing with us, we need to get a bit smarter at out manouvering them.

btw...Anyone in London going to Westminster this evening to see Andrew Mitchel speak in the Jubilee Room? TRG have organised it, its on UN reform. I'm going along, should be interesting.

[Ken Stevens]

Tony Makara | October 23, 11:57
"..Why shouldn't the Conservative party work to build a winning level of support in places like Wigan. It is precisely in towns like Wigan where Labour have let people down the most.."

Good idea!

Deliver the speeches and press conferences from such places. Get amongst the local people and demonstrate understanding that the edge of the world is not delineated by the boundaries of Notting Hill and Islington.

Go on the chicken 'n chips circuit as well as the rubber chicken one
- but be very wary of ruining it with gaffes such as Mandelson's guacamole moment (whether or not apocryphal).

[EML]

Good stuff, looking forward to hearing about what the party plans to do about the parlous state of non-private education in this country.

It's clear from all the league tables and analysis of results that state schools are barely improving at all, whilst private schools are leaping ahead in bounds.

Obviously this means we should be trying to make state education more like private education - but for the many - not the other way round (which is the inevitable outcome of Labour's ideology).

[Michael Hewlett]

Nothing raises the spirit more when bedridden with flu then seeing Tories attacking Labour on numerous fronts.

Cameron tearing Brown apart in the Commons, Osbourne proving his mettle as future chancellor at conference, Grayling producing an assured appearance on the politics show attacking the chaos of the benefits system and Gove opening up a new front on traditional teaching in education.

Even Blair is proving to be a useful ally to the cause in not stopping his friends from providing Seldon with damaging quotes about Brown.

Cameron has every reason to be confident. As we did successfully throughout the 80's, we are winning the intellectual arguments. Salient points regarding Wigan, no area should be considered 'out of bounds' and as the public trust in Brown withers ours will grow in the North.

[Felicity Mountjoy]

It is Osborne not Osbourne, Michael.

[Matt Kellett]

Wonderful initiative to ask questions on behalf of readers-- new media democracy in action!!

[Edison Smith]

My question to DC would have been:

An Oxford University study today suggests the UK population will be 75m by 2050 at least, 6m higher than current projections. The current UK population is 60m and the increase would be equivalent to two new London-sized cities. Is this sustainable? And if not, what can be done to curb such huge population growth?

(the answer - if he is honest - would be nothing, as we're in the EU).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7055285.stm

[Mr Angry]

Hi Tim & Sam, at the next press conference con you please ask what Cameron's view on the Conservative Muslim Forum's recent report is please. We have still had nothing but a deathly silence from the Party leadership on this, and it is an important issue.

[Michael Hewlett]

Thanks Felicity, blame the man flu....

[Editor]

Thank you Mr Angry. I should have asked that question today. I was stuck for something different... which is why I will seek questions next time!

[George Hinton]

Tim and Sam;

You might ask what he intends to do about the shameful story, that as there is insufficient legislation for MP's to debate and so little time given to EU derived legislation, that there is insufficient activity to occupy MP's time at Westminster, so they will be giving extra leave.
Extra leave which means they now get 90 days hols per years, 3 times the national average.
Great outrage all round.

[Chad Noble]

Hypothetical question avoidance is a red herring.

Surely *every* question about what Cameron would do if in power is hypothetical? The entire Tory election manifesto will be hyothetical. Every policy announcement is hypothetical.

None of it will occur unless some dependent future event occurs.

I'm sure he'd have no hesitation in answering this question:

"If you win the next election and ID cards have been approved and introduced by the government, will you repeal them?"

So why does he have so much problem with:

"If you win the next election and the EU treaty has been approved and introduced by the government, will you repeal it or offer a referendum to repeal it?"

[Deputy Editor]

If you want to watch the conference I've now embedded a video to the bottom of the post.

[Perdix]

Chad 15.20 - now that you've been kicked out of UKIP and kicked yourself out of your own one-man party, why do you come on here just to be negative?

[The Huntsman]

DC in The Sun 26th. September 2007:

"Today, I will give this cast-iron guarantee: If I become PM a Conservative government will hold a referendum on any EU treaty that emerges from these negotiations.

No treaty should be ratified without consulting the British people in a referendum."

Now it is clear he has, 27 days later, resiled from that position.

Each must draw his or her own conclusion from this and make such judgement as they deem fit.

I wrote yesterday of the need to set out with clarity what our policy is when the Treaty has come into force. It simply is not good enough to talk of this being a hypothetical situation.

If the treaty is to be abhorred before it comes into force, why does it become any less abhorrent if it does come into force? If it is against the British National interest now, why is it suddenly on 1st. January 2009 in the British National interest?

[Dontmakemelaugh]

All this hypothetical stuff is a bit of a let down, Dave. What the public wants and expects after all your nonchalant leaning over the despatch box and swaggering, macho, disparaging destruction of Broon’s character, regarding the new EU Treaty as being the old Constitution re - constituted, is some red meat, Dave. We need to be told urgently that come what may there will be a referendum on the treaty, if it is passed, when you take office. Anything less means that the golden tonsils will sooner or later be facing another crisis.
After your promise to deal swiftly with the EPP problem (what happened) Dave, we have every confidence in you that you will fulfil your promise on the referendum as reported in the Sun - hypothetically speaking. Bad news, Dave. Memories are short, but they ain’t that short.

