EMBATTLED David Cameron today vows his Government will “raise our game” after admitting to a tough year of “mistakes and difficulties”.
Despite months of pummelling from critics on all sides, the PM insists he has NOT lost touch with working Britain.
To prove it, he uses an exclusive interview with The Sun today to unveil a double-barrelled boost for commuters and earners — a one per cent cap on crippling train fare hikes and another year’s council tax freeze.
Speaking ahead of the Tory party conference which starts in Birmingham today, the fired-up PM told us: “It has been a difficult year.
“Never mind a difficult year for me — it is a difficult year for Britain.
“But I don’t for one minute accept this Government isn’t straining at every sinew to help hard-working people who want to do the right thing and get on.”
He revealed: “We are helping with the cost of living by freezing the council tax and revisiting the issue of train fares and capping them. Our focus is on people who work hard, who want to do the best for their families, who aren’t well off and want things to improve.”
The good ... freeze in council tax and help for commuters
The fares rise cap — set by the PM today at one per cent on top of inflation — will be a massive relief to angry train users braced for punishing ticket price leaps of 11 per cent this autumn.
At a cost of £300million, it will last until the end of 2014 and save commuters with an average annual season ticket up to £45 a year, Mr Cameron said.
The council tax freeze — now for the third year in a row — will save the average family up to £72 next year.
Costing £270million, the action exceeds a Tory election promise to stop the local charge rising for just two years.
The PM also conceded to a series of disastrous blunders that have blighted his year — including a flawed Budget that spawned FIVE U-turns.
The bad ... Budget U-turns and rail line cock-up
He was forced to backtrack over taxes on pasties and concessions for the elderly, churches, caravans and charities. Across all departments, the Coalition has retreated on 35 key policy areas. These include abandoning plans to sell off forests and an about-face over fighter jets. Tories looked more out of touch with ordinary voters when Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell was accused of calling police “plebs”. And their competence was brought into question again last week after the Virgin rail contract fiasco.
The PM said: “Has the Government got everything right? No, of course not. When so much of what you are having to do is to try to right a budget deficit that was bigger than Greece’s, it is inevitable you don’t get every decision right. You make mistakes, and when I do I put my hand up and try to turn it round.”
Mr Cameron insisted he wasn’t put off by his collapse in popularity.
He put it down to an inevitable consequence of tough calls, adding: “If we just wanted to be popular, we would not have targeted the deficit.”
If the Government starts to deliver, his “omnishambles” year will be forgiven, the PM believes.
He explained: “My view is the British public are incredibly fair-minded.
“They know you don’t get it right all the time. They want you, though, to raise your average, raise your game, get things right more often.” He will this week paint a big-picture vision of Britain in an international battle for survival. And everything the Government is doing fits into that.
Detailing his conference fight-back, Mr Cameron said: “There is a global race out there. Some countries are going to make it, others won’t.
“I am determined Britain is going to be one of the success stories.”
In a bid to reconnect with Sun readers, Mr Cameron added: “Behind all that is something I think is absolutely head, heart and soul for Sun readers, and that is backing aspiration, backing people who want to get on.
And the ugly ... Andrew Mitchell 'pleb' row
“So you will see a whole set of policies, ideas and values that are about helping people get on, get up and make something of their lives.”
The Coalition has been blasted for kicking tough decisions into the long grass, such as delaying where to build new airport runways for three years.
The PM furiously hit back by insisting he has gone even further than Maggie Thatcher on many key issues.
Reeling off his list of scrapes, Mr Cameron blasted back: “So have we dithered over educational reform? Mrs Thatcher never reformed public sector pensions. We have done that. Mrs Thatcher never vetoed a European treaty. I have done that.
“Capping welfare payments — no government has ever done that.”
He unleashed another savage assault on Ed Miliband after his cheeky bid to steal the Tory party’s historic One Nation mantra last week. The Labour leader also pinched another trick from the Cameron play-book by delivering a no-notes conference speech.
But in a withering put-down, Mr Cameron said: “I have spoken for 70 minutes without notes. I know how difficult it is. Do you know what? It is even more difficult if you have got absolutely nothing to say.”
He admitted the Tories have “a mountain” ahead before the 2015 election. But its result, and whether he wins a second term with an outright majority, is still “in our own hands”.
Mr Cameron, who turns 46 on Tuesday, said: “My party has got huge challenges ahead of it. But it is not about Ed Miliband or Labour.
“If we show we have got a plan to make Britain a great winner in the 21st century, we will win.
“If we don’t, we won’t.”
d.wooding@the-sun.co.uk
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