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Saturday 4 July 2009

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

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

One theory, which I have now heard from two shadow Cabinet members, is that the Conservatives would insert in their manifesto a pledge to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s membership of the European Union and then hold a referendum on the result. It would be a herculean task, which would take years. But when I put the proposal to Mr Cameron, I do not get the brush-off denial I expect.

‘These suggestions are options for how to deliver what I’ve spoken about,’ he says — referring to his promise not to let ‘things rest’. ‘I am not going to comment favourably or unfavourably on any option like that until we are ready to do so.’ But if he cannot negotiate the Conservatives out of the European People’s party grouping in the European parliament, some might say he has no hope of doing anything with the EU. ‘They will have to wait and see what our answer is should the Treaty be ratified, and we’ll be judged on that,’ he says.

Europe is just one area where policy decisions have been deferred. On tax brackets, defence spending, Scottish finance and more, there are plenty of questions kicked into the long grass. This, I say as we board the train, makes it harder to persuade a blue-collar Crewe voter just how his life would be better under the Tories. ‘This is the perennial problem in opposition. The right time to set out your tax and spending proposals is at an election — and I don’t believe in producing fully worked-up shadow budgets every single year,’ he says.

‘I am not saying, Clint Eastwood-like, that there are only two sorts of policy in this world — good ones that get stolen by your opponents and bad ones that get hung round your neck for ever. But it is a thought to keep in your head. Many people have said we’d never make any breakthroughs in politics until we had more policies. To which I would reply: this train has just gone through Conservative-controlled Nuneaton.’

The local elections victory has reinforced in Mr Cameron faith that his instincts are correct, and that his critics are wrong. ‘There are some people who set tests for you, and even when you pass them they say, “Oh well, he’s still doing badly”,’ he says. ‘There will be good bits and bad bits. Sometimes where Labour do very well, sometimes where we do very badly.’ But he says the local election results have had a transformative effect on the party’s morale, that there is momentum to be harnessed — and taken into Crewe and Nantwich on 22 May.

And might he not be the only Conservative with an eye on that big black door? I put to him that Boris may want to be prime minister when he is done at City Hall. ‘I am a big Boris fan,’ he says. ‘I have known him for a long time. I have always said to people: do not underestimate the brains and ambition of this guy. So when I’ve had a go, I’m sure there will be a queue of people looking to take over.’ Yes, Mr Cameron did indeed say ‘when’. And right now, very few in Westminster would correct him.

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