The Conservatives say they are "firing the starting gun" for May's general election after launching their first campaign poster.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the alternatives offered by the other parties would be "disastrous".
But shadow chancellor Ed Balls accused the Tories of having an "extreme and ideological" approach to spending cuts.
And former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit said the party would struggle to win a majority unless UKIP "implodes".
With just over four months to go before polling day, BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said there would be plenty more campaign posters and newspaper articles in the weeks to come, with many focusing on the "central battleground" of the economy.
The new Conservative poster - with the slogan Let's Stay on the Road to a Stronger Economy - shows a road stretching out through countryside, and will appear on billboards across the country.
BBC News - General election 'starting gun fired' as Conservatives launch campaign poster
Obviously the Tories live in a dreamworld since the road doesn't reflect reality, there are no potholes, no roadworks and no speed taxation camera's for one thing
Prime Minister David Cameron said the alternatives offered by the other parties would be "disastrous".
But shadow chancellor Ed Balls accused the Tories of having an "extreme and ideological" approach to spending cuts.
And former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit said the party would struggle to win a majority unless UKIP "implodes".
With just over four months to go before polling day, BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said there would be plenty more campaign posters and newspaper articles in the weeks to come, with many focusing on the "central battleground" of the economy.
The new Conservative poster - with the slogan Let's Stay on the Road to a Stronger Economy - shows a road stretching out through countryside, and will appear on billboards across the country.
BBC News - General election 'starting gun fired' as Conservatives launch campaign poster
Obviously the Tories live in a dreamworld since the road doesn't reflect reality, there are no potholes, no roadworks and no speed taxation camera's for one thing


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