David Cameron's vision of a fairer Britain where everybody pulls together

The Prime Minister set out a patriotic vision of a fairer society that rewards strivers rather than skivers in his keynote speech at the end of the Conservative conference.

Echoing Margaret Thatcher’s famous “no turning back” speech, he defiantly vowed to get a grip on the Treasury’s shattered public finances, insisting: “There is no other responsible way.”

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And he steadied Tory nerves following concerns at the squeeze on benefits for middle-income families by raising a glimmer of hope of tax cuts to put “more money in your pockets”. Urging the nation to pull together, he said: “So, come on, let’s pull together, let’s work together in the national interest.”

Mr Cameron’s 50-minute speech – his first conference address as Prime Minister – struck a subdued tone that avoided triumphalism but expressed his determination to confront the dire economic mess his Government has inherited.

But he also launched a withering attack on Labour, saying their record of incompetence and failure should disqualify them from office for ever.

“I tell you what – these Labour politicians who nearly bankrupted our country, who left a legacy of debts and cuts, who are still in denial about the disaster they created, must not be allowed anywhere near our economy, ever, ever again,” Mr Cameron said to thunderous applause. Admitting he had something to “get off his chest”, he added: “They left us with massive debts, the highest deficit, over-stretched armed forces, demoralised public services, endless ridiculous rules and regulations and quangos and bureaucracy and nonsense.”

He cheered the Tory ranks in Birmingham with a lengthy list of Conservative policies already introduced in the coalition Government’s first five months.

They include cuts in corporation tax, employers’ National Insurance contributions, capping immigration, exposing council fat-cat salaries, setting up an NHS cancer drugs fund and blocking any further surrender of sovereignty to Brussels.

“Look what we’ve done in five months, just imagine what we can do in five years,” he said.

And he sought to make clear that the coalition was not just about making public spending cuts but about challenging unfairness throughout society.

Mr Cameron made clear that his vision of fairness was not about welfare handouts for all but about rewarding responsibility and hard work, while punishing the workshy and feckless.

“You can’t measure fairness just by how much money we spend on welfare, as though the poor are products with a price tag, the more we spend on them the more we value them.

“Fairness means supporting people out of poverty, not trapping them in dependency,” he said. “For too long, we have measured success in tackling poverty by the size of the cheque we give people. We say, let’s measure our success by the chance we give.”

Mr Cameron added: “Fairness isn’t just about who gets help from the state.

“The other part of the equation is who gives that help, through their taxes. Taking more money from the man who goes out to work long hours each day so the family next door can go on living a life on benefits without working – is that fair?

“Fairness means giving people what they deserve – and what people deserve depends on how they behave.

“If you really cannot work, we’ll look after you. But if you can work, but refuse to work, we will not let you live off the hard work of others.” Mr Cameron used his speech to flesh out his vision of the “Big Society.”

He spoke of his desire to see a massive shift from “state power to people power” and from “unchecked individualism to national purpose and unity.”

“It’s the spirit of activism, dynamism, people taking the initiative, working together to get things done,” he said.

He wanted to unleash a “Big Society” spirit of citizens caring for the needy, volunteering to help their community and playing their part to make Britain better. “It’s about government helping to build a nation of doers and go-getters, where people step forward, not sit back, where people come together to make life better,” he said.

Mr Cameron said there was “no alternative” to tackling the Government’s £155billion deficit.

He pointed out that the country’s £43billion a year interest repayments were enough to take 11 million people out of income tax all together or scrap corporation tax for every business.

In a clear reference to the controversial decision to scrap child benefit for higher-rate taxpayers, and other squeezes on middle-class households, he said: “I wish there was a another way. I wish there was an easier way.

“But I tell you – there is no other responsible way. Back in May we inherited public finances that can only be described as catastrophic.”

However, he raised hopes of tax cuts, by adding: “I promise you that if we pull together to deal with these debts today, then just a few years down the line the rewards will be felt by everyone in our country – more money in your pocket, more investment in our businesses, growing industries, better jobs, stronger prospects for our young people.” Making clear that only the private sector can lead economic recovery, he told the Tory faithful: “Let me tell you what I believe. It will be the doers and grafters, the inventors and the entrepreneurs who get this economy going.

“Yes, it will be the wealth-creators – and no, those aren’t dirty words.”

He urged his audience to think of entrepreneurs not as tycoons but as small businessmen and women striving all hours to make a living.

“Think of the man who gets up and leaves the house before dawn to go out and clean windows. Think of the woman who sits up late into the night trying to make the figures add up to make sure she can pay her staff.

“I can’t tell you how much I admire people who leave the comfort of a regular wage to strike out on their own,” he added.

Some of the biggest cheers were saved for Mr Cameron’s passionate attack on Labour, whose politicians he said were “still in denial about the disaster they created”.

He said they had racked up more debt in 13 years than previous governments had in three centuries

In a sideswipe at the new Labour leader, Ed Miliband, Mr Cameron said the Labour conference had been “less Red Ed than redhead” – a reference to former leader Neil Kinnock, who he said had dominated the party’s conference last week.

“He said he had got his party back. Well Neil, you can keep it,” said Mr Cameron.

The baying audience inside Birmingham’s Symphony Hall had earlier sent out a chorus of boos when images of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband were shown during a video montage of Labour failures.