Tories veer right in panic after poll collapse

The Conservatives were facing a backlash last night after David Cameron was forced to rethink key parts of the Queen's Speech.

Charities attacked the Prime Minister after he dropped measures including plans to enshrine overseas aid spending increases in law and reform social care.

Following the party's drubbing in the local elections, the leadership suffered protests from backbenchers that it had become sidetracked on issues that did not chime with their core voters. Despite earlier support from Mr Cameron, a planned overseas aid Bill appears to have fallen victim to the drive to focus the Queen's Speech on policies on jobs, crime and the family.

Jon Slater, of Oxfam, said: "Enshrining the UK's promise to the poorest people on the planet would prevent aid becoming the victim of future political fashion." Bernard Aryeetey, of Save the Children, said: "A Bill should ... not take up a large amount of parliamentary time."