David Tennant has ventured into the election by coming out and endorsing Gordon Brown, saying he would “rather have Gordon Brown than David Cameron.”

The Doctor Who star insisted Brown was still a far better choice as Prime Minister, despite Labour’s “issues”.

Tennant said: “I would still rather have Gordon Brown than David Cameron.

“I would rather have a Prime Minister who is the cleverest person in the room than a Prime Minister who looks good in a suit.

“David Cameron is a terrifying prospect.

“He’s a regional newsreader who will jump on whatever bandwagon flies past.

“I get quite panicked that people are buying his rhetoric, because it seems very manipulative to me.”

The Scottish actor is a long standing Labour backer, so his declaration of support for the weakened PM is not surprising, he even appeared in the following 2005 party political broadcasts:

Labour have a history of getting celebrities to come out and back them with Tennant only the latest in a long line of celebrity endorsements which has seen the likes of Patrick Stewart, Eddie Izzard, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie espouse their support for the Labour party. Not to mention Tony Blair’s love-in with those who grace the pages of Hello and the NME.

Back in November the Times reported that the Conservative Party’s director of communications, Andy Coulson, was leading attempts court celebrity endorsements ahead of the general election:

“David Cameron’s director of communications has instructed all Conservative frontbenchers to inform him of any celebrity likely to endorse the party at the next election

The most promising targets are usually invited to dinner with Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, with “A-listers” offered the chance to meet Mr Cameron himself… While potential donors are typically introduced to the Tory leader in a Mayfair restaurant, the celebrity dinners are held in private houses, according to one of those involved in their organisation.

The explanation for the priority given to recruiting stars of light entertainment is revealed by research, available to all three parties, showing which social groups are most likely to switch their vote from Labour to Conservatives. The biggest group — identified by the Mosaic household profiling database, which uses credit data from its parent company, Experian — are single people and young couples living in new homes. They are also more than usually influenced by celebrity culture.”

But the paper also reported that celebrities are increasingly avoiding efforts from all parties to publicly back them.

“The elaborate courtship of celebrities by party leaders before the general election is being spurned.

Some of the noisiest and most publicity addicted people in Britain fall strangely silent when the subject of politics gets mentioned. Lily Allen, a pop star who is not usually shy of venting her opinions, told The Times: “It’s no one’s business how I intend to vote, which is the reason that voting happens in private booths.

Jamie Oliver, credited with helping the Government to improve school dinners, ruled out any form of partisan endorsement. He said this week: “The people I’m working with in schools, it’s so important to me, that I don’t want to go left or right. I’ve tried to remain apolitical. I actually haven’t voted for the past six years.

Myleene Klass’s manager, Jonathan Shalit, said: “It’s a no-win situation to come out in favour of one party or another.”

So does the public support form celebrities matter? On the plus side it does enable political leaders to reach younger voters, who generally speaking, do not consume the same about of news. One the down-side the words of support from TV and music stars can be perceived as simply words from fair weather friends.

Then there is the issue of what to do when thing turn sour. Back in 1997 New Labour got its fingers burnt with its “Cool Britannia” efforts. In the beginning Oasis and friends were all feted at Number Ten, but things soon changed when many of their showbiz backers fell our of love with Tony Blair, themselves not wanting to be tainted with a degraded and soiled brand.

So whilst celebrity endorsements can provide a easy and helpful headline in the short-term, in the long-term their value is much less significant and much harder to quantify. My advice to the the party leadership and strategists would be not to spend to much time and effort trying to get them.

David Cameron has given the clearest signal so far that he will not allow trade unions to derail his plans to get to grips with the public deficit.

Talking to the Daily Telegraph he said that he would be “very happy” to introduce new laws aimed at stopping those trade unions, opposed to his plan to introduce a one year pay freeze, staging walkouts.

When George Osborne outlined Conservative plans to get the countries ballooning deficit under control at Conference in October, union leaders almost instantly came out against the plan with some threatening strike action.

Mark Serwotka, head of the Public and Commercial Services union, said there was a “very strong likelihood” of strikes if the pay freeze went ahead.

