Cameron warned over Tory reforms

In a sign of the difficulties facing the Conservative leader, Ann Winterton expressed worries that he lacked experience and was neglecting older voters.

The former frontbencher said she was "very concerned" about the present leadership team and warned there had been a "great outpouring of grief" over its recent renunciation of grammar schools.

Her outspoken remarks follow the bruising row over school selection after Mr Cameron set the Tories against any expansion of the grammar school system.

The Tories are also struggling to contain a Labour bounce in the polls since Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister last week.

Mr Cameron is expected to reshuffle his shadow cabinet as early as this week to better position his team to take on Mr Brown's new Government.

Lady Winterton, who is married to fellow Tory MP Sir Nicholas Winterton, signalled she would not fall in behind Mr Cameron on grammar schools.

"As a former grammar school girl I have always believed in diversity and selection in education and nothing that has been said by the leadership recently has changed my view," she said.

"There has been such a great outpouring of grief against it by people in the country and certainly from grassroots supporters and people who work for the party."

In an interview with the Parliamentary Monitor magazine, she went on: "Some of David Cameron's attempts to shift the Conservatives' direction have left much of the party's traditional support baffled. They feel confused and concerned that some of the issues that they feel very concerned about are being swept to one side. People are willing to give him more time to establish what the policies will be at the time of the next general election but I am very concerned about the leadership of the party, and I don't just mean David Cameron."