Cameron gets ready for No. 10 — and Boris must wait his turn

Fraser Nelson

10 May 2008

David Cameron talks to Fraser Nelson about his local election triumphs, admits that he is not going to ‘agree on everything’ with the new Mayor of London, and says Boris should join the queue to become PM after him

The victorious David Cameron is being driven towards Buckingham Palace, the adrenaline of election success still pumping through his veins. Crowds line The Mall, peering into the blackened glass of his limousine. But when he approaches the Palace, his car turns for the A4 and the reverie is shattered. He’s on his way to Crewe for the by-election, setting off by car because of train cancellations. The crowds were for someone else. His lunch is a cheese sandwich from an M1 service station. He is on the campaign trail, yet again.

‘There is a slight sense of Groundhog Day,’ says Mr Cameron, sipping his take-away coffee. I am joining him for the day, and watch as he slips back into his mobile office routine. His two staff sit beside me in the back seat, passing briefing notes and arranging his day. He has two mobile telephones, one for speaking and one for reading emails. One phone has the ring tone taken from 24 — the hit television show about a counter-terrorist agent who regularly escapes mortal peril. ‘It’s an in-joke,’ the Tory leader says.

One can guess at the joke’s content. In the last year, Mr Cameron has seen his party bungee jump into the abyss. ‘The Spectator had that cover of me with my hands bound and my neck in a noose,’ he reminds me. This was indeed the cover image of our Tory conference issue — beside the headline ‘Now get out of this, Dave’. He did — and how. In last week’s local elections, Labour’s vote collapsed to its lowest since the first world war, Boris captured London and Mr Cameron earned the right to be taken seriously as our next prime minister.

The Conservative leader is quick to play all this down. Local elections, he says, are no proxy for national contests. ‘Asking people to change their government is a big decision, and that is why there is not an ounce of complacency from me after the local results,’ he says. ‘There’s an enormous amount of reassurance we have to give people — that we have the right leader, a strong team, that we will take no risks with the economy and that we have a clearly worked-out plan for public services.’

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Dontcountyourchickens

May 8th, 2008 2:25pm Report this comment

I am getting very concerned at the post-local-elections euphoria. We have seen how volatile the polls have been recently and we mustn't forget that it was only 6 months ago when Gordon Brown was 14 points ahead. Look back to 1992 and what happened to Neil Kinnock.

Dave - I would be over the moon to see you in Downing Street, but please don't become over-confident- You might live to regret it!! I think the electorate would prefer you to rise above the mud slinging that is taking place at PMQs and to demonstrate a mature balanced attitude fit for a Prime Minister in waiting.

Peter W Watson

May 9th, 2008 12:23pm Report this comment

Commie Ron talks like a Third Way Fabian. Is it beyond his learning at Eton to understand worklessness is indicative of a sad mind? Is it beyond hope that Responsible Spending is a whole lot more powerful than tax cuts which we know he can't quantify or deliver right now as he has not seen the books (and they are BAD). but he appears to be smart enough to not crow over a vote which will hopefully kill Labour off until the next generation of idiots who think socialism is the answer vote in another abortion of a government. I see he resists replying to many issues but not all are tax and spend related. The military issues are no longer funny on the day our Armed Forces are wasted and deracinated and the German Armed Forces Minister has just called for a European (EU) Army. Sorry but he doesn't impress me an iota and I am unprepared to vote for his party until he defines the EU issues.

Lindsay Jenkins

May 9th, 2008 12:45pm Report this comment

Boris' great win in London feels like the Berlin Wall coming down.

Would a Cameron win feel the same?

Phrases like 'achieving progressive ends through conservative means' and repeated use of the ugly worklessness (what would Dot Wordsworth say about that?) do not bode well.

We need nuts and bolts government: low taxes to encourage entrepreneurs. That's how you solve 'worklessness'.

If Cameron thinks in contortions about the basics of bread and butter, how is he going to master the European Union?

Michael Cornell

May 9th, 2008 5:31pm Report this comment

I think the Tory's have not done themselves any favours by getting Boris as London Mayor with Dave trying to capture the country, what i would call a hostage to fortune