The Conservatives are not "arrogant" to be planning for government, Francis Maude has said.
The shadow Cabinet Office minister told the party's conference in Birmingham that it was not presumptuous to make detailed preparations ahead of the next general election.
Tory leader David Cameron has previously warned his MPs to avoid "triumphalism".
And speaking on Wednesday morning, Maude said: "Some people have said 'isn't it arrogant to be planning for government when you haven't won the election? Isn't it presumptuous?'
"The answer is no, no and no. Real arrogance would be presuming we don't need to plan.
"Real presumption would mean thinking you could just swan into Whitehall and automatically know how to make a difference.
"Every day of the week of every month between now and the election, we're going to have to earn our way to electoral success."
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown had given no thought to planning before 1997 because they were so "desperate to win", Maude said, and this was a "criminal waste".
He went on: "At a time when people are striving to make ends meet, when the family budget is stretched almost to breaking point, we will insist that every pound of taxpayers' cash buys a full pound's worth of public service value."
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.