Baverstock’s hand was behind the two surprisingly successful blows that the Tories landed on the government last week, over university fees and the controversial new European Union constitution.

This former Labour supporter is Iain Duncan Smith’s new director of communications — in effect, his Campbell. He is not alone; other hard-edged young advisers have also moved in to Central Office and the effects are beginning to show.

Over the past few days, enmeshed in its own deep problems, new Labour has been on the defensive against a sharper, more professional and more confident opposition. Certainly the Tories remain far behind in the polls. There are still gaffes in the air. But is the party finally on its way back?

FOUR months ago Duncan Smith had a crucial meeting in his room at the House of Commons with Baverstock and his pollster, Stephan Shakespeare of YouGov. The two men have become his most important unelected advisers. They slapped a fat briefing paper on his desk, the results of various focus groups and polls.

Shakespeare had been finding out how voters rank “fairness”, “opportunity”, “social justice” and “choice”. The research found that “fairness” resonated most with ordinary folk.

Many of those surveyed had reported that they had worked hard all their lives and considered themselves trustworthy and honest, yet they felt those who cheated the system seemed to be getting ahead.

“People did not feel they were getting a fair deal,” said one aide. This fitted with the Tory message that Labour was raising taxes, raiding pension funds and failing to tackle crime.

Thus was born a new campaign. “The idea is that people do all the right things in life, but nevertheless they have a feeling that the odds are stacked against them,” said one Tory source.

Baverstock was given the task of working up a series of policy announcements that could be launched under the “Fair Deal” banner in the spring.

The other main conclusion of the meeting between the three men was that the Tories had been trying to get their message across to the wrong audience.

Shakespeare told Duncan Smith that the Tories should stop focusing all their messages on the “PJs” — the political junkies who read broadsheet newspapers and listen to Radio 4’s Today programme — and reach out to a wider audience instead.

The target should be the “BBs”, the millions of television viewers who watch reality television shows such as Big Brother.

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