Tory party brand debtors 'as tossers' » Central Government » 24dash.com

The Conservative Party have come under criticism for a web-based marketing campaign in which people in debt are "described as tossers".

Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Vince Cable said the new Tory campaign was an "insult" to hard working people and students.

His comments follow the launch of 'Sort-It' an initiative designed to encourage people to take responsibility for a series of issues including personal debt.

As part of the campaign, the Conservatives have launched a website - www.sort-it.co.uk - containing advice on how to plan, budget and manage your finances.

A Conservative spokesman said: "Personal debt is a significant problem in the UK and recent figures show that we have higher personal debt levels than any other Western European country.

"As well as proposing policies to address this issue we wanted to encourage British people to take control of their finances and not spend recklessly or beyond their means."

But a short film accompanying the website titled 'The Tosser Inside' has led to criticism from political rivals.

The film shows a young man overwhelmed by his 'inner tosser' into spending way beyond his means.

David Buonaguidi, creative director of Karmarama - the advertising agency that created the film, said: "Every Christmas we toss away millions of pounds on things we don't really want or need. We wanted to confront people with this behaviour and help them realise that this kind of spending just isn't very smart.

"The Tosser Inside is a wake-up call designed to appeal to an audience that usually screens out this sort of message."

But not everyone has taken kindly to the tactics used by the campaign.

The Liberal Democrat's Vince Cable said: "This new Conservative website is an insult to hard working people who through rising house prices and pressure on family budgets have no alternative but to borrow.

"It is also an attack on almost all British students who are being forced into debt by top-up and tuition fees, as well as living costs.

He added: "This is the kind of insensitive crass nonsense one might expect from a party led by rich young men, who have never had to balance a budget in their lives.

"To describe people in debt as tossers shows just how out of touch the Tory party really is."

Copyright Press Association 2006