David Cameron relaxed into his British beach holiday yesterday with a televised shopping trip, a national radio phone-in and an interview with 70 readers of a local newspaper.

The Conservative leader criticised Gordon Brown last month for not spending enough time away from work, saying that leaders “need some time when the head can empty”.

But while the Prime Minister has remained out of the public gaze at his holiday house in Southwold, Suffolk, voters have received regular updates from Mr Cameron's Cornish trip.

Aides — one of whom stayed close to the Tory leader's rented house near Padstow to manage press matters — insisted that he would prefer to take a private holiday but had made clear he would spend one day campaigning.

The scale of the media operation around his fortnight away has, however, prompted some to question how much peace Mr Cameron is willing to sacrifice for positive coverage.

The holiday began with a photocall with the leader and his wife, Samantha, in Harlyn Bay. Images of the youthful leader — in beach shorts and faded polo shirt — were compared favourably with those of Mr Brown, who posed awkwardly in a grey sports jacket en route to Suffolk.

A day later and Mr Cameron posed again for pictures, this time in a pair of floral shorts, throwing a frisbee, although it is understood that aides sought to limit the distribution of the images taken by a local news agency.

Yesterday there were still more images of Mr Cameron as television cameras were invited to follow him on a visit to a farmers' market. In addition he submitted himself to a question-and-answer session with an invited audience of 70 readers of the Western Morning News.

Mr Cameron dutifully fielded queries on post office closures and repeated his support for a badger cull. Later he took yet more time out of his holiday to participate in a phone-in for BBC Radio 1.

Even the location of his rented holiday cottage, perched on a cliff-top, might have been chosen to win electoral support. Eight of the Conservatives' key target seats are in the South West of England. Aides said last night that Mr Cameron had agreed to spend some time campaigning after a visit last month was overshadowed by the resignation of David Davis.

A spokeswoman confirmed that Mr Cameron planned to take a second summer holiday in Turkey at a private location and that no media access would be granted.

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