David Cameron gives a revealing interview to today’s Yorkshire Post in which he puts social breakdown at the heart of the Conservative pitch for the next General Election:
"What’s the big question? Social breakdown.
"What’s the big answer? Family and community policy.
"What’s the big difference to Labour? They believe in top-down state control, ID cards, top-down targets, covering the police in red tape. We believe in social responsibility.
"That’s an issue, that’s an answer and that’s a choice."
He also repeats that the family will be the first beneficiary of any reduction in tax that the party can afford:
"The first is the family tax reductions that will be met by the green tax rises. And the second is that over time, as we share the proceeds of growth, some of the suggestions for reducing tax can be implemented."
George Osborne’s office tells me that inheritance tax could be understood as a ‘family tax reduction’ although it was not one of the recommendations from Iain Duncan Smith’s social justice report.
Mr Cameron tells the YP’s Simon McGee and Tom Smithard that the Conservative Party is ready for a General Election. A manifesto document is "on the stocks", he says, "the marginal seats are selected. We’ve been very effective in fundraising and in clearing debts." Although he admits that the party will need to raise more money for its fighting fund.
Louise Bagshawe makes the case for voting Tory in her regular ConservativeHome column today. David Cameron chooses to highlight four policies in his interview:
"We have committed ourselves to a proper border police force. On the environment, we’re the ones committed to binding targets on carbon reduction. On education, we’ve said we want to see setting by ability in every school and stop the closure of special schools."