Lamont: Cameron must not rely on spin

David Cameron has been warned by his former political boss that his approach risks alienating natural Tory supporters who might now abstain at the next election.

Lord Lamont of Lerwick, a former chancellor, urged the Tory leader to produce "more policies, more quickly" and hinted that he was relying too much on spin.

Mr Cameron was special adviser to Lord Lamont when Britain was forced out of the European exchange rate mechanism (ERM) on "Black Wednesday" in 1992.

Voicing discontent in the party about Mr Cameron's modernising strategy, Lord Lamont said the Tories needed to produce policies on issues that Mr Cameron had deliberately avoided in an attempt to reach out beyond the party's core vote.

"He is going to have to come forward with some policies on law and order, to deal with the high level of taxation, and I don't believe immigration can be off the agenda," he told the ePolitix.com website. "The smaller state is at the heart of Conservatism and I think ideas have to be developed around that concept."

The former chancellor said the Conservative Party had to balance its need to appeal to open-minded voters with the needs of its traditional "naturally loyal" supporters.