The Tories fired their first shots in the election campaign this month.

Shadow Chancellor, Oliver Letwin, unveiled the party’s economic blueprint for Government.

Plans included a cut in public spending from 42 per cent of GDP to 40 per cent, a reduction of £35 billion.

It was a statement of intent but a bit vague as Letwin kept repeating that the party would wait before tightening up figures.

Gershon review

It hit the Government hard over a promise to freeze civil service recruitment, partly because results from the Gershon efficiency review were leaked on the same day.

But Blair stood strong telling the News of the World that he was looking forward to the next general election and that his enthusiasm for the job was as strong as ever.

Opinion polls

Public opinion seemed to be just as enthusiastic, as he looked formidable in the polls and won support of 60 per cent of the Labour Party in a vote on whether they wanted Blair to be leader during the next election.

It seems that the Tories will have to find something else up their sleeves to beat the Blair government next year.