David Cameron appealed to his MPs for an end to the recriminations that have gripped the party since last week’s by-elections as he gave a passionate defence of his modernising message.

The Conservative leader, addressing the 1922 committee of Tory MPs and peers at Westminster, called for an end to dissenting voices criticising his leadership. “In a party like ours it should be possible to have a discussion and occasionally disagreement without reading about them in the press,” he told them. “Disunity can undermine hard work.”

Mr Cameron added: “We have to show discipline, passion and hunger. We need to be a committed, united, positive Opposition.” His 14-minute speech received a traditional ovation from Tory parliamentarians, with cheers and banging of desks, and there were no questions afterwards.

After criticisms led by Lord Kalms, the Tory donor, of a lack of policy development, Mr Cameron pointed to a series of his policy groups that had or were about to make recommendations to the party on social breakdown, global poverty and security and terrorism. These would form the basis of a summer Tory attack on Gordon Brown, he told them, to be reinforced by an advertising campaign.

There was some better news for Mr Cameron as his party published accounts for last year showing an operating surplus of £4.2 million, its first since the election year of 2001, leaving him a good financial base to prepare for a general election.

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