Election Promise: Cameron vows to trade way out of recession

He rejected the argument that public spending could pull the economy out of the downturn, promising to cut faster and deeper than Labour in an attempt to balance the nation's books.

But he offered new help to small businesses in an attempt to reverse what he termed the "anti-aspiration" culture which had developed under Gordon Brown.

"We are going to get out of this recession by trading our way

out, by business deciding to employ people to create wealth, to go after new markets, to export," he said.

Mr Cameron said under the current system it took up to 14 days to start a new business, twice the time taken in the United States. "We have the ambition of making this one of the fastest places in the world to start up a new business."

The insolvency threshold would be lifted from 750 to 2,000 to protect small businesses under his plans.

Mr Cameron also said he would end restrictions imposed by many social landlords which prevented tenants from running firms in their properties.

He told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "We have got to get rid of this anti-aspiration, anti-achievement culture that has grown up under Labour and frankly this Prime Minister is making worse.

"The message that seems to be coming out of Labour at the moment is 'don't start a business, don't buy your home, don't try and leave money to your children, don't try and get on'.

"They have made it so difficult to employ people, so difficult to start a business.

"All of that is going to change."

With deficit reduction set to be a key battleground in the election campaign, Mr Cameron accepted the spending cuts the Tories had already committed to were "not enough" to balance the nation's books.

Chancellor Alistair Darling has outlined plans to halve the deficit over four years, but Mr Cameron said spending needed to be restrained sooner.

He said: "We think you have to go further than what the Government say, you have to start earlier."

The Tory leader repeated his attack on the 0.5p National Insurance rise, which his

party has labelled a tax on jobs, but acknowledged that he had not yet found a way to reverse the measure if he wins the election.

"This is an indication of how, far from spewing out commitments and being loose with our language, we are being very disciplined.

"We will not make a pledge to get rid of that National Insurance contribution increase until we can find a way of paying for it."

The Tory leader said his party was ready for an election "at any time" and would spend 18m – the legal limit – on its campaign.

"I think the country needs an election. If anything the last week demonstrates that we need to have strong determined leadership from a united government.

"We can't get that from Labour and Gordon Brown and an increasing number of people in the Labour Party seem to be saying that."

He compared his election war chest with what he said was a 500m budget enjoyed by the Central Office of Information, "the Government's advertising arm".

"The Government is spending vast amounts of money. They have got more spin doctors, more advisers, more Press officers than they have ever had.

"So I think the money we are spending is responsible."

If he succeeds in winning the election, Mr Cameron said he would lead a "radical shake-up" of the state.

"Above all, the word I would use to describe everything that I'm about is responsibility."

Asked what kind of prime minister he would be, he added: "I have moved the Conservative Party into the mainstream of debate.

"We spend much more time on health and education rather than being obsessed with a small number of fringe issues.

"But do I have ambitions to radically change our country and take it in a different direction? Yes I do."

Treasury Chief Secretary Liam Byrne called for Mr Cameron to come clean about where the public spending axe would fall.