Dave Prentis, leader of Unison, said millions of workers would be “left out in the cold? by the freeze. Others will have to pay with job and service cuts, while bankers and tax cheats escape with a slapped wrist”.

These sentiments were echoed by Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of Unite, who said: “This was a speech written on the back of a Bullingdon club membership card. George Osborne has made it clear the Tories are going to hit hard-working public sector workers on low pay while preparing to line the pockets of the wealthy through income tax cuts.”

Mr Cameron said by freezing the pay of those who earn more than £18,000 a year, one million of the lowest paid workers would not be affected.

Using language that highlights his changing attitude towards the unions he warned their leaders that they faced “a very determined, robust, sensible, reasonable group of people,” adding “the trade union laws that were passed in the 1980s have withstood the test of time. If ever they needed to be strengthened I would be very happy to strengthen them. But I think there’s a set of rules that work very well.”

Just like Margaret Thatcher in the 1970s and 80s it could be the trade union’s that make or break David Cameron’s government. It is for this reason that he needs to limit any sign of discontent from within and have both fortitude and commitment to cary through his policies no matter what.

Nick Clegg yesterday warned his MPs are “not for sale” as both Labour and the Tories stepped up attempts to woo his supporters.

There are “no backroom deals or under-the-counter understandings” with other parties, he said before laying out four policy priorities likely to be a deal breaker in the event of a hung parliament.

It marks a subtle shift in strategy from Mr Clegg’s party conference speech in September when he set out why he wanted to be Prime Minister. Some senior figures within the party believe his slimmed down list of objectives – fair taxes, education, the economy and political reform – will form the basis of any coalition talks if the Lib-Dems hold the balance of power after the election.

Last night bookmakers Paddy Power cut their odds on a hung Parliament to 9/4, with a spokesman adding that punters believe the Lib-Dems “might be power brokers” after polling day.

The Conservatives have made direct appeals for Lib-Dem supporters to “lend” them their vote in order to oust the Labour administration, claiming policy similarities on the environment, civil liberties and social justice.

Meanwhile, at the weekend, Gordon Brown appeared to hold out his own olive branch to persuade Lib-Dem voters to swing in behind Labour. The Prime Minister said the Lib-Dems were “closer to us on tax and public services”.

But Mr Clegg insisted he was not about to get into bed with either of his opponents.

“David Cameron and Gordon Brown are ostentatiously flirting with Liberal Democrat voters, clumsily trying to woo them – and by implication me and my fellow Liberal Democrat MPs,” he wrote in The Times.

“This year’s general election is likely to be the most open and unpredictable in a generation. So you have a right to know where we stand. I can promise voters wondering whether to put an ‘X’ against the Liberal Democrats that there are no backroom deals or under-the-counter ‘understandings’ with either of the other two parties.”

The Lib-Dem leader said his party had been in tune with the British public on many issues, citing opposition to the Iraq war, civil liberties, the environment, the excesses of the City and rights for Gurkha veterans.

Whatever the outcome of the election, Mr Clegg said, the party would push “four core priorities”. A package of fair taxes would include no income tax on the first £10,000 of earnings. Children would receive a “fair start” through the pupil premium, smaller class sizes and more one-to-one tuition. He also wanted a “green, job-rich, sustainable economy” and a reinvention politics “to get rid of the rotten system of politics and replace it with something new”.

As the Conservative Party published the first chapter of its draft general election manifesto, the Tory leader said Labour would not protect the NHS budget, insisting the Tories are “the party of the NHS” and that health service spending is safe only with them.

“Today, the Conservatives are the party of the NHS. But talk is cheap. You’ve got to back that with action, and we have. We are the only party committed to protecting NHS spending.

“It’s there in black and white behind me. I’ll cut the deficit, not the NHS.”

His raid on traditional Labour territory came alongside the launch of a new nationwide poster campaign denying Labour allegations of Tory cuts.

At the press conference launching the first chapter of draft manifesto, the Tory leader stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Gordon Brown, saying: “We cannot go on, we cannot afford, another five years of Gordon Brown.”

