DAVID CAMERON sought to demonstrate that he was forcing the Conservative Party to modernise yesterday as he published a statement of aims and values to be put to a vote of members.

The Tory leader, who drew a parallel with Tony Blair’s battle to convince Labour to abandon its commitment to state ownership in Clause 4 of its old constitution, said it defined his vision of modern, compassionate Conservatism.

His summary of Tory beliefs, set out in an eight-page glossy leaflet, seeks on its cover to make clear that the party is changing by applying Conservative values to new challenges.

It includes a clear commitment to putting the goal of economic stability before tax cuts, and says that over time a Tory government would share the proceeds of growth between tax cuts and public services.

The document states clearly that Tories believe that “there is such a thing as society”, in an attempt to break from the negative connotations of Margaret Thatcher’s often-quoted remark that “there is no such thing as society”.

Other priorities are that quality of life matters as well as wealth; the State should guarantee public services but not necessarily run them; and that Conservatives have a moral obligation to fight for free trade, higher overseas aid and debt relief.

There are further commitments to strong defences and enforcement of laws, but not “ineffective authoritarianism”; an understanding of the limitations of government; and an endorsement of local democracy.

The document, which will be put to a vote of all 250,000 Conservative Party members before its annual conference in October, includes only the briefest reference to the European Union, saying that Tories are against centralisation “whether to Brussels, Whitehall or unwanted regional assemblies”.

Mr Cameron rejected criticism, led by Lord Tebbit, the former Tory party chairman, that many of the aims and values expressed in his statement might be found in a Labour manifesto.

Mr Cameron told the Breakfast programme on BBC One: “There are big differences. Many people in the Labour Party and many people in the Conservative Party share a goal of a strong society and a dynamic economy and a good environment.

“We differ massively on how to get there and this document brings that out. If you want an ever-rising share of the country’s income going in tax, you vote Labour. If you want a dynamic economy that shares the proceeds of growth between lowering tax and spending, you vote Conservative.”

Sir Menzies Campbell, for the Liberal Democrats, said: “This is not a statement of values, it is vapid and technocratic. The author is the same David Cameron who was behind last year’s mean and divisive Tory manifesto.”

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