Grand Tory plan: talk in English

Tory MPs have been told to drop long words and highflown rhetoric, and learn to "talk normally" to win over voters.

The latest advice to Conservative spokesmen and MPs is that they must appear as "ordinary" as possible. To win as much TV exposure as possible, they must learn to "repeat the basic messages endlessly" using soft tones and simple language, party strategists said at a meeting of all Tory backbenchers in advance of the party's relaunch next week.

Terms such as "reform systems" will be banned, and instead MPs must talk about waiting lists and police on the street.

One strategist said at the meeting yesterday: " Televisions sit in people's living rooms and they do not want to be subjected to the sort of rhetoric and hectoring that goes down well in parliament, in their own homes." But he denied there was any need to tone down plummy accents.

On Monday, Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith will launch a campaign focusing on public service reform.