Cameron’s fighting talk after torrid fortnight

DAVID Cameron will today attempt to wrest back the political initiative after a disastrous fortnight – by claiming he was ‘working for the long-term good, not short-term popularity’.

Launching the Conservative local election campaign in Wales, the Prime Minister will pledge to continue taking ‘hard’ decisions even if these generate bad headlines.

The Tories have fallen behind Labour in the polls following allegations rich donors could pay for access to Mr Cameron, continued bad publicity linked to the Budget and the Government’s response to the threatened fuel tankers’ strike.

Yesterday his Coalition colleague Nick Clegg stuck the knife in, claiming the Tories had a ‘ blunderbuss’ approach to legislation – and pledged to be more ‘forceful and remorseless’.

In his ‘fightback’ speech in North Wales, Mr Cameron will say: ‘You can hear all those whispering voices

‘Horizon, not headlines’

saying “play it safe if you want to win a majority” and “don’t rub too many people up the wrong way” – and say “No: that is not us”.

‘We are making the hard, longterm decisions vital to the future of Britain. We are doing our duty by our country.’ He will tell Tory candidates to argue the Budget – in particular the raising of the tax threshold – has put more money in people’s pockets.

He will conclude: ‘This is a government that’s looking at the horizon, not the headlines; that cares about working for the long-term good, not short-term publicity.’

Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg criticised the Tories over a ‘vituperative, vitriolic and highly personalised’ campaign in last year’s alternative vote referendum.

In a further sign of Coalition tension as the second anniversary of the election approaches, Mr Clegg said the Tories often ‘proceeded in sort of a blunderbuss fashion, legislatively’, while Lib Dem legislation had been open to scrutiny.