LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron sought on Monday to answer critics who say his bid to win a May 7 election has lacked passion by ditching his usual polished image and suit jacket to deliver a 'pumped-up' speech on the economy.
Cameron's campaign to beat Labour Party leader Ed Miliband in Britain's closest election race since the 1970s has been tightly focused on trumpeting his party's economic credibility, but has so far failed to swing opinion polls in his favour.
That has drawn criticism that Cameron, an Eton-educated descendant of King William IV, has not convinced voters he has the passion to remain prime minister. Cameron himself has conceded that his often style portrays a "calm smoothness".
With 10 days to go until the vote, Cameron sought to address that perception at the launch of a manifesto for small businesses, which he opened by praising entrepreneurs who took risks by starting new firms.
"That really pumps me up," Cameron said, jogging onto a stage without a suit jacket and gesticulating energetically to a tightly gathered standing audience.
The event, and Cameron's delivery, was a marked contrast to previous carefully stage-managed campaign appearances.
"If I'm getting lively about it, it's because I feel bloody lively about it," Cameron said when asked by reporters if his demeanour was a response to criticism of his style.
The appearance came at the start of a week in which the Conservatives will look to use their superior poll ratings on economic credibility to win over swing voters by warning that Labour would kill off the country's economic recovery.
"Don't mistake this for an unimportant election. If you want risk, you want the excitement of risk, vote for the other guy, he's the risk. Some people think stability and security is boring. I don't," he said.
