Hague attacks PM's 'empty promises'

William Hague said people were fed up with Labour

Conservative Party leader William Hague sought to make the most of a rocky week for Prime Minister Tony Blair with an attack on the government's "empty" policies on health, tax and crime.

Speaking at the Welsh Tory Party conference in Llandudno, Mr Hague accused Mr Blair of "drowning in a sea of spin, waffle and broken promises".

The government's attempts to be tough on crime, cut hospital waiting lists and reduce class sizes had failed to work in Wales, he said.

He imposed his personal choice of Ron Davies. Blair trait number one - the tendency to appoint useless subordinates

Tory leader William Hague

"The British people know who has been in power for the past three years and who to blame for failing to deliver," said Mr Hague.

"They know that Tony Blair enjoyed every political advantage when he walked into Number 10 three years ago and now they slow clap and heckle him, as he squanders these advantages day by day.

"There is only one man to blame, himself. He is the most out of touch, arrogant, opportunistic, remote prime minister we have ever had."

Tony Blair: Heckled by WI members

The attack comes at the end of a week which saw Mr Blair humiliated when a heavily trailed keynote speech to a Women's Institute conference in London was met with jeering and heckling from the audience.

The aftermath of the speech's disastrous reception saw Downing Street and the WI bickering over whether Mr Blair had been asked to address the conference or had simply invited himself.

He was also accused of ignoring advice from the WI to stick to a non-political speech.

Losing the plot

Mr Hague criticised the "control freakery" of Number 10 over the issue of devolution in Wales.

"You have seen first hand over the choice of first secretary just how much this prime minister has lost the plot.

"First, he imposed his personal choice of Ron Davies. Blair trait number one - the tendency to appoint useless subordinates."

Mr Hague then attacked the subsequent appointment of Alun Michael as Welsh secretary and his election as first secretary, claiming Mr Michael "lacked any support" in Wales.

Earlier, the Conservative leader had warned the prime minister that his reception from the WI had shown how out of touch he was with the people of Britain.

Mr Hague said the incident proved that people "really are now fed up with the endless talk of the government".

Tony Blair has not delivered on the most basic promises that he made to the people of Britain

William Hague

Mr Hague said Mr Blair had to learn a lesson from the hostile response to his WI speech.

The Tory leader said: "I just hope that he began to realise yesterday how fed up they are.

"He showed no sign when he came to the House of Commons a few hours later of understanding why it had happened to him," he said.

Speaking to BBC Wales about devolution before the conference, Mr Hague said: "I recognise the logic of devolution and we have to make it work.

"Whatever we thought about it in the past, we owe it to the people of Wales."

Mr Hague said disagreements between the Tories in Wales and Westminster over policy matters, such as education, would be allowed.

This was in contrast, he said, to the attitude of the "control freaks at Number 10" in their approach to devolution.