CAM TURNS OFF WOMEN VOTERS*

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Mar 16, 2008 | by VINCENT MOSS

DAVID CAMERON is losing crucial support among young mothers who could destroy his hopes of a General Election victory.

According to private surveys carried out for the Tory party, he is proving a major turn-off among women voters.

The blow was delivered to Mr Cameron in a presentation of the internal polling data by billionaire Tory donor Lord Ashcroft. The findings are critical because Lord Ashcroft is in charge of the Tories' battle to win marginal seats at the next General Election.

A senior Tory source admitted: "We're losing ground among young mums who are a critical group of voters.

They're not convinced we can be trusted when it comes to the education of their children, and some still see David as less trustworthy than Gordon Brown." The research was behind Mr Cameron's decision to thrust his wife and children in front of TV cameras at his pounds 2million London home last week. He continued his efforts to woo women voters by announcing a host of "family-friendly" ideas to Tories at their spring conference in Gateshead yesterday.

He promised a Tory government would hire 4,200 new health visitors by ditching a pounds 200million scheme to extend the Sure Start programme to help young mothers. But he also painted a Family promises... Cameron yesterday bleak picture of Britain, highlighting a United Nations report last year. "It said that Britain is the worst place in the developed world for children to grow up," he said. "How can we let that happen?

And how are we going to put it right?" He promised to put the family at the heart of his party's agenda and tackle the menace of "those kids at the end of the street, causing mayhem, smashing up the bus shelter".

But he rebuffed calls from right-wingers to appeal to traditional supporters by offering tax cuts. He warned: "There is not going to be some magic pot of money waiting for us when the next Conservative government is elected. So we need to get used to saying 'no' more often than 'yes'."

But Labour's Deputy Leader Harriet Harman said: "David Cameron should be supporting Sure Start, not planning cuts to a service many families rely on simply in response to his poor polling performance with families."

Meantime, two polls last night gave the Tories a big lead over Labour in the wake of Chancellor Alistair Darling's Budget. A YouGov survey put them 16 points ahead and an ICM poll nine points.

*SO THERE'S NO ONE LEFT THEN

THE SURVEY SAID...

'We're losing ground among young mums. They're not convinced we can be trusted when it comes to the education of their children and some still see David as less trustworthy than Gordon Brown.'

SENIOR TORY SOURCE

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