Tories accused of desperation and panic

DAVID Cameron has signalled he will resist pressure to rethink his general election tactics, after Ed Miliband said the hallmark of the Conservative campaign had been “desperation”.

David Cameron waves off his train after arriving in Devon. Picture: PA

Mr Miliband accused the Tories of sinking into personal abuse and said a failure to make a breakthrough in the polls had panicked them into making “unfunded and unbelievable” spending promises.

But Mr Cameron insisted the Conservatives were making a “very strong argument” and said he would continue to frame the election as a choice between himself and Mr Miliband.

Making his first campaign foray north of the Border in a bid to stem the SNP threat, Mr Miliband kept his sights trained on the Conservatives, as Mr Cameron announced plans for a real-terms freeze on train fares and three paid days off for workers who want to volunteer.

“Desperation is becoming the hallmark of David Cameron and this Tory campaign,” he said.

“This week we have seen them defending the non-doms and descending to personal abuse. Today, in further signs of panic, they are announcing billions of pounds of unfunded and unbelievable promises.

“They can’t explain where the money is coming from. They can’t tell us how they will make these promises happen. They simply won’t be believed. And the result if they were returned to government would be even greater spending cuts, putting the NHS at risk, with inevitable rises in VAT.”

Speaking during a visit to Devon, Mr Cameron insisted he would not change his approach to the campaign.

“I am talking about this every day, which is there is a choice of leaders and there is a choice of teams to run this country,” he said.

“I will be talking about that the day before polling day as I am today.”

Asked if he liked Mr Miliband personally, the Prime Minister said: “I don’t really know him, to be honest … but we have a profound disagreement about how to run the country.”