William Hague has insisted the Conservatives can win the general election, promising to "fight for every last vote".

The party has completed its manifesto and is prepared for battle, he said.

If Tony Blair chooses to go to the country next week we will be ready for him

William Hague

The Tory leader delivered his rallying call before an audience of campaign staff at party headquarters.

And he told them their work would "soon be rewarded with the election of a Conservative government".

"If Tony Blair chooses to go to the country next week, and all the signs are that he will, we will be ready for him".

'More inclusive'

Mr Hague said the party had come "a long way" since its defeat in 1997, becoming more democratic and inclusive.

Party workers told: 'A Tory government soon'

And in spite of polls suggesting Labour could be about to repeat its landslide win, Mr Hague said a Tory victory was possible.

He pointed to successes in the 1999 European elections and local polls, saying: "Every party that has been ahead in local elections has gone on to win the subsequent general election".

There were also "millions of undecided voters out there" who could be persuaded to vote Tory