Cameron reaches out to black voters with 'Tories have changed' message

David Cameron reached out to black voters telling them that the Conservative Party had come "a long way" when it came to opening itself up to ethnic minorities.

At an event last night in Peckham, south-east London, the Tory leader spent more than an hour taking questions on a variety of issues affecting the local and wider community.

Among the pledges he made was an end to police using terrorism laws to search people not suspected of terror-related offences.

He also vowed to increase powers to prevent BNP members from becoming teachers.

"I think being a member of the BNP and being a teacher is completely incompatible," Mr Cameron said.

He added that headteachers should be given more rights when it came to hiring and firing staff.

"Any good headteacher would not have a member of the BNP within a hundred miles of a school. They should be able to fire someone for that reason," he said.

The comment received the loudest applause of the evening from the 200-plus strong audience.

Mr Cameron told those gathered at the Harris Academy he did not believe people voted on issues that only affected their own race.

"I generally believe in a one nation Conservative Party, a one nation Britain," he said.

But Mr Cameron added that "for a long time" there were reasons why black people would hold back from supporting the Conservative Party.

"Because they would say, 'okay you stand for one nation. But I don't see other people like me in your party'."

"If you look at black Britain today, the Conservative Party have come a long way," the Tory leader said.

He added that the Tories had taken a "huge step" forward.

One audience member noted that Mr Cameron had ventured into Harriet Harman's constituency in coming to the academy.

"No bulletproof vest," Mr Cameron quipped in reference to an occasion when the Labour deputy leader toured Peckham in body armour.

Questions from the floor varied from the NHS and carers to stop-and-search and immigration.

Mr Cameron, who disposed of his jacket early on but kept his tie in place throughout, received a warm reception for most of his answers during the hour-long exchange.

Only at the very end was a dissenting voice heard from the audience.

"You're no Tony Blair, mate," one man shouted.

"I'm glad I'm not," Mr Cameron retorted.