James Forsyth James Forsyth

Is Cameron headed for a fall?

Why the Conservatives’ new confidence may be misplaced

issue 28 May 2011

David Cameron exudes a worrying confidence these days. He strolls through the corridors of the Palace of Westminster with the air of a man already thinking of victory at the next election. His head is tilted slightly skywards, as if already enjoying the sunlit uplands of victory in 2015. But this confidence is misguided, even dangerous, as some of those closest to him are well aware.

They, by contrast, do not look relaxed at all. They look anxious, pained, bundles of nervous energy. Their fear is that the Prime Minister is on the brink of making mistakes that could endanger his premiership: that he is about to sabotage his own reform agenda.

The story of Cameron’s leadership to date has been one of laidback calm interrupted by periods of productive anxiety. As one Tory ruefully puts it, ‘What you have to understand is that the Tory party now only has two modes: panic and complacency.’

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