Cameron calls on Britain to summon the bulldog spirit

The Prime Minister said the country should “turn this time of challenge into a time of opportunity” instead of accepting that the nation is facing inevitable decline. His speech to the Tory conference in Manchester was designed to strike an optimistic note amid “anxious” economic times.

Mr Cameron was forced to hastily rewrite part of the speech yesterday, dropping call to households to pay off credit card debts amid concerns the economy would suffer if consumers heeded his advice.

But he insisted he will not shift from his plan to tackle the deficit despite admitting the risk of a global recession is as serious as during the financial crisis of 2008. Just hours before he began speaking the Office for National Statistics issued gloomy British growth figures to add to his woes.

Mr Cameron reiterated his drive to build a more balanced economy, giving renewed backing to the planned £32bn high-speed rail network linking London with Yorkshire and the roll-out of superfast broadband. He also insisted he would not allow the countryside to be ruined by planning reforms.

Urging the country to rid itself of “too much ‘can’t do’ sogginess”, Mr Cameron said: “We’ve been told we were finished before. They said when we lost an Empire that we couldn’t find a role. But we found a role, took on communism and helped bring down the Berlin Wall.

“They called our economy the sick man of Europe. But we came back and turned this country into a beacon of enterprise.

“No, Britain never had the biggest population, the largest land mass, the richest resources, but we had the spirit. Remember: it’s not the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog. Overcoming challenge, confounding the sceptics, reinventing ourselves, this is what we do. It’s called leadership.

“Let’s turn this time of challenge into a time of opportunity. Not sitting around, watching things happen and wondering why. But standing up, making things happen and asking why not.”

There was no mention of the 900 BAe Systems workers in East Yorkshire who face losing their jobs, some of whom cycled overnight from the Brough plant to Manchester to speak with Ministers. They met Defence Minister Gerald Howarth and Business Minister Mark Prisk to urge the Government to help them to save the jobs, which are set to be axed as the company ends manufacturing at the site.

Mike Eyre, a manufacturing engineer at BAe who organised ride, said: “We’re hoping the politicians can see the effort we put in, the suffering we’ve gone through and the determination to try and save the jobs at Brough. This is to show how determined we are to fight this cause. Hopefully someone will see this and take note.”

There were no new policies in Mr Cameron’s speech, other than a commitment to tackle the “scandal” of too few children in care being adopted and a pledge to triple the National Citizen Service scheme for young people to make it available to 90,000 16-year-olds by 2014.

He warned trade unions that striking in protest at public sector pension reforms was “not fair” and delighted Tory members by praising the support of his predecessors – from Lady Thatcher to Michael Howard – and contrasted their status within the party with the way a handful of Labour delegates booed the mention of Tony Blair last week.

Labour Shadow Business Minister Chuka Umunna said: “On the day that official figures confirmed the economy has stagnated since last autumn, David Cameron told Britain that he would continue with an austerity plan which is hurting but not working.

“This is a Government which is out of touch with the needs and values of hard-working families who worry about how to make ends meet and what the future holds for their children.”

Jibe at clarke in ‘catgate’ spat

David Cameron delivered a slap to Ken Clarke over his human rights law “cat spat” with Theresa May.

Justice Secretary Mr Clarke sparked a row when he questioned the Home Secretary’s claim that an illegal immigrant escaped deportation because of a cat.

Mr Cameron told party members that he and fellow Ministers had been recording audio books for the blind.

“There was one book that I chose personally. I said ‘Ken, this one’s called Crime and Punishment and I want you to read it twice’,” he quipped.