Howard: On a mission

Michael Howard has said the British people should trust the Tories to deliver a fair society where criminals are punished and pensioners regain their dignity.

The call came as he gave a personal account of his own political roots and vision in an attempt to restore public trust in the Conservative Party.

The Tory leader told a packed Bournemouth conference hall that the electorate had grown cynical about politics and politicians and that his goal was to restore their faith.

In his first conference address as leader Howard said: "In the real world, if you say you’re going to do something, you do it. And if you screw up, you can lose your job. It's called accountability. Remember that word - accountability.

"But politicians seem to live in a different world. A world where promises are dropped just as casually as they’re made.

"What people want from their politicians is accountability, responsibility and a little humility."

Howard said that rather than making promises he could not keep the Conservative Party would stick to commitments it could deliver.

"What we start, we will follow through. And we will give people clear measures against which we can be judged. That's why we're setting out a clear timetable for action," he said.

"What we'll do. When we'll do it. Specific times, specific dates. It will put us on the line in a way that no government has ever been before."

Crime

Seeking to regain the traditional Tory ground of law and order, Howard said that tackling crime would be the first priority of an incoming Conservative government.

"What Giuliani did in New York, what Ray Mallon did in Middlesbrough, we'll do for the whole of Britain.

"The problem is that the police are handcuffed by paperwork. They now have to spend almost as much time at the station as they do out on the streets.

"We need a government that will stand up for the silent, law abiding majority who play by the rules and pay their dues. A government that will put their rights first."

Tax

Howard echoed shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin's comments that although the Tories wanted to deliver a "low tax economy" they would not promise any specific tax cuts.

He said: "People who bought their council houses in the 1980s are now being clobbered by inheritance tax. This is all wrong. It's unfair. Conservatives will stop Blair's third term tax rises dead in their tracks.

"We’ll get a grip on public spending. We’ll save billions of pounds by cutting government waste. And that will help to put us back on the path to lower taxes."

Europe

Setting out a strident Eurosceptic message designed to win back voters from UKIP, Howard told delegates: "On day one, we will set the date for the referendum on the constitution. So if the election is next May, we will hold that referendum before we meet again next October.

"Europe isn’t working properly today and the Constitution will only make matters worse.

"The European Union is spewing out too many regulations. It's holding our economy back.

"It is not enough to say 'no' to the Euro - though a Conservative government will. It’s time we went further.

"We want out of the social chapter, which is a threat to British jobs. We want out of the common fisheries policy, which is destroying communities.

"And we want more British aid to be distributed from London and less from Brussels. It's time to bring powers back to Britain," he said.

Immigration

The Tory leader continued with a tough line on refugees that would see a limit set on the number allowed into the UK every year.

"Immigration is chaotic and out of control. Four out of five failed asylum seekers are never removed from the country. And government officials have granted work permits which they knew to be fraudulent," he said.

"All this rankles with people. They feel their tolerance and fairness are being abused. And they are increasingly concerned about the impact of immigration on our public services – our schools, hospitals and transport."

And he repeated his party's commitment to unilaterally pull out of the 1951 refugee Convention.

"In week one, Michael Ancram will signal Britain’s intention to pull out of the convention.

"We want asylum cases to be decided more quickly and more fairly. We want to allow genuine refugees to get to the front of the queue."