In what will be interpreted as an attempt to undercut Labour attacks that the Tories as the party of the rich few, Mr Cameron highlighted the fact that life expectancy and infant mortality rates for poor and rich have widened under Labour and are as big as in Victorian times. To correct this the Conservatives will introduce a Health Premium to target more resources on the poorest communities.

Mr Cameron also announced a second new policy, if the Conservatives win the next election they will introduce new maternity networks. These will link up local hospitals, doctors, charities, voluntary groups and maternity consultants to share information, expertise and services.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne opened the proceedings and took the opportunity to attack Alistair Darling’s announcement this morning, which cast doubt on Tory economic policy.

“We start positive. We have new ideas and we are talking about policy,” Mr Osborne said.

“Labour’s press conference this morning was negative.

“Cutting the deficit while protecting real increases in the NHS budget is not easy,” he continued.

“I will not pretend that protecting the NHS does not mean very difficult decisions in other departments. There will have to be spending cuts, a word the prime minister can’t bring himself to use.”

David Cameron is about to launch the health chapter of the draft manifesto and from this new poster its clear that the NHS is going to be at the centre of the Tory campaign.

Hat Tip ConHome

David Cameron is to continue his raid into traditional Labour territory later on today by pledging to divert NHS resources to deprived areas.

After the Conservative Leader fired the first shot to the general election campaign at the weekend, today will see fevered political activity at the beginning of what will be a four-month election campaign.

He will also unveil plans to give mothers “real choice” over the kind of childbirth and other services they want.

The policy details are to be revealed as Mr Cameron and shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley at a press conference which will see the publish of a chapter of the party’s’ draft manifesto.

The party leader has gone to great lengths to stress his personal commitment to the NHS, promising that health budgets will not be subject to the same cuts as other departments.

Conservative sources have indicated that Monday’s announcements on the NHS are designed as a direct rebuttal of Labour’s “class war” tactics.

Mr Cameron will say his administration would divert a higher share of NHS resources to boost health in run down areas. The move is in sharp contrast to the Tories’ manifesto at the 2005 general election, when the party was offering to subsidise those who chose to have their treatment in private hospitals.

There will also be a commitment to introduce “maternity networks”, which would link community-based maternity units with more specialist hospital care.

Mr Lansley said: “A Conservative government will reform maternity services so that mothers and mother-to-be are put right at the heart of the service. We will stop Labour’s forced closure of maternity units, increase the number of health visitors and – by making money follow the patient – give every mother the choice and support they need.”

Meanwhile eight members of the Shadow Cabinet will fan out across the country to areas where David Cameron needs to win support to secure a significant Commons victory. Michael Gove will be in Nottingham; Chris Grayling in Reading; William Hague in Yorkshire, Nick Herbert in Southampton; Oliver Letwin in Plymouth; Theresa May MP, in Bristol; Eric Pickles MP, in Luton; and Baroness Warsi, in Bury.

An incoming Tory government would be ready to put up taxes in order to get the UK’s soaring deficit under control, Ken Clarke has said.

The shadow business secretary said it would be “folly” to rule out increases alongside reductions in public spending.

The comments came as David Cameron effectively kicked off the general election campaign, urging voters to make 2010 a “year for change”.

Speaking from his Oxfordshire constituency on Saturday, Mr Cameron said a “a complete overhaul” of the economy would be necessary to reduce the deficit:

“We’ve been clear about our intention to cut public spending, and clear about where some of those cuts will come – from a one-year freeze on public sector pay to bringing forward the planned increase in the state pension age. But it’s not enough just to deal with the deficit. To have a hope of competing in the decades to come, our economy needs a complete overhaul. We need to build an enterprise economy.”

The Conservative leader is expected to make an audacious raid on traditional Labour territory on Monday by pledging to divert more money to healthcare in the UK’s most deprived areas.

In his interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Clarke said: “It’s something that every Conservative tries to avoid but I didn’t avoid it when I was getting us out of recession before.

“Coming out of a recession when you have such a severe deficit, you can’t rule out putting up taxes.

“If you can’t get it down quickly enough, in order to maintain the confidence of the markets and to create conditions for growth and employment, then you may have to look at tax increases.”

