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David Cameron will gamble at his party conference by revealing further details of where the spending axe would fall if he wins power.
Shadow cabinet ministers have been told to spend the summer identifying examples of real savings that could be made from Whitehall budgets to show they are serious about repairing the public finances.
"We need to have more specific cuts to show people than just cancelling ID cards," said a senior Tory insider. "People need to see we can do what we say."
Mr Cameron's decision to be more up-front about cuts follows last week's Norwich North by-election, which was seen by the party leadership as a landmark victory over Gordon Brown's strategy of scaring voters with warnings of Tory cutbacks.
It may also ease tensions with the party's Right wing, which was spooked by the Tory leader hinting at the weekend that he would postpone tax cuts for the middle classes and look for revenue raising schemes such as road tolls. Mr Cameron also plans to issue a series of Green Papers at the October conference to answer Mr Brown's jibe that he has no policies.
Although the blueprints will not be binding pledges, Mr Cameron wants them to be fully costed and ready to merge into a full manifesto at short notice if Labour calls a snap election. The operation goes significantly further than the traditional party conference policy announcements, as senior Conservatives feel that after 12 years in Opposition they need to work harder to show they are a government-in-waiting.
The manifesto is expected to be more detailed than the 2005 version, which was criticised for being too brief.
"It means we are being kept busy over the summer to deliver the Green Papers," said the insider. "They are formally discussion documents but they have to be perfect because they could well be incorporated into a manifesto at short notice."
The Tory Right fired a warning shot, calling on Mr Cameron to be bolder about cutting spending and taxes.
Former party chairman Lord Tebbit criticised a pledge to maintain spending on overseas aid. "It would be wiser to concentrate on reducing expenditure," he said. "The question isn't what would attract half a dozen Labour and Lib Dem voters but what would get back the millions of missing Tories."
Mr Cameron says Britain must match a UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on international development by 2013. But a survey of Tory shadow ministers, advisers and pundits by PoliticsHome found 81 per cent opposed it.
Right wingers want him to be clear that Labour's 50p top rate of tax would go, and give a date for slashing inheritance tax.
Tory MP Philip Davies said: "The answer is not to put taxes up, it's to put spending under higher control."
Reader views (37)
'David Cameron gambles on honesty...'
Is there no depth these politicians won't sink to? I suppose, if all else has failed, it might be worth a try, but it shows the state we're in if we're reduced to this.
- Mdj E10, london uk
I don't trust David Cameron, his fake smile, attitudes and polite manners. He is the stereotype of the hypocritical politician!
- Mark, London
I welcome the aspiration to be honest. Perhaps Mr.Cameron could tell us if we will get a referendum on the "Lisbon Treaty" On the subject of Tax Credits - wouldn't it be better to abandon them and raise the threshold at which tax becomes payable. Child benefit should be paid for the first child, subsequent children supported by parents.
- Anne Riddle, Leyburn. England.
Same old Conservative Party,when they say we would scrap ID card it was them who supported them to me they never honest.They not willing to invest in schools,training for people back in to work.
- Andy, London
Whilst I can understand Labour supporters not agreeing with David Cameron, I cannot see on what grounds, other than sheer prejudice, they accuse him of dishonesty. No doubt he is as human as the rest of us, but when he says he will cut expenditure and will set out where he intends to cut, why is that dishonest? Brown still peddles the brazen lie that expenditure will rise despite the mountains of debt he has incurred on our behalf without our consent. In doing so Brown has mortgaged the future of our children and grandchildren, is too dishonest to admit it and shows no sign whatever of any regret let alone remorse - nor do any of his cronies.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK
If you have not got the money you can not spend it - simple.
- Very Very Angry At Paying Tax For Mp'S Expeses, Home Counties
Dc needs to be careful he is not about to walk into an elephant thap that he has dug himself.
There is no need to be so specific cos the Liebour party will extrapalate all sorts of nonsense from any figures given. Eg a cut of x% at the home office will result in a reduction of X police officers etc.
better to iondicate that the party is prepared to be honest, that cuts will have to be made across the board - dont make the party a hostage to furtune !!!
- Les, west wales
overseas aid, absolute lunacy. Aid to India who has a space program, developes nucs, is about to order a aircraft carrier off RUSSIA for 1.3 billon, you think after giving India 800 million smackers a year they would have a least ordered a carrier of the UK. Aid to China who is rearming hope I only dreamt it. Aid to Pakistan to open more madrasas to train fanatics to come here and bomb us. I think the UK is the dumbest country in the world. By the way what about our pensioners who are on the same money as Romania absolutely shameful
- Rob Ak, rob5ak@msn.com
Think about it people. Westminster attracts misfits and liars, anyone with any self-worth or commercial skills would be working in the commercial arena. MP's would not know the truth unless it knocked them over in a double-decker bus with the words TRUTH painted along both sides, even then they would be more interested in suing the bus driver, bus company and the guy that built the road to suck whatever money they could out of the episode rather than accepting it was the truth.
