David Cameron insists he is not complacent about the party's prospects of forming the next government and will not sit back and wait for Labour to lose the next general election.

The Conservative leader was in Maidstone today together with senior colleagues for a blitz of visits across some of Kent's marginal constituencies and for a private "away day" to discuss policy initiatives with prospective candidates and council chiefs.

Interviewed during a visit to the Kent Messenger's offices in Middle Row on Tuesday, he said the party was "in a good place" but downplayed the suggestion that the outcome of the next general election was a foregone conclusion, despite riding high in opinion polls.

His cautious optimism came as his predecessor as leader, the Folkestone and Hythe MP Michael Howard, predicted the Conservatives would form the next government in the wake of its success at the Crewe and Nantwich by-election.

Mr Cameron, who visited the KM's Maidstone office, said: "I always say 'can' rather than 'will' win because I don't want to have any complacency.

"Crewe and Natwich was a very good result. But there is a difference between a by-election and a general election and I do not want us to think we can just glide to power on the back of a failing Labour government.

"I want us to really deserve to win by setting out the policies and ideas and the change of direction we want to make. So I always say we can win. In the end it is up to the voters."

He agreed Kent would be a key electoral battleground. In other comments, Mr Cameron re-iterated that a future Conservative government would not scrap Kent's grammar schools but that there would be no new selective schools.

Don't miss this Friday's Kent Messenger for the full exclusive interview with David Cameron