Asked specifically about VAT, which some observers expect the Tories to raise to 20% if they win power, the former chancellor said: “When you’re the most indebted country in the Western world… then you cannot start promising you are not ever going to start increasing taxation.

“We will try to avoid it, we’ll minimise it if we have to by having proper control of public spending, which we haven’t had in this country in the last 12 years.”

David Cameron has launched the Conservative party’s election campaign today in a speech focusing on the state of the economy and the NHS.

The address in Woodstock in his Oxfordshire constituency did not contain any new policies but instead outlined the key themes on which the Tories are expecting to fight the coming election.

Gordon Brown must call a general election by June 3rd this year, with many analysts predicting the country will be sent to the polls on May 6th.

In the speech on Saturday morning, Mr Cameron said he was starting the campaign to win the election, confirming he will also unveil part of his party’s election manifesto on Monday.

Constantly calling for the country to “pull together” as one, the Tory leader said he was optimistic about 2010 and borrowing from Barack Obama’s campaign for the White House in 2008, said the coming 12 months could be the “year for change”.

He said: “We can not go on like this… we need change to get this country back onto its feet.”

Attacking the last 12 years of Labour government, Mr Cameron said Britain could no longer go on with “irresponsibility economic policy” and the “old style of politics that divides our country”.

He added his party had the “unity and leadership to bring the change”.

Mr Cameron said the Tories would aim to improve the NHS “not cut it”, and that with a new economic management confidence would return to British business.

He went on to criticise Labour for what he called a ‘decade of big government’, claiming it has made matters worse and promised a radical decentralisation of power, starting with MPs expenses.

Mr Cameron also promised a national security council sitting as a war cabinet with the Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders invited to attend.

Tory strategists hope to build momentum early in the year for an election which must be held by June 3, and the speech in Woodstock will be followed over the coming days by visits to healthcare facilities intended to demonstrate the party leader’s commitment to the health service.

A recent YouGov poll in the paper gave the Conservatives a ten point lead, with Mr Cameron’s party on 40 per cent, Labour on 30 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 17 per cent.

David Cameron has just issued the following New Year message:

“2010 will be election year. After all the false starts and speculation, now we know for sure that the country will have a chance to vote for change this year. Within days, the gloves will be off and the arguments will begin. But as we enter this year of intense political activity, I think it’s important for all politicians to remember something. While those in the Westminster village might eagerly be limbering up for a frantic few months of speeches and launches and strategies and tactics – and all the hoopla of today’s politics – most people in the country will be contemplating the prospect of months of electioneering with emotions somewhere on a scale between indifference and dread: and that is something we need to change. But we’ll only do that if we recognise the reasons why politics is broken.

First and foremost it’s because the expenses scandal is not a chapter that comes to a close as we move into a new year. It is an ongoing reminder of a deeper breakdown in trust between politicians and the public. And this has many causes. Politicians who think they have the answer to everything and just can’t bear to leave people alone to get on with their lives. Politicians who can’t bring themselves to recognise any good in their opponents and refuse to work together to get things done. Politicians who never admit they’re wrong and never acknowledge that they’ve made a mistake. A sense that Westminster has become so much about point-scoring, positioning and political dividing-lines that people and their real-life problems are completely left out. These are some of the reasons that politics is broken.

I’m sure I’ve been guilty of these offences on occasions, and no doubt will commit them again. But we shouldn’t stop trying to get it right just because we don’t always succeed. Over the past few years, we’ve tried in the Conservative Party to do things differently. We voted for Tony Blair’s school reforms because we agreed with them even though we could have inflicted a damaging defeat on the Government. We’ve encouraged our parliamentary candidates to set up social action projects in their communities. We’ve opened up politics through open primaries to select potential MPs and held open Cameron Direct meetings all over the country where people from all parties and none can come and ask me questions. We took swift action on expenses and were the first to pay money back where that was the right thing to do. And we’ve consistently pushed for TV election debates, whether we’ve been behind in the polls or ahead in the polls. But there’s a huge amount more to do if we want to rebuild trust. So let’s try and make this election year the moment to start fixing our broken politics. Let’s bring real change to Westminster and the whole political system. A big part of that is about policy: policies to reform expenses and the way Parliament works; policies to redistribute power from the political elite to the man and woman in the street; policies to make government more transparent and accountable.

