David Cameron yesterday made a decisive attempt to ditch his party's Thatcherite heritage by stating that his party was committed to "rolling forward the frontiers of society".

In his closing address to a Conservative conference that has seen a concerted attempt by the leadership to shelve its rightwing image, Mr Cameron said his party's traditional goal of "rolling back the state" could no longer be seen as "an end in itself". He said that putting individuals and businesses in charge of their own affairs was no longer the central task facing his party. Instead its "fundamental aim" was advancing society's frontiers in order to generate a greater sense of "social responsibility".