TORY leader Michael Howard last night labelled Tony Blair a "lame duck Prime Minister" as he insisted the next General Election was still up for grabs.

In a speech to party agents ahead of today's opening of the Conservative conference in Bournemouth, Mr Howard said: "I know we can do it."

The Tory leader pledged to unveil a Timetable for Action this week, with shadow ministers setting out "specific commitments for our first hour, day week and month in office".

And he said the first priority of an incoming Conservative government would be to cut crime, which "has spiralled out of control under Labour". Mr Howard said: "This week we have an ambitious task. We are going to be the first political party ever to make ourselves truly accountable to electors.

"By setting out a Timetable for Action - with specific commitments for our first hour, day, week and month in office - we will be putting ourselves on the line in a way no government ever has before.

"People will know what our commitments are - and they will know if we don't meet them. Where Labour is all talk, we will deliver action."

As well as crime, Mr Howard pledged to announce policies to give people a greater choice over healthcare and schools, to control immigration and give taxpayers value for money.

That will start today, when shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin will identify five "manifestly unfair" taxes the Tories will target for cuts.

But Mr Letwin will not make any firm pledges to reduce specific taxes until after next year's Budget, to avoid giving Labour easy targets to shoot down.

The five unfair taxes are: council tax, inheritance tax, stamp duty, income tax and national insurance thresholds and taxes on savings and pensions.

The Tories are not expected to pledge to cut income tax rates at the next election, but will instead promise help to those hit by the failure to raise thresholds in line with earnings.

Mr Letwin believes people "no one can define as rich" - such as deputy headteachers, senior nurses and police inspectors - are now paying tax at 40 per cent.

In his speech today, setting out the "moral case for low taxation", the shadow Chancellor will pledge "no more broken promises on tax".

He will say: "There have been too many promises on tax from too many politicians. When we were in office, we made promises on tax we could not keep.

"And everybody knows what happened when Tony Blair promised that he had no plans to increase taxes at all - and then raised taxes 66 times by stealth."

However, last week's Hartlepool by-election - in which the Tories finished a disastrous fourth - is expected to cast a long shadow over this week's conference.

Mr Howard is under strong pressure to shift to the right on Europe, asylum and immigration to fight off the new threat from the UK Independence Party.