David Cameron has pledged to slash taxes, cut immigration and protect the NHS in an emotional and populist pitch for another five years as prime minister.
Facing electoral threats from Ukip on the right and Labour on the left, the Conservative leader tried to tackle both head-on yesterday in a speech directed at key voters who will decide May’s election.
He announced tax cuts which will benefit 30 million people – almost half the country – in an address which was warmly-received by the Tory faithful at the end of the party’s conference in Birmingham.
With the coalition having already raised the amount people can be paid without being hit with income tax to £10,000, the prime minister revealed he wanted to increase it further to £12,500 by 2020.
As well as lower-income voters, Mr Cameron announced tax cuts for the middle-classes too – with plans to increase the threshold for paying the 40p rate from salaries of about £42,000 to £50,000 in the same period.
Businesses could also enjoy reductions, through a pledge for Britain to maintain the lowest corporation tax rate of the G20 countries.
“Let the message go out – with the Conservatives, if you work hard and do the right thing, we say you should keep more of your own money to spend as you choose,” Mr Cameron said.
“That’s what our long-term economic plan means for you.”
The tax cuts will have to be funded however, with Chancellor George Osborne signalling on Monday that he would seek another painful £25billion of public spending savings in the first two years of the next parliament, including a controversial benefits freeze.
Despite the ongoing welfare overhaul, Mr Cameron used his speech to try to shake the party’s reputation for being uncaring and on the side of the rich.
Two years ago, Labour leader Ed Miliband surprised many by successfully raiding Tory history and adopting their old “One Nation” slogan as his party’s own.
Mr Cameron attempted something similar yesterday, casting the Conservatives as the party of the NHS and even a “trade union”.
“Let’s say it loudly and proudly – with Britain getting off welfare and back to work, the real party of compassion and social justice today is here in this hall, the Conservative Party,” he said.
Mr Cameron added: “We in this party are a trade union too.
“I’ll tell you who we represent. This party is the union for hardworking parents, the father who reads his children stories at night because he wants them to learn, the mother who works all the hours God sends to give her children the best start.
“This party is the trade union for children from the poorest estates and the most chaotic homes.
“This party is the union for the young woman who wants an apprenticeship, for the teenagers who want to make something of their lives.”
In a section in which he appeared close to tears, Mr Cameron recalled the death of his disabled son Ivan as he pledged to continue to ring-fence health spending.
“I am someone who has relied on the NHS – whose family knows more than most how important it is, who knows what it’s like to go to hospital night after night with a child in your arms, knowing that when you get there, you have people who will care for that child and love that child like their own,” he said.
“How dare Labour suggest I would ever put that at risk for other people’s children? How dare they frighten those who are relying on the NHS right now?
“It might be the only thing that gets a cheer at their party conference, but it is frankly pathetic.”
While mocking Labour’s record and pitching for working class votes, Mr Cameron also turned his sights on Ukip, following a spate of defections from the Tories.
He revealed that his proposed EU renegotiation would target changes to the free-flow of workers, which has led to high immigration rates, and he also pledged to abolish the Human Rights Act.
He said: “Britain, I know you want this sorted, so I will go to Brussels, I will not take no for an answer and when it comes to free movement – I will get what Britain needs.”
Mr Cameron opened his speech with a section on Scotland, revealing the lead-up to the referendum was the “most nerve-wracking of my life”, while hailing Scottish party leader Ruth Davidson as a “new star”, and recommitting to delivering new powers for Holyrood and English-only laws down south.
He said: “I was always clear about why we called that referendum.
“Duck the fight – and our Union could have been taken apart bit by bit. Take it on – and we had the chance to settle the question.
“This party has always confronted the big issues for the sake of our country. And now England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland – we are one people in one Union and everyone here can be proud of that.”
Often accused of displaying arrogance, Mr Cameron attempted to adopt a more humble tone at the conclusion of his keynote conference speech.
“I don’t claim to be a perfect leader,” he said.
“But I am your public servant, standing here, wanting to make our country so much better – for your children and mine.”