Cameron orders a re-write of the Tory manifesto

I understand that David Cameron has ordered a re-write of the Tory manifesto. Jo Johnson and the Number 10 policy unit, which he heads, had written and submitted a first draft of the manifesto to Cameron. But word has come back that Cameron feels that the tone is not right. As I say in my Mail on Sunday column, he wants a less wonky document. He thinks the document needs a crisper, more political style.

The Tory aide Richard Parr has been charged with re-writing it. Parr learned his political trade under Andrew Mitchell and is regarded as having sharp instincts. Cameron is also a fan of his writing.

But it is not just the style of the manifesto that is causing concern. One Cameroon tells me that there ‘needs to be a bit of something you wouldn’t expect in it’. But with the formal start of the campaign just a few weeks away, the Tories don’t have long to come up with any new and surprising ideas.