David Cameron has called Gordon Brown's efforts to stop a planned strike by BA staff "feeble" as the two men clashed in Parliament over the issue.

The Tory leader said the prime minister had shown no "backbone" because of Labour's links to the Unite union, whose members are backing the walkout.

But Mr Brown said the Conservatives were more interested in "provoking" the airline dispute than resolving it.

David Cameron has been praised by the US administration for giving "strong support" to the deal between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin that will see policing and criminal justice powers devolved to Belfast next month.

In an important boost for Cameron, who has faced criticism for forming an alliance with the anti-agreement Ulster Unionist party, the US state department made a point of praising the Tory leader for his constructive role.

Mr Cameron acknowledged that the upcoming general election would be ''a tight contest'', but insisted a close race was a good thing as it would focus voters' minds on the choice between five more years of Gordon Brown or a change to a Tory administration.

And asked if it was ''squeaky bum time'' for the Conservatives, he laughed and replied: ''There's certainly nothing squeaking over here.''

Mr Cameron said he wanted to be honest with voters about the fact that Britain was facing a ''tough'' couple of years following the election, but insisted that with a Tory government there would be ''a really bright light at the end of the tunnel''.

Lisa Forster, 39, from Newcastle. Managing director of marketing firm anglelfysh and NE woman entrepreneur of year.

At the start Cameron seemed flaky and too generic. As a businesswoman I admire dynamic ideas and leadership and there didn't seem to be much of that.

I crave the "real change" Cameron promises but I'm unsure I trust him. Slagging off the opposition was an obvious trick too. However as he went on I was surprised, as he seemed quite in-touch.

David and Samantha Cameron were welcomed yesterday by chants of "Tory scum off our streets" and "Eton boy". The detectives assigned to them for the weekend whisked them round the back while dozens of screaming hard-Left demonstrators rushed the Metropole entrance, and very nearly got in among the Conservatives mingling with families enjoying a holiday weekend in Brighton.

For some, the ferocity of the protest was a sign that things may not be as bad as they seem. An angry opponent is a worried opponent, after all. The Tories have been itching for a fight for months.

David Cameron warned yesterday that the British people never serve "election victories on a plate" as he called on Tories to redouble their efforts to win round wavering voters.

In his last speech to a Conservative conference before the general election, Cameron responded to doubts about the party's campaign by outlining a series of "big questions" the Tories must answer.

Amid alarm at the highest levels of the party, Cameron opened his speech with a joke to illustrate the pressure.

BRIGHTON, England-With his party's once-commanding lead disintegrating in opinion polls, U.K. opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron on Sunday sought to regain momentum in a suddenly tight campaign with a promise for political change and a call for Britain to attack its massive budget deficit.

With a general election coming by June 3, Mr. Cameron faces the erosion of a once double digit lead in opinion polls over U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown's ruling Labour Party. The lead has slipped since the start of the year.

David Cameron told Tories to 'get out there and win it for Britain'

Conservative activists waited for over half an hour in a long snaking queue for the chance to hear their leader speak at their spring conference.

It was little surprise they came away happy.

David Cameron spoke without notes, without losing his way, and he sent them from the hall with the words: "Let's get out there and win it for Britain!"

LONDON -- Britain's main opposition leader David Cameron insists he's ready to oust Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but says a looming national election could be closer than many predict.

Cameron told a rally of his Conservative Party in Brighton, southern England, on Sunday that they face "a real fight" with the governing Labour Party.

He vowed to quickly reduce Britain's national debt, reform schools and cut immigration.

BRIGHTON, England, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Conservative leader David Cameron addressed his party's spring forum on Sunday, hours after an opinion poll suggested Labour could unexpectedly hold on to power at this year's election.

Below are highlights from Cameron's speech:

ON CUTTING DEFICIT SOONER THAN LABOUR

"Our deficit is a dark cloud hanging over us. We cannot put off what has got to be done. I want people to know from day one that is exactly what we are going to do."

BRIGHTON, England-U.K. opposition leader David Cameron will try to rally his party on Sunday, as a poll suggested the Conservative Party's once-huge lead over the governing Labour Party had all but vanished.

Mr. Cameron will close the Conservative spring conference Sunday afternoon, hammering home a message of change designed to capitalize on the party's greatest electoral asset: disillusion with Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour party, which has held power since 1997.

* Poll shows ruling Labour could remain largest party

* Cameron says party has "a fight on its hands" (Updates with latest poll, reaction)

BRIGHTON, England, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Britain's ruling Labour could remain the largest party in parliament after an election due in months, a poll showed on Sunday, the latest blow to the opposition Conservatives who were long favourites to win.

Conservative leader David Cameron, who makes a speech to activists on Sunday, said his party had a real fight on its hands as it seeks to end 13 years in the political wilderness.

David Cameron arrives in Brighton for the start of the conference

In the Conservative conference hotel in Brighton they have plastered their "Year for Change" slogan over mirrors, framed pictures and walls.

They have even branded the stairs with their message.

But the fear nagging at some here is the change the Tories have been longing for since 1997 might not happen.

David Cameron's conference speech comes as his lead in the polls dwindles. Pollsters YouGov, for the Sunday Times, suggest the Conservatives are just two points ahead of Labour.

James McGrath, who has worked for David Cameron, Boris Johnson, the London mayor, and George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, was in Gen Fonseka’s campaign war-room last night compiling reports of intimidation by supporters of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and advising on strategy in the run-up to today’s declaration.

If Gen Fonseka does win, much of the credit will go to Mr McGrath, who has played a key role in sharpening the campaign since his arrival last month. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

David Cameron has condemned the "naked" corruption on display in last month's Afghan elections.

The Conservative leader went much further than Gordon Brown, who in a letter released today said the Afghan poll marked "an important step" in the country's democratic history.

Yesterday a UN-backed commission in Afghanistan said it had found "convincing evidence of fraud" in the presidential election and ordered a recount of suspect ballots.

With merciless clarity, David Cameron reminded us what Mr Brown told the House last week — “Capital expenditure will grow until the year of the Olympics” — and went on: “The Government’s own figures show that is just not the case. Will he take this opportunity to correct what he told the House last week?”

Mr Brown took this as an attack on his omniscience, which it was, and was goaded into defending the indefensible. How excruciating it must have been for Lord Mandelson to watch from the gallery as his protégé made a fool of himself.

Gordon Brown may agree to step down as Prime Minister before the next General Election to avoid a humiliating defeat by David Cameron, according to Labour sources.

The possibility of Mr Brown quitting to give a new leader the chance of reviving the party's fortunes was disclosed after he talked openly for the first time of ‘walking away' from the job and spending more time with his family.

‘To be honest, you could walk away from all of this tomorrow,' he said in an interview published on Saturday. ‘I'm not interested in what accompanies being in power.

This week, the new Cabinet met and immediately got down to business: cleaning up politics, helping families and businesses through the recession, continuing our investment in public services and getting them up to scratch.

But this was also the week when the Shadow Health Secretary let the cat out of the bag.

We now know that the Tories want to cut public spending by a savage 10 per cent. They have finally revealed what their true priorities are: a cuts plan that is wide, deep and immediate in order to fund a £200,000 tax cut for the 3,000 richest families.

The Tories' plan to leave the European Parliament's main centre-right group is "stupid", an ex-Tory MEP has said.

Leader David Cameron has vowed to take his MEPs out the European People's Party (EPP), saying its federalist views are against Tory policy.