UK:DAVID CAMERON went on the offensive in an opening address to the Conservative party conference yesterday, blaming Gordon Brown for presiding over "a debt-fuelled boom" and telling the prime minister his reputation was now "bust", writes Frank Millar
Earlier a sombre leader of the Conservative party had embarked on his mission to reach beyond the conference faithful and persuade voters he is no "novice" but a prime minister-in-waiting ready to lead Britain through a time of austerity.
The international financial crisis and polls suggesting a modest Labour recovery cast a cautious air over the opening of the conference as Mr Cameron and the rest of the country awaited details of the nationalisation of the Bradford Bingley mortgage bank.
In his major preconference interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Cameron declared himself open to talks with Gordon Brown about the economic crisis and insisted the opposition would play a constructive role.
However, he warned he would not be signing any "blank cheques" for government intervention as he unveiled Conservative proposals to create a new office for budget responsibility - a high-powered, independent advisory panel - to hold future chancellors to account over public spending and debt.
In the wake of the Bradley Bingley nationalisation, Mr Cameron also expressed his preference for giving increased powers to the Bank of England to step in and save failing financial institutions.
Confirming that he would give the bank power to "call time" on debt in the economy, Mr Cameron said he would not this week be seeking easy headlines by "bashing financiers" and "beating up" on the market system.
"It might get you some easy headlines, but it is not going to pay a single mortgage, it's not going to save a single job," he said.
Mr Cameron conceded the proposed new office for budget responsibility would not have the power to direct government - while stressing that its independent role would create "a rod" for the Conservatives' own back in government.
Shadow chancellor George Osborne said this, coupled with the plan to enable the Bank of England to intervene and stop banks piling up debt, would put an end to irresponsible borrowing and put "financial responsibility" at the heart of the Conservative agenda.
A number of polls have suggested a post-conference "bounce" for Labour cutting the projected Conservative lead in half, with voters narrowly favouring Mr Brown and chancellor Alistair Darling rather than Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne to run the economy.
While analysts would expect a similar bounce in Tory support after this week's conference, Mr Cameron accepted that he had not yet "sealed the deal" with voters.
"I never say 'we will win'," he maintained, "I say 'we can'. It's up to the people."
That cautious tone was also reflected by former leader, foreign affairs spokesman William Hague, who told the conference: "Where the message of last week was no change, let us this week demonstrate that there is a party that knows what change to make and how to make it."
However, he continued: "Let our excitement at what we can do be joined with our knowledge of the responsibility we will inherit."
Mr Cameron followed Mr Hague with an indictment of Mr Brown's performance while chancellor and of a British deficit which he described as the largest in the developed world.
"We have to ask the question who brought us and our economy to this position," said the Tory leader.
"Who was it established the regulatory system that failed to prevent the first run on a bank [Northern Rock] in 160 years? Who was it presided over a debt-fuelled boom and never called time on it? Who was it who spent and spent and borrowed and borrowed and gave us that massive budget deficit? And who was it who said that he and he alone had rewritten the laws of economics to end boom and bust?"
Mr Cameron went on: "The answer is our prime minister, the then chancellor Gordon Brown, and my message to Gordon Brown is this: you have had your boom and now your reputation is bust."
Former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party David Trimble marked a significant stage in his return to front-line politics when he addressed the conference following reports by the shadow secretaries for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
DUP junior minister Jeffrey Donaldson will address a party reception here at lunchtime today.