DAVID CAMERON will today revive plans for tax breaks to reward marriage to try to calm Conservative anger over child benefit cuts for 1.2 million better-off families.

In his close-of-conference speech, the Prime Minister will offer up one of the Tory faithful’s most cherished measures, hinting it could compensate families losing out under the child benefit curbs.

That would involve handing the tax cut to higher-rate taxpayers, a move ruled out in the Conservatives’ General Election manifesto.

Last night, an aide to Mr Cameron said: “We have not closed the door to that.”

The move is certain to trigger accusations that Mr Cameron has panicked after being startled by the backlash over child benefit and will also open up a dangerous divide in the coalition.

The Liberal Democrats have ridiculed the idea of rewarding marriage – and believed it would be quietly dropped.

Furthermore, experts have warned a transferable tax allowance generous enough to persuade couples to marry would cost about £5bn – far more than the £1bn to be saved in child benefit.

Nevertheless, in his speech in Birmingham today, Mr Cameron will pledge to “recognise marriage in the tax system”, as part of a package designed to create “strong families”.

At the same time, he will hint at further benefit cuts for the poorest in the looming spending review, suggesting they need “chances, not cheques” to be lifted out of poverty.

Mr Cameron was forced into a round of interviews yesterday, amid Labour accusations that the child benefit cut was “unravelling”

within hours of being announced.

Anger focused on the realisation that a single higherrate taxpayer earning more than £43,875 a year would lose out yet families with two basic-rate taxpayers and a joint income as high as £87,000 would be untouched.