Tories 'not complacent' on election

Sep 26 2008

Tory leader David Cameron said the party was "not arrogant enough to be complacent" about the outcome of the next General Election.

But in a message on the eve of the party conference in Birmingham, he said he had formally requested the assignment of two senior civil servants to work with the Conservatives ahead of the election.

"Not because the next election is in the bag, but because we have a responsibility to the British people to be ready to govern effectively if they choose to elect us."

Writing in the parliamentary House Magazine, he said that on the final day of the conference there would be a session on preparing for government.

"The phrase 'go back to your constituencies and prepare for government' will not be used, however.

"We are not arrogant enough to be complacent. This is about making sensible preparations for the possibility that we will soon be in a position to implement our policies in government."

Mr Cameron said he did not want to win the next election for the sake of winning or to win it on the back of Labour's failure.

"I want us to win because people have voted positively for the change we will bring - a win that would not just be a transfer of power from the Labour Party to the Conservative Party, but a transfer of power from the state to society," he added.