PM vows to 'cut through the dither'
David Cameron has signalled the start of his political fightback, vowing to "cut through the dither" which is holding Britain back.
As MPs prepare to return to Westminster on Monday following the summer break, the Prime Minister promised a series of high profile initiatives to get the country moving again and breathe new life into the flagging economy.
His comments will be seen as a riposte to discontented Tory MPs who have slated his leadership during the recess, with one senior backbencher suggesting he was a political "mouse".
Writing in The Mail on Sunday, Mr Cameron made clear he was ready to take on his critics - bringing forward controversial measures to boost growth by relaxing the planning rules.
He warned that the country could not afford the "paralysis" which causes new housing developments to be held up by entrenched local opposition and lengthy planning inquiries. "A familiar cry goes up, 'Yes we want more housing; but no to every development - and not in my backyard.' The nations we're competing against don't stand for this kind of paralysis and neither must we," he wrote.
"Frankly, I am frustrated by the hoops you have to jump through to get anything done - and I come back to Parliament more determined than ever to cut through the dither that holds this country back."
His comments will raise fresh concerns that the Government wants to open up Green Belt land for development - a move that will prove highly controversial within the coalition.
The Prime Minister also used his article to brush aside complaints by teachers over the fall in the latest GCSE results, promising further measures to reverse the "dumbing down" in the classroom.
He said he would not "cave in" to teaching unions who wanted to "pretend standards are rising each year". "'All must have prizes' is not just patronising, it is cruel - and with us it is over," he said.
Meanwhile, leading Tory right winger David Davis said that the Government must draw up a new, "alternative" pro-growth strategy to get the economy moving. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Cameron's former rival for the party leadership warned that a further round of spending cuts before the general election in 2015 was now "inevitable".
