Cameron’s warning to his applauding backbenchers

David Cameron was greeted with a full-on, desk banging reception at the 1922 Committee. The applause only stopped when the chief whip told the assembled backbenchers to sit down.

The Prime Minister’s message was that the next year is going to be even tougher than the 1979-81 period. He argued that the government needed to be even bolder to show that it wasn’t just a technocratic government but one motivated by a desire to help families who do the right thing, but sadly no MP pressed him on how that fitted with the coalition decision to increase out of work benefits by more than 5 per cent.

One other interesting thing was that Cameron stressed to his party that they had to reach 2015 with the coalition in good order. In other words, differences have to be minimised not celebrated.