Cameron rounds on Labour�s �debt crisis�.

Conservative leader David Cameron has launched a blistering attack on Labour's "debt crisis", claiming the government is saddling each new baby born in Britain with £17,000 of debt.

Opening the new year in Westminster as if it were the first shot of a general election campaign, Mr Cameron used a slick advertising poster launch to accuse the Prime Minister of getting it wrong on national debt and leaving it to future generations to pay for the massive borrowing the government is taking out to stabilise the economy.

In front of several hundred supporters, journalists and camera crews present for the poster campaign launch in the cavernous hall of the Royal Horticultural Society, Mr Cameron and shadow chancellor George Osborne hammered home the message that Labour has bust the bank and is "borrowing its way out of debt".

The poster, on a highly emotive theme, features a photograph of a newborn baby and the slogan: "Dad's nose, mum's eyes, Gordon Brown's debt - Labour debt crisis: Every child in Britain is born owing £17,000. They deserve better." It will be shown at 260 billboard sites across the country and backed by an online video campaign.

Later Mr Brown responded by saying that children would suffer under Conservative plans to curb government spending, setting a pattern for claim and counter-claim over the economy that will play itself out until election day.

Senior Conservatives have been nervy about being caught out by a snap election, so yesterday morning's operation deliberately bore the hallmarks of a party ready for a call to arms at any time.

As Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne performed their economic double-act for the audience, a giant digital counter was projected onto a side wall of the hall showing "Labour's debt crisis - live". The numeric display whizzed up through billions of pounds of debt at the rate of about £20,000 a second while Mr Cameron explained that with national debt set to top £1 trillion in several years' time the poster was an extremely powerful, important and responsible message.

"Labour are getting it wrong. It's easy for politicians to talk about tax rates and borrowing as if there was no tomorrow, but there is a tomorrow and it is going to be paid for by our children," said Mr Cameron who puts the chances of Mr Brown calling a general election this year at 50/50.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne reinforced the message that the Conservatives will carry into an election campaign: "Here are the hard facts about the grim future Labour offers: families are facing a bill of more than £2000 just to pay the interest on Labour's debt; our country will have to spend more on paying off the interest on debt than on almost anything else - more than on the police, more than on prisons, more than on schools."

Mr Brown used an extended radio interview to round on the Conservatives and to defend his record.

"What every other country in the world recognises, and what the Conservatives are failing to recognise, is that when markets fail and banks fail, the government has a duty by its people to step in and not cut public expenditure," the Prime Minister said.

He suggested that there was cynicism in the Tory poster campaign depicting a newborn baby.

"The Conservatives use the example of children. They would not raise child benefit for that child. We are raising child benefit. They would not invest in Sure Start to help children in their infant years. We are doing so."

He said the Tories did not support extending maternity leave and paternity leave and they did not support Labour's investment in nursery education.


Conservatives back in front
The Tories have regained their double-digit lead over Labour after Gordon Brown's credit crunch driven bounce stalled, according to the latest poll last night. Research by Populus for The Times put David Cameron's party up four points on 43%, while Labour dropped two points to 33%.

The boost will reassure Conservatives after the financial crisis saw the Prime Minister's ratings rally.

However, Mr Cameron and shadow chancellor George Osborne still trailed their counterparts, Mr Brown and Alistair Darling on who was trusted to deal with the downturn. The Labour team was backed by 38%, three points ahead.