Steve Norris dismissed the Conservatives' summer campaign as ineffectual "old politics" on Thursday.

The former minister and London mayoral candidate claimed that Michael Howard's policy offensive failed to strike a chord with voters.

One shadow minister told the FT: "There's inevitably a slight scattergun aspect to it. The potential of summer offensives can be exaggerated.

"It's important in opposition to show that you're still alive but I don't think it's the time of year to make a really major advance in public opinion."