YOU could have easily predicted the Prime Minister’s guarded and bullish attitude yesterday in the wake of the Conservatives losing overall control of Oxfordshire County Council.

He mouthed the platitudes we would expect about listening to the electorate but it all sounded much like we have heard before.

He spoke about hard-working families, doing more on immigration and creating jobs. But how different is this from what he said in 2010?

By claiming Labour’s gains in Oxfordshire would not be enough to allow it to form a Government on its own rather ignores the good chance that we may well face another coalition administration next time around.

The issue of Oxfordshire’s result is not what it means for Labour but what it says about support for the Conservatives. And that is what he needs to address. We don’t say this because we are cheerleaders for the Tory party and want it to stay in power.

Our view is that he needs to listen and act not so he can safeguard future Conservative administrations, but because there is clearly a significant number of people who are turning away from this Government’s policies.

There are still two more years of this Parliament and the PM has to be attuned to changing moods.

Talking about jobs and immigration is fine but many people feel there has only been talk and no action.

The Tories should have had enough fat on the rump in Oxfordshire to get past the usual mid-Parliament reverses governing parties suffer.

The electorate has delivered its verdict and for the sake of this country, particularly with it so finely balanced on the economic knife-edge, Mr Cameron needs to fully listen.