But it’s not all about policy. It’s also about character, attitude and approach. It’s about how political leaders actually behave, the example they set and the lead they give. It’s about doing as well as talking – real social action in our communities, not just pontificating from an ivory tower. And my resolution this new year is to work harder for a new politics in this country. I don’t want to mislead people: there’s an election campaign coming, and I think it’s reasonable for political parties to point out the consequences of their opponents’ policies, records and judgments as well as the benefits of their own. The House of Commons – particularly on set-piece occasions like Prime Minister’s Questions – is an adversarial place. But let’s make sure the election is a proper argument about the future of the country, not some exercise in fake dividing lines. Let’s at least recognise the good intentions of our opponents. Let’s be honest that whether you’re Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat, you’re motivated by pretty much the same progressive aims: a country that is safer, fairer, greener and where opportunity is more equal. It’s how to achieve these aims that we disagree about – and indeed between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats there is a lot less disagreement than there used to be.

Of course the area where there is greatest and most sincere agreement between political parties is our shared support for our mission in Afghanistan. I know that we will never take for granted the bravery of our armed forces, and as we prepare to fight the political battles at home, we will keep in mind constantly the humbling courage of those who fight the real battles for us overseas.

So let’s make 2010 the year for a new politics. Let’s be positive about our own policies as well as pointing out the consequences of our opponents’ policies. But above all, let’s be honest about the problems facing the country and how we can solve them. Yes, there will be an election this year: that much is certain. And we can be certain too that the arguments will be fierce. But let’s make it a good clean fight. And once the battle is over, we will need to rise above our differences and come together because that is the only way – strong, united leadership is the only way – we will sort out Britain’s problems, halt our decline, and give this country the success that I know we can achieve.”

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg will go head-to-head in three primetime election debates, it has been revealed.

Opposition parties had been calling for the debates for many years and have now succeeded in making the major breakthrough, meaning Mr Brown will become the first prime minister to agree to the measure.

Three debates, lasting around 90 minutes each, will be hosted by three different broadcasters – ITV, Sky and the BBC.

Alastair Stewart will chair the ITV debate, followed by Adam Boulton and David Dimbleby for Sky and the BBC.

“All three of the biggest parties in the UK have agreed to do it,” the BBC’s chief adviser on politics, Rick Bailey, said. “That’s never happened before.”

Smaller parties, like the Scottish National party, The Greens and UKIP will be excluded.

Finalised details about the formats of the programme will take place in the new year.

Around half of each debate will be themed, it has been agreed. All three debates will follow the same format.

It was feared that a debate between the three main party leaders would not go-ahead after it was revealed in October that negotiations had broken down.

After only a few weeks of negotiations the Daily Telegraph reported that the party leaders were squabbling over the details, such as how many debates should take place and who should participate.

“Gordon Brown has proposed up to six debates while the Liberal Democrats are demanding three three-way debates… David Cameron has proposed the most slimline option, involving one debate with all three leaders. But Mr Brown has told broadcasters he wants at least six. He and Mr Cameron would go head to head in one, Mr Brown would face Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, in another while Mr Cameron would face Mr Clegg in a third. Then there would be three more debates between Mr Brown and Mr Cameron focused on a different issue each time, such as the economy.

In addition, both Labour and the Lib Dems are pressing for a separate debate between the Chancellor Alistair Darling, the shadow chancellor George Osborne and the Lib Dem treasury spokesman Vince Cable, as well as a foreign policy debate between the Foreign Secretary and opposition foreign affairs spokesman.”

Speaking on Sky News Mr Cameron said he is “delighted” that there will be three televised debates between party leaders during the general election.

“I think it is a thoroughly good thing, I have been pushing for two years for this to happen.

“I am delighted they are taking place, I think it’s a step forward for our democracy”.

Adding that he thought they would “enliven” democracy, and that it showed that Britain “has joined the 21st Century”.