General Election 2010: Rattled David Cameron changes tack in face of Lib Dems' poll surge

Published on Monday 19 April 2010 22:32

CONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron tried to reinvent himself last night in an attempt to get his faltering election campaign back on track.

• David Cameron has a drink during an address to business leaders. Picture: PA

Rattled by opinion polls rating his appearance in the televised leaders' debate last week as poor, prompting a wave of support for the Liberal Democrats, Mr Cameron axed an election broadcast fearing it was too negative.

Instead of the planned attack on Prime Minister Gordon Brown, viewers saw the Tory leader try to highlight positive reasons why he should be prime minister.

The broadcast was an attempt to regain the initiative in an election campaign that at one point seemed Mr Cameron's to lose and to recognise that the real threat to the Conservatives was no longer Mr Brown.

This was highlighted in the way the "Nick Clegg factor" appeared to be holding strong yesterday, with two polls putting the Lib Dems in second place. ICM gauged their support at 30 per cent, up ten points since last week, with the Tories on 33 per cent (down four) and Labour on 28 per cent (down three). A ComRes poll put the Tories on 32 per cent and the Lib Dems and Labour on 28 per cent each. Analysts say this would make Labour the biggest party with 279 seats, ahead of the Tories on 245 and Lib Dems on 94.

Yesterday, Mr Cameron, who was mocked by opponents for cancelling a trip to Scotland because of the volcanic ash, said he would be "accentuating the positives" to regain the upper hand.

In his party political broadcast, he charted key moments in his leadership of the Tories, stating that Britain needed "directness, strong leadership, energy, values and a big idea" to get it out of its current mess. And, without mentioning Mr Clegg or the Lib Dems, he warned against a hung parliament to counter an internet campaign detailing how to vote to block any majority.

However, he is under increasing pressure from party elders such as former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit to "go for the jugular" with the Lib Dem leader.

Meanwhile, Mr Clegg dismissed critics from the "vote yellow get red" lobby, saying: "Voting Liberal Democrat gets you exactly what it says on the tin; Liberal Democrats in parliament."

Despite trailing in third place, senior Labour strategists were happy about the Lib Dem surge. They briefed that, for every vote lost by Labour, the Tories were losing two and there were only 15 Labour/Lib Dem marginal seats, compared with 100 Labour/Conservative marginals being defended.

It is understood senior figures, such as election co-ordinator Douglas Alexander, have persuaded Mr Brown not to go for an all-out attack on the Lib Dems.

Instead, he and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and Chancellor Alistair Darling focused their fire on the Tories' proposed emergency Budget, saying the Conservative vision of a "big society means big cuts in public services".

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