- Gerry, Kernow
Honest approach.Give me a break,you show me one honest politician and ill eat my hat.Cut expenses as much as you like,but the days of taxing me to high heaven have ended,I have no more bloody money,you thieves have stolen the lot,tax on pay,ni,council tax,vat,airport tax,fuel tax,mot tax,next you will be taxing me to go to take a leak.
- Dave, london
Lets look at some elephants in the room and very expensive elephants they are too:
Compensation and Human Rights payouts to anyone who can get out of bed and find a no-win-no-fee lawyer.
Familty Tax Credits to anyone who can produce children (healthy or not). Why should tax payers subsidise families of three/ four or more kids? We can just about cope with 40 million people in this country- Over population is the biggest issue for the future.
Overseas aid to space and nuclear powers like India and Pakistan?
Local governemnt Guardian 'jobs'
The Quango establishment.
Town Regeneration Schemes- towns develope when manufactering and private enterprise establish themselves, not with government cash for facelifts.
The EU- Is it a net gain or net loss to belong to it?
Diversity targets; over multi-ligual councils and grandiose building schemes.
Giving benefits, housing, health to people who arrive on our doorsteps and have never contributed to our Schemes.
- Richard Meredith, huntingdon
How about MPs working for free, like they did originally? 'The Lord Mayor of London' (not Boris) is an unpaid position and its holders regard it as an honour . . .
- Roz, France
Not got a problem with it... IF... they did their real jobs properly! As it stands, they aren't worth £25 a year let alone a night!
- Sanjay, Hounslow, UK
One of the reasons that drastic cuts are looming is that Labour has overextended borrowing. Has anyone considered having a voluntary bond / compulaory savings scheme that would give HMG money at cheaper rates than commercial banking?
This would be akin to paying off rip-off credit card debts. The public might warm to it as it would mean we would see less people made redundant and services slashed. The markets might warm to it anything that reduced UK plc debt exposure, making remaining debt cheaper to service?
Worth thinking about?
- Jools, London
Why no mention of the really important issue David,Fox and Stag hunting with Dogs.
- Alexader Higham Walsh, Tavistock Devon
He might want to remind his tax-didging shadow chancellor that dodging taxes is dishonest.
- Neil, London, London UK
I wish people would stop attacking Cameron because of his background. Precisely because he went to an excellent school, he knows what good education should be!
Labour politicians on the other hand, 'talk' about state education, but send their children to private schools.
Just like Blair and Brown never even joining a cadet force, but are happy to send other people's children to fight wars that have nothing to do with the security of this country, unprotected and under-equipped. Voters have a choice: give the Tories a chance, or stick with
this abominable government that has sold the country out.
- Beatriz, London
"Mr Cameron says Britain must match a UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on international development by 2013"
STOP FOREIGN AID NOW, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT, AND WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD.
- P Staker, London
Honesty, I've not heard Mr Cameron (The Right Honourable) say anything about HIS MASSIVE! increase in expenses yet.
- Davetherave, Lancashire
How can this aristocrat talk about cutting back on tax credits for hard-pressed families when he has been milking expenses for the past 10 years.
He is no moral authority to make any case for cutting back on crucial support for families. His right-hand man Osbourne is up to his neck in expense allegations and he will be the man to wield the axe! I hope people wake up to this fact.
- Darren, london
There is absolutely no honesty in parliament at present, and the feeling many have over this sort of soundbite, is why? Why come out and say you will be honest, David, when you have already changed your mind with regards to the 3rd runway at Heathrow?
I don't TRUST anyone who changes policy even before they may be elected. Cameron is just another Labour dressed up as a different idea to become elected.
David, you are weak, thick, and spineless. We need a strong leader who stands by their own convictions and isn't worried about being told they are wrong, when they know the direction they are commanding is the right one. Bring on someone else to guide the UK out of this terrible mess, give us hope and strength. And away from European laws, which clearly are against the way we live on these islands - the way the British live is being eroded and it is a disgrace.
- Rod, Epping, UK
Gary has hit the nail on the head. All but the ignorant and those brainwashed by NuLiebour spin know that there is no alternative to massive cuts in public expenditure.
