David Cameron will be introduced to the rest of the world this weekend as a man with “mind-blowing confidence” who “doesn’t do doubt”.

The Tory leader’s credentials as a would-be statesman are burnished by a cover-story in the latest issue of Time. The profile identifies his self-belief as a key strength and describes him as Prime Minister-in-waiting.

“There’s no massive thing that I’ve done [where] I lie awake thinking I wish I’d never done that,” he tells the international news magazine in an interview published tomorrow. Nick Marcq, a film-maker and family friend, says: “What he’s got is mind-blowing confidence. He doesn’t do doubt.”

The article’s author, Catherine Mayer, said that Time had decided to feature Mr Cameron partly because of what his success said about Britain. “It’s pretty amazing seeing someone who not so long ago would have been irretrievably stigmatised as a toff not only gaining in popularity but taking a lead on issues of social deprivation and lack of social mobility.”

Nevertheless, she reports that he became irritated when asked whether his privileged background limited his understanding of poverty. “You can’t walk a mile in everybody’s shoes,” he replied.

The article notes Mr Cameron’s ties with the Bullingdon Club. David Worth, a fellow member of the Oxford dining society, recalls a boat trip to Cliveden, the stately home turned luxury hotel. “There was a surreal Brideshead Regurgitated quality to the evening. David quoting Winston Churchill extensively by memory — Churchill was a bit of a lush, so there were also funny quotes about drinking.”

The magazine quotes a close colleague as saying that Mr Cameron is ruthless. “He’s ambitious, competitive, there’s an element of selfishness, all the things you require to be Prime Minister.”

Mr Cameron will be pleased that he has been judged worthy of a Time cover, even though the article will not be running in the US. Tony Blair’s advent on the world stage was also marked by Time, which named him Distinguished Speaker of the Year in 1995.

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