David Cameron today called on UK voters to put Britain "back on her feet" by electing a Conservative government next May.

In his leader’s speech at the close of the Conservative party conference Mr Cameron said the Tories would "move society forward" and "rebuild responsibility" in Britain.

In an at times deeply-personal address Mr Cameron accepted that an incoming Tory government would face a tough test, including "painful" cutbacks in public spending.

But he insisted there were "reasons to believe". "Yes it will be a steep climb," he said. "But the view from the summit will be worth it."

Mr Cameron’s voice briefly caught as he discussed the past year, which saw the death of his six-year-old son Ivan.

"When such a big part of your life suddenly ends nothing else – nothing outside – matters," he said. "It’s like the world has stopped turning and the clocks have stopped ticking. And as they slowly start again, weeks later, you ask yourself all over again: do I really want to do this? You think about what you really believe and what sustains you.

"I know what sustains me the most. She is sitting right there and I’m incredibly proud to call her my wife."

In a mission statement-like speech that saw Mr Cameron explain why he wanted to be prime minister, he linked his own family experiences to several commitments, notably to the NHS.

"My family owes so much to the National Health Service," he said. "No, it is not perfect. But I tell you, when you’re carrying a child in your arms to accident and emergency in the middle of the night and don’t have to reach for your wallet it’s a lot better than the alternative."

Mr Cameron made several announcements about the makeup of an eventual Tory government, confirming an elevation for outspoken former chief of the general staff General Sir Richard Dannatt to become a defence adviser, and former leader Iain Duncan Smith becoming "responsible in government for bringing together all our work to help mend the broken society".

The Tory leader, whose voice rarely rose above a normal level throughout and did not attempt to provoke a laugh from the audience once, began by praising the role of British troops in Afghanistan, pledging to deliver the equipment they need for the conflict.

A major theme of the speech was cutting back on Labour’s big government approach.

"Labour say that to solve the country’s problems, we need more government," he told delegates.

"Don’t they see? It is more government that got us into this mess," he added, linking an expansion of government to broken politics, economy and society.

On benefits he said: "In welfare, big government has failed people in a big way. There are two million children in Britain growing up in homes where no-one works. Two million.

"That is the highest in Europe. It is one in six children in our country. We have to break this cycle of welfare dependency."

The other major themes of the 56-minute speech were family, community and country, as well as the need to cut the public spending deficit created by Labour.

"Next year, Gordon Brown will spend more money on the interest on our debt than on schools," Mr Cameron said. "More than on law and order, more than on child poverty.

"So I say to the Labour party and the trades unions just tell me what is compassionate, what is progressive about spending more on debt interest than on helping the poorest children in our country?"

He pledged to re-establish the link between earnings and the state pension, abolished by Margaret Thatcher, and combat the high tax rates on the lowest earners.

On society Mr Cameron said: "Why aren’t we building homes with enough room for a family to sit round a table and actually eat a meal together?

"It’s about our culture. Why do so many magazines and websites and music videos make children insecure about the way they look or the experiences they haven’t even had?

"And it’s about our society. We give our children more and more rights, and we trust our teachers less and less. We’ve got to stop treating children like adults and adults like children."

Unveiling his vision of Britain under a Tory government, Mr Cameron concluded: "If you put in the effort to bring in a wage, you will be better off. If you save money your whole life, you’ll be rewarded. If you start your own business, we’ll be right behind you. If you want to raise a family, we’ll support you. If you’re frightened, we’ll protect you.If you risk your safety to stop a crime, we’ll stand by you. If you risk your life to fight for your country, we will honour you."

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