[Chad Noble]

Hi Perdix,
If you take the time to look back since conference, I've been very supportive of the balanced agenda that emerged from it as I have been a long supporter of the 'prog con' or 'and' approach espoused here.

However, on this issue, when I absolutely want to get behind Cameron in beating Brown to a pulp over his broken pledge, I find someone who is equally trying to avoid a referendum on his watch.

It's just too easy to call for a referendum when you are not in a position to deliver one (switch Brown and Cameron, Brown would be bashing Cameron to deliver the referendum wouldn't he?), it takes real conviction to deliver one when you are in a position to do so.

Brown has bottled it, but, sadly (really) Cameron is not showing himself to be any different.

[NW Supporter]

Let's be careful discussing what Cameron should do about an EU referendum if he was in office. The fact is, he isn't in office and Europe causes divisions. We never will be in government if we start falling out amongst ourselves.

[christina]

If Cameron does not first hold the promised opposition day debate - and hold it soon - that will be a breach of promise and the consequential forfeit of trust .

This treaty / constitution is bad - Cameron says so repeatedly. So why cannot he follow that through to its inevitable and logical conclusion and say---

"The treaty is bad for Britain. When returned to power we WILL hold a referendum and carry through the people's wishes from that referendum."

[Patriot]

Christina, (October 23,23:52) I agree, and this is beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable.

What caused the huge swing in the polls was the perception that the party in general and DC in particular had suddenly emerged from the shadows with some bite and conviction - if the lead is to be retained the electorate will now be anticipating a firm committment from DC to a referendum after the next election (and frankly making that committment now is the only vanishingly small chance we have of cornering Brown into having one before ratification).

If DC doesn't soon commit to a post election, post ratification referendum I predict that the polls will swing back towards Labour. Voters will perceive that Cameron's attack over the treaty will have been superficial, made only for political advantage and not out of conviction - opening up the taunts about PR again just when the swing voters and traditional Conservatives who have been sitting on their hands thought that their old party was coming back.

This treaty is very dangerous for Britain, and if handled by the leadership with the conviction it deserves it could propel the Conservatives back into power. On the other hand, if Cameron starts to give the impression that he is only posturing it could do the party immense damage.

[Patriot]

Have we had any discussions yet with Gisela Stuart about crossing the floor and joining the Conservatives?

[Chad Noble]

From the FT:
"An aide to the Tory leader told the Financial Times the calls for a post-ratification referendum were “rather like buying back a house after you've sold it. You can do that but only if the people want to sell it”."

So once powers are signed away, they cannot be returned? How does that sit with "Repatriate powers from Brussels"?

Never has it been clearer that Cameron will do nothing to halt the march to a federal EU and that his 'repatriate powers from Brussels' line is a sham.

[rumpelstiltskin]

Tell me again anyone - where are these other centre-right parties or MEPs who are going to join the Conservatives in a new group? The new Polish election winners - almost clones of the Tory Party - have announced that they are staying with the EPP and Topolanek and his Czechs are already on the move back to the EPP. All that is left are the nutters, the odd independent and others totally out on a limb in their respective countries. And, remember, there must be six nationalities to form a group.

[James Maskell]

Social justice seems to be delegated and forgotten about until the report comes out. There isnt much laying of the ground is there?

In the news this week, another childrens home is being proposed in Thanet. Thanet is one of the most deprived parts of the South East and we are struggling to deal with with other authorities sending their children to us, breaking government rules. we have a lot of problems down here and sending vulnerable children right down here is going to have a detrimental effect on them and on the local authorities, which have enough problems as it is.

[Christina M]

Since Cameron's refusal to promise a referendum after an election victory, I too have felt that he is being opportunist. If the imposed Treaty is bad for Britain, there should be no hesitation from a principled political leader to promise a referendum should the next election be won.

Of course, if Cameron's real position is that he doesn't think that the Treaty is bad for Britain, but we should have a referendum on it anyway, then his refusal makes sense.

[chrisc]

I am a "wannabe" Tory voter, but Cameron's obvious dishonesty - you can hear it in his and Hague's stumbling and unconvincing answers - is putting me off.

How are we to "repatriate" *any* powers from Brussels without "renegotiating" or if necessary reneging on previous treaties?

This is a question which Labourites will ask - so you had better have an answer!

[Mr R. G. Rose]

I applaud the visit of Mr Cameron to the USA.
I wonder if it would be possible for Mr Cameron to suggest to the US Postal Administration, and Royal Mail in Great Britain, the desirablity of issuing a joint postage stamp, or series of stamps to commemorate the 100 birthday, on November 20th 2008, of Alistair Cooke. Mr Cooke was one of the most celebrated of British-American journalists and broadcasters who did much to further British-American understanding, and hence friendship, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Thank you for your attention.