DAVID CAMERON vowed the Tories were ready to win back the North yesterday as he told Gordon Brown: "Go ahead and call that election."

In a passionate end to his conference speech, the Conservative leader directly challenged the Prime Minister to call a snap poll, only days before Mr Brown makes that very decision.

To roars from delegates in Blackpool, Mr Cameron said: "Mr Brown, what's it going to be? You go ahead and call that election.

"Let the people pass judgement on ten years of broken promises, let people decide who's really making the arguments about the future of our country.

"Let people decide who can make the changes that we need in our country.

"Call that election. We will fight - Britain will win."

Earlier, Mr Cameron said that Conservative success would extend to the North of England, pointing to by-election successes in Labour's heartlands.

And he said: "We are back in the North of England, a force to be reckoned with in every part of the country."

Mr Cameron threw away his notes to speak, entirely from memory, for 68 minutes - a stark contrast, his aides said, to the Prime Minister's over-scripted, stuffy delivery.

At the start, he joked: "It might be a bit messy."

In fact, the Tory leader did not stumble once, although - until the end - it was a speech that lacked passion.

While Mr Brown last week avoided mentioning the Conservatives once, Mr Cameron accused the Prime Minister of "treating people like fools" by making promises he could not deliver.

EU laws stood in the way of "British jobs for British workers", he said, and the Human Rights Act would block the Prime Minister's vow to deport gun and knife criminals.

Mr Cameron said: "I have to say to the Prime Minister, if you treat people like fools, you don't deserve to run the country, let alone win an election."

The Tory leader said his party now had the policies to rebuild public services by scrapping targets dragging down the NHS and by allowing the private and voluntary sectors to set up schools.

In an unusually honest appraisal, Mr Cameron - behind in the polls - recognised that many voters were asking: "Are you really up for it? Have you got what it takes?".

Insisting the answer was yes, he had a dig at Mr Brown's references to his modest background, saying: "I can't give you some hard luck story. I am a son of a magistrate and a stockbroker."

In comments to his wife, Samantha, after his speech, picked up by the microphone, Mr Cameron said: "I love you babe. Ahh, I'm knackered."

Ed Miliband, the Cabinet Office Minister, said: "This is the same old Tory Party making billions of pounds of tax and spending commitments they cannot pay for."