That has happened. Yet Cameron is greeted not with applause, but with grudging sourness. A headline in a Tory-supporting newspaper says: "Labour couldn't run a whelk stall, but could the Cameroons do any better?" He is inundated with demands that he must spell out policies on this or that. His critics want him to give firm tax-cutting pledges a possible two years before the next election! They say he must launch an anti-EU campaign (a policy that flopped twice previously). Last week's events give Cameron the right to tell his critics: "Belt up and let me get on with the job."

Boris Johnson won (despite his past ill-advised TV clowning) for two reasons. Firstly, Cameron organised a brilliant campaign. Secondly, the suburbs turned out in force, wiping out Ken Livingstone's advantage among the inner city pressure groups and minorities which he helped to finance.

The Guardian says Livingstone faced "a poisonous media onslaught". Not from The Guardian he didn't. The newspaper, which has always been a pushover for the hard Left, lined up no fewer than 34 luvvies to smear him as a racist (while knowing quite well that he isn't). They included Bianca Jagger and Vivienne Westwood, along with the comedians David Mitchell and Arabella Weir. Alan Rickman gave the benefit of his experience of law enforcements as Sheriff of Nottingham. It was a disgraceful smear campaign worthy of Citizen Kane.

Far from being a fool, Boris Johnson has a sharp brain. With Cameron's guidance, he could make a success of the London job, which could then become a blueprint for a Conservative Government. For years, Ken Livingstone's plausible manner let him get away with his Left wing empire building, using a £100m publicity machine and a team of 70 press officers. Staff costs at his office were estimated at £33m a year, costing council tax payers £300 a year each. Neil Kinnock gave the best verdict on Livingstone years ago: "Everyone likes Ken," he said. "Except the people who know him."

Labour's latest by-election gimmick is to dress people in top hats and Etonian outfits to exploit Cameron's "poshness". They should cut their class sniping. Winston Churchill didn't do badly for a public schoolboy. Neither did Clement Attlee, a Labour leader with more integrity than the whole present gang put together.



EVERY death in combat is tragic for the bereaved family but one funeral should have provoked anger as well as sorrow. Five daughters were mourning the loss of their father, a 51-year-old businessman and RAF Regiment reservist, killed when his Land Rover hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

He was a volunteer and he served willingly, but it is a scandal that reservists are used in this way to plug gaps in regular units. At the same time as cutting the funding, the MoD has shamelessly exploited the Territorial Army and the other reserve forces.

At the peak of deployments, reservists made up one fifth of forces in Iraq, and one eighth in Afghanistan as overstretched regular units make up shortfalls.

Since 2003, 15,000 – almost half the TA establishment – have served, and military chiefs admit that the regular army could not otherwise meet the commitments piled on by politicians.

Reservists are given virtually no support on their return from combat and many have severe mental health problems. It is outrageous that a man has to die so that Labour Prime Ministers can strut around the world posing as war leaders.



AN accountant was asked by a relative to look into his tax credit situation to see if it had been underpaid. The accountant thought it would not be a problem but, after 13 months, the case is now with the local MP.

He wrote innumerable letters, was referred to four "team leaders" and had the case "escalated" three times. After 30 telephone calls, he finally gave up. It was impossible to speak to the department dealing with the case. He never spoke to the same people twice. If he, as an experienced accountant, had such trouble, what hope is there for the average person on benefits? Answers to Ed Balls, the tax credits guru, West Yorkshire MP and Gordon Brown's right hand man.