Conservative Party leader David Cameron has launched his party's general election manifesto with an invitation to the British people to join them in government.
The 130-page document highlights a series of policies that the Conservatives say will enable people to take greater control of their own lives.
It follows Labour's manifesto launch yesterday when Gordon Brown issued a similar-sounding promise to 'put people in charge'.
Mr Cameron formally unveiled his plans - entitled Invitation to Join the Government of Britain - at Battersea Power Station in south London this morning.
Key commitments in the Conservative programme include enabling public sector workers to take ownership of the services they deliver through the formation of co-operatives.
There will also be a promise of power for constituents to sack their MP if they are found to have committed serious wrongdoing.
In his foreword to the manifesto, Mr Cameron stresses that the problems facing Britain can only be resolved if the country 'pulls together'.
'Real change comes not from government alone. Real change comes when the people are inspired and mobilised, when millions of us are fired up to play a part in the nation's future,' he said.
'Yes this is ambitious. Yes it is optimistic. But in the end all the acts of Parliament, all the new measures, all the new policy initiatives, are just politicians' words without you and your involvement.
'Only together can we can get rid of this government and, eventually, its debt. Only together can we get the economy moving. Only together can we protect the NHS. Improve our schools. Mend our broken society.'
The Tories have also promised to promote Britain's national interest in the world by deepening alliances beyond Europe and the US.
A 'new special relationship' would be formed with India and there would be 'closer engagement' with China.
The Tories say they will eliminate the bulk of Britain's structural deficit over the lifetime of a parliament - a maximum of five years.
Details of the cuts in public spending needed to do that would be laid out in an emergency budget shortly after taking office and they have promised the headline rate of corporation tax would be cut.
There are also pledges that the Tories would never take Britain into the euro, voters would be able to kick out MPs guilty of serious wrongdoing and the House of Commons would get a chance to vote to repeal the ban on fox hunting.
Conservative Pary officials are keen to emphasise that the manifesto is a substantial piece of work - a point underlined by the choice of a plain blue, hardback cover.
Officials are said to have been working on the document for the past four-and-a-half years.
