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'Nasty Tories' beat retreat on hunting and spending cuts
Nicholas Cecil and Paul Waugh7 Apr 2009
DAVID Cameron was forced to fend off fresh accusations today that the Tories are the "nasty party" after rows erupted over hunting and public spending.
The Tory leader swiftly distanced himself from a new push, being led by one of his own frontbenchers, to scrap the ban on hunting.
The Conservatives were also beating a hasty retreat after shadow chancellor George Osborne sparked a backlash from unions for suggesting that three-year pay deals for nurses, teachers and police could be torn up after the next election to reflect low inflation.
Tory sources also stressed Mr Cameron's commitment to the NHS after a Conservative MEP branded the health service a "mistake".
Labour seized on the three controversies to claim that the Conservative party had not changed despite Mr Cameron's reforms.
Labour MP John Spellar said: "Cameron had done a good spray job on the Tory party but it's still the same old, nasty party that voters overwhelmingly rejected at the last three elections.
"He has managed to pull the wool over some voters' eyes but now it's starting to unravel."
Amid expectations that the Conservatives could form the next government, Mr Cameron's policies and views expressed by leading Tories are coming under renewed scrutiny.
Shadow justice minister Edward Garnier QC today took to the airwaves to drum up support to repeal the Hunting Act 2004.
He stressed that overturning the ban is not a priority in the economic crisis but believes that many people would support such a move, especially given the disquiet over the increasing number of state databases, use of DNA and identity cards, and the mass of new legislation under Labour.
Mr Garnier said: "I think the mood in the country has changed and is now ready to repeal it."
However, his efforts to make the case to overturn the ban, and their timing as the recession deepens, stunned senior party figures.
"We are amazed as anyone else to hear that Edward Garnier is pushing this around the country," said a source. "David's position is quite clear. Hunting will not be in the manifesto."
Meanwhile, Mr Osborne faced fresh questions over his judgment after appearing to propose that a Tory administration would seek to renegotiate three-year pay settlements with public sector workers.
Sources later insisted that he was talking about future agreements.
Mr Cameron was also under pressure to slap down Tory MEP Daniel Hannan for claiming the NHS had been a "mistake for 60 years".
Mr Hannan last night refused to back down, saying: "People can see for themselves that Britain has become a place where foreigners fear to fall ill. Yes, all three parties are committed to the NHS: I am a humble backbencher, and speak only for myself. But I wonder whether, as on tax and borrowing, public opinion hasn't overtaken the Westminster consensus."
Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne claimed that the "mask had slipped" from the Tory party.
He added: "The shadow chancellor wants to cut pay for nurses, teachers and the police, their latest poster boy wants to privatise the NHS and now they reveal one of their top priorities in a recession would be to abolish the hunting ban."
