Cameron calls for Government to 'live within its means' in return to Thatcherite values

Tory leader David Cameron today branded bad parents "the great villains" of modern times.

In outspoken comments, he said a future Tory government would have to confront them and other social problems with the same vigour that Margaret Thatcher showed when taming the trade unions.

"The problems now are not so much the over-mighty trade unions so much as irresponsible parenting, family breakdown and anti-social behaviour," he told GMTV.

"These are the great villains and problems today."

Mr Cameron said Lady Thatcher was still a role model. "It needs as clear a plan and purpose as Margaret Thatcher showed," Mr Cameron said. "But these are a whole new set of problems."

Yesterday Mr Cameron promised Britain a dose of the economic "good housekeeping".

He stepped up his attack on the Prime Minister's record with a searing critique of the way a decade of Labour has pushed the country "to the limits".

The Tory leader mapped out how he plans to restore discipline to the national accounts by controlling spending if he wins power at the next election.

Mr Cameron hopes his offer of a return to what Lady Thatcher called "live within your means" will chime with disillusioned voters.

The Tories believe the public is ready to hear that belt-tightening is needed after a decade of seeing Labour lavish money on the public services with too little to show as a result.

With just days to go to Thursday's vital Crewe and Nantwich by-election, the Tory leader is under pressure to prove that he is a Prime Minister in waiting.

There were no stunning new announcements in a keynote speech designed to make the case for spending restraint.

But he was explicit about what the Tory policy of "sharing the proceeds of growth" - letting public spending grow less quickly than the economy - would mean less borrowing and lower taxes.

"Those who criticise sharing the proceeds of growth have sometimes not appreciated that if a government actually did this, either taxes, or borrowing, or both would have to fall over an economic cycle. I stress: have to fall," he said.

Mr Cameron argued that under Mr Brown Britain had "reached the limits of acceptable taxation and borrowing".

In an echo of Lady Thatcher, he promised a return to "good Conservative principles of good housekeeping" to reduce waste in Government spending. In 1979 she famously pointed out that a woman used to "running a home will be able to understand the problems of running a country."

Mr Cameron said a Tory Government would be able to increase spending on essential services without raising taxes by tackling the social problems - such as family breakdown, unemployment and addiction - which cost the state most money, as well as reforming public services and cutting back on bureaucracy.

Speaking in Birmingham, Mr Cameron said that the public were increasingly angry with Labour because they saw their taxes going up without any corresponding improvement in the quality of their lives.

He accused ministers of being "shockingly casual about public money and how it's spent" and said that billions were being wasted because of a "spendaholic culture" in Government.

"There's a real sense of unfairness that people are feeling today. They feel that Labour have broken the basic bargain between Government and the people, the bargain that says: 'We'll take money off you in taxes, and you'll get decent quality services in return'," he said.

"After a decade of reckless spending under Labour, Britain needs good housekeeping from the Conservatives.

"We need to start living within our means. Why? Because in the decades ahead there will be pressure to spend more on the essentials - whether that's care for the older generation, equipment for our armed forces, or more prisons and police to keep us safe.

"At the same time, we have reached the limits of acceptable taxation and borrowing.

"With the rising cost of living, taxpayers can't take any more pain. Indeed, they want a Government that can give them the prospect of relief. And our economy can't take any more pain without losing jobs to lower tax competitors."

He said public services would be reformed and bureaucracy reduced in order to keep costs down but he played down the prospects of massive savings from cuts in Whitehall bureaucracy.

Specifically, he repudiated the James review ordered by his predecessor Michael Howard for its "simplistic cuts" and "naive over-estimations".

Instead he offered to set up one website listing every item of Government spending over £25,000 online, and another for Whitehall "whistleblowers" to go public about waste.

Mr Cameron made clear that a key principle of a Tory Government would be "long-term tax reduction", which he said was "both morally right and economically efficient".

But he added: "We will never trick people into voting for us with promises of tax cuts that cannot responsibly be delivered, or that cannot be sustained. We are the party of low taxes for the long term, not tax cut promises for the short term."

Mr Cameron warned that Britain was "on the wrong path" after 11 years of Labour Government.

"They have splashed the cash like there's no tomorrow - but the trouble is, there is a tomorrow, and it's got to be paid for," he said.