David Cameron has insisted that he is pursuing "a winning strategy" amid growing criticism of his leadership among the rank and file of the Conservative Party.

He has been slammed by former ally, Ali Miraj for using gimmickry and being "obsessed with PR" while former party chairman Lord Saatchi demanded that the leader find "an expression of true Conservative ideology".

Mr Cameron has also had to contend with the so-called 'Brown bounce', the new Prime Minster's honeymoon period of popularity which, according to the latest opinion polls, looks to show no sign of waning.

And Mr Cameron's decision to visit Rwanda during the flooding in his constituency seems to have disappointed voters.

In a message to dissatisfied Tories, he said the party was not going to cling on to the past and the "small number" of rebels have to recognise that things have changed.

"The party has changed, we've learned the lessons from defeat, we know our job is to try and serve the British public and give them a choice at the next election," he insisted.

"They have got to recognise that that's the future and we are not going to cling on to the past," added Mr Cameron.

A Populus poll for The Times put Labour on 39 per cent (up two points on a similar poll last month), the Conservatives on 33 per cent (down one) and the Liberal Democrats on 15 per cent (down three).

The CommunicateResearch survey for The Independent put Labour on 37 per cent (up five points on a similar poll last month), the Conservatives on 34 per cent (down three) and the Liberal Democrats on 16 per cent (down two).