Howard: Dark days over

Conservative leader Michael Howard has said the "dark days" experienced by his party since 1997 are now over - despite coming fourth in the Hartlepool by-election.

Talking to ePolitix.com ahead of the Conservative conference, Howard offered a confident assessment of his party's prospects.

"I think the dark days are over," he said.

"We've been putting on members at a very significant rate, we now have more individual members than Labour and the Liberal Democrats put together.

"We are also now the biggest party in local government. You can talk about the opinion polls but in the last two national elections held in June we won both of them.

"So I think the dark days are over but we have to work hard to convince people that we are the alternative who they can trust when the general election comes and they turn to us."

His comments, however, come in the wake of a disappointing result for the Tories in the Hartlepool by-election.

While Howard dismissed recent opinion poll findings, his comments came as a YouGov survey for the Economist suggested voters wanted an alternative leader to take over the Conservatives.

Only 22 per cent think he is the right leader for the party, and while 10 per cent of voters say having him as leader makes them more likely to vote Conservative, a fifth say it makes them less likely.

However, there was apparent support for tougher policies on immigration and Europe.

The poll found that a net balance of 38 per cent would be more likely to vote Tory if the party took a harder line on immigration, while an 11 per cent balance said they would be more likely to vote for the party if it committed itself to pulling out of the EU.

Tax promise

In his interview with this website, the Folkestone and Hythe MP conceded his party was still suffering from public cynicism over the Tory's unfulfilled promise to cut taxes after 1992.

"I think that all politicians have to recognise that there's a tremendous air of cynicism which affects us all," he said.

"I think this is partly because people feel let down by the present government but partly because longer term they feel let down by all governments.

"If you take tax as example we said in 1992 we would cut taxes and we didn't, then in 1997 Labour said they had no plans to increase tax and they did."

As a result Howard said that for the time being he was not committing his party to any tax cuts.

He appeared to row back on earlier suggestions that the party is focussing on inheritance tax as part of a tax cutting strategy for the next election.

"I am determined not to make any promises I can't keep," said the Tory chief.

"We will indicate just how much money we can save by cutting out waste and then see, as I hope we will be able to, if we have enough scope to offer tax cuts."

The Economist poll indicated public support for a cautious approach to tax cuts that recognises the need to improve public services.

It found that, given a choice between the promise of lower taxes or better public services, 28 per cent of voters would be more likely to vote Conservative if they promised to improve public services while a lower 20 per cent would rather taxes were lowered.

Just over half thought it would be possible to improve public services even if taxes are cut.

In his interview, Howard also said David Blunkett had not matched his record of achievement in the Home Office.

"When I was home secretary crime fell by 18 per cent, that has not happened before and it has not happened since," he said.

"So I think David Blunkett would give his eye teeth to have my record and was able to say he had cut crime by 18 per cent since he came to office."