Cameron: I'm the real voice of liberal UK

Tory leader dumps party rhetoric on immigration

Gaby Hinsliff and Andrew Rawnsley
Sunday December 18, 2005
The Observer

David Cameron stakes his claim today to be the voice of moderate, progressive Britain in a remarkable interview in which he says that the Conservatives speak for a 21st century generation of Britons who are non-ideological and want politics to be practical.
In a revealing interview with The Observer, the new Tory leader jettisoned his party's hardline image on immigration, saying he welcomed those fleeing genuine persecution abroad. He also demanded greater social responsibility from business and offered new support for working parents.

Cameron used his first newspaper interview since becoming leader to spell out his determination to return his party to the 'mainstream of party politics', discarding baggage that has kept the Tories out of power.

Calling on Britons to take asylum seekers 'to our hearts' where they had genuinely suffered persecution, Cameron confirmed that he would consider ditching the controversial Conservative policy of capping the number of refugees that Britain accepts.

He promised that his party would no longer be the 'mouthpiece' of big business, freeing it to champion working parents, environmentalists and other causes whose interests clash with the Tories' friends in the City. And he revealed that he will take a week's paternity leave when his third child is born,
leaving William Hague in charge. (See my letter to Mr Hague in 2001)

Cameron spoke as a new Ipsos/MORI poll for The Observer put the Tories a startling nine points ahead of Labour among those sure to vote - and Cameron only four points behind Gordon Brown as the best potential Prime Minister. In the interview, he also disclosed his worries about raising his children in the public gaze, and he attacked government plans for a partial ban on smoking in public places, describing it as 'the worst of all worlds'.

In a wide-ranging discussion Cameron said that Conservative clubs should admit women as equal members. He admitted that he has been foxhunting about 10 times, and thinks the current ban is 'persecuting minorities'.

Crucially, Cameron also threatened to vote against Tony Blair's controversial school reforms 'if [Blair] caves in' to rebel Labour MPs.

His tone on immigration, however, best demonstrates Cameron's courtship of liberal opinion. Praising the cultural and economic benefits of immigration, he added: 'We will have a big amount of emigration and immigration, but will also recognise that a responsible government needs to look at the level of net migration in terms of also providing good public services and having good community relations.'

Defending the language on immigration in the last manifesto - which he wrote - Cameron admitted there was a 'very deep perception problem' over Tory handling of the issue, but said the politician who got immigration most 'spectacularly wrong' was the former Home Secretary, David Blunkett.

'He was the person who talked about us being swamped: he used irresponsible language at the same time as having a chaotic immigration policy.

'I want the Conservative party to do the opposite: use moderate, reasonable, sensible language, and to have a policy that actually delivers.'

Asked if he would ditch the quota policy, widely criticised for rejecting people who have suffered genuine persecution, he said it would be included in the policy rethink that he recently launched. 'I want these policy reviews not to think "we're committed to this": I want them to think "this is the big challenge facing the country - what are the right ways of meeting [it]"?'.

Cameron said he was committed not just to giving genuine refugees asylum 'but also to taking them to our hearts, and feeding and clothing and schooling them'.

Cameron-style liberalism may upset some Labour voters: he regards hunting as an issue of personal freedom, and backs repeal of the 'shambolic' ban. However, his stance on business allows a rethink over issues from maternity leave, on which the Tories have been perceived as old-fashioned, to green taxes and the minimum wage.

'There's been a danger in the past that the Conservative party has been seen too much as just "whatever big business wants",' he said. 'I didn't go into politics to be the mouthpiece for big business.'

It was 'very difficult' balancing work and family life, he said, admitting he and his wife Samantha worry about protecting their children's privacy. 'I probably get it wrong a lot of the time: and hopefully, I get it right a lot of the time,' he said.

Cameron also boosted his female-friendly credentials by saying that Conservative clubs, such as the Carlton, that do not admit women as full members should be 'completely open' to both sexes, although he said that non-political gentlemen's clubs, such as his own, White's, should continue to be able to discriminate.

A trickier issue is the debate on whether cannabis should be reclassified. Despite his previous support for downgrading the drug, Cameron said he would allow the shadow cabinet to decide the Tory position.

'If the government is bringing forward new scientific evidence, we will look at it,' he said, adding there was still a 'longer term piece of work' to be done on the correct classification of illegal drugs.

Last night Ian McCartney, the Labour party chairman, dismissed Cameron's claims, adding that the Opposition leader 'might be repacking the Tories for Christmas, but he is the same old right-winger underneath'.