Cameron must come clean. However, we must also accept that no opposition political party is in a postition to make hard and fast promises or predictions becuause McClown & Co. will not tell the truth about the severity of the problem they have created for this country.
That said, there are a number of things that Cameron CAN promise:
Scrapping of ID cards AND the intrusive database that supports them.
Scrapping of the NHS database, which nobody asked for and nobody wants.
Scrapping of a whole raft of useless, undemocratic and unaccountable qangos (Trevor Phillips' mob springs to mind!).
Give us a referendum on EU membership, so that WE can decide whether or not WE want to continue paying £140 million per day into this socialist monstrosity.
Scrap all but the bare bones of overseas aid, especially to Africa where it is stolen and squandered by despotic governments and never reaches those it was intended to help.
Round up and remove ALL illegal immigrants.
Cut benefits for the fit and healthy who refuse to work.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
Go on Dave. Be honest with us. Tell us what you really feel.
Tell us that you would cut public services at the same time, cut taxes and inheritance duties.
That's exactly these sort of reasons we booted your lot out last time.
I'm waiting. Tell us really how it is.
- Charles, Kennington
If he's so "honest" why doesn't he kick out his "flipping" front benchers, Osborne, Gove and Lansley and stop taking money from Lord Ashcroft, who won't say if he's a UK taxpayer or based in Belize?
Oh, I forgot, that would be inconvenient, wouldn't it?
- Robert C, London UK
I want a conservative government running this country.
I'd need a lot of convincing that the Tory party is still conservative and, on the current course, a Cameron government won't be running Britain anyway. The EU will run it probably in the persons of Blair and Mandelson.
No one ever doubted that Margaret Thatcher was a conservative like or loathe her. How is it there are constant doubts voiced about Cameron?
- Mike Newland, London, England
A politician is incapable of being honest,politics is a false science.If a person with political ambitions were to exhibit honest tendencies they simply could and would not entertain the idea of a career in politics,pull the other one Cameron,as they say you might fool some of the people some of the time but you cant fool all the people all the time.
- Kev, London-UK
Finally; a party leader who is willing to treat us like adults.
For that reason alone you get my vote, Mr Cameron.
- St, London
Sorraya,
I can see you were educated by Labour!
- Tony Johnson, Hythe UK
If he's doing 'honesty', how about some honest talk from the man on where he stands on the British people getting a referendum on the U.K. becoming a province in the new E.U. federal state (Lisbon Treaty, aka E.U. Constitution). He and Hague duck and weave on the issue - dishonesty personified. Whether or not the British people have an opportunity to decide on their future system of government should have absolutely no dependence on what the bullied Irish decide in October (when they are forced to 'think again' on the exact same document that they earlier soundly rejected). Democracy in the E.U. is a total farce. Let David Cameron tell the people just where he stands on giving them the democratic right to decide how they are to be governed in future. Already 80% of new laws governing the British people are coming from offshore. Just imagine if the Lisbon Treaty becomes fully ratified ...
- Phil Jones, London UK
Mr Cameron, i dont believe one single word you utter, all promises, once your in the seat sir, back strack, all the way, their all liars, think i stay with the devil i know.
- Sorraya, croydon
agree with gary.. telling the voting public the truth for once should not be considered a gamble.. gambling implies someone wins and someone loses... guess who the losers would be in this case....
- Joanna Carling, london
Instead of anodyne petty inititives to cut expenditure why doesn't he grasp the nettle of over a million illegal immigrants receiving NHS treatemnt at massive cost to the British taxpayer?
- Richard Kennard, Welling
Finally, common sense. If you don't have the money - you don't spend it. Look at what cut backs you can make and then make them. Unlike this Government, which just spends, spends, spends and forget the consequences, because they know they won't be in power to have to deal with them.
- Jk, London
We want to know where the spending axe will fall BEFORE he wins power,he may then not win it.
- Michael, London
As David Caqmeron is now keen on giving wrong-doers a second chance can we assume that Lord Archer will again be hosting his Krug and Shepherd's Pie Party at the Tory Party Conference?
- A Dent, Acton England
With Peter Lillee recalled to the Tory Front-bench Cameron could arrange for him to repeat his Gilbert and Sullivan song I've got a little List' which targeted Benefit Scroungers and single Mothers and was so rapturously received by the Tory Conference in the days of Maggie Thatcher. In those days every Minister had to turn up with a list of Public Spending Cuts which were met by Whoops of delight. Even the sixteen year old William Hague joined in. I don't think Cameron will be risking anything, he is home and dry.
- R Race, Ealing England
Honesty should not be considered a gamble. I fear spin remains and the MP's have failed to learn to treat the public with respect
- Gary, Brentwood
