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David Cameron 'must stop pandering to Ukip prejudices'.............................................
Head of thinktank warns that prime minister is championing 'negative, uninspiring' politics in response to immigration fears
David Cameron is guilty of "pandering to prejudice, uncertainty and anger" as he responds to the threat posed by the UK Independence party by championing a "negative and uninspiring" form of politics, a leading moderniser has warned.
Ryan Shorthouse, the head of the Bright Blue thinktank, warns No 10 that it cannot "outdo Ukip" - echoing deep concerns among modernising ministers that the prime minister has abandoned his early optimistic approach, which won him the Tory leadership in 2005 and unsettled the Labour party. They fear the change of stance is damaging the Conservatives.
Shorthouse said: "At the moment, the messaging is quite negative and uninspiring - it's not enough to win voters and gain momentum. We need to be more inspiring and bigger picture than that and we need a positive vision, not just pandering to prejudice and uncertainty and anger.
"There has been a surge in Ukip, but you can't outdo Ukip. I often think the more you make an issue out of things like immigration and benefits, the more you make an issue out of things like benefit tourism, people will think it is a really big problem and Ukip are the ones that benefit."
The remarks by Shorthouse, who used to work for the culture secretary, Maria Miller, and the universities minister, David Willetts, echo the fears of ministers and modernising officials who have recently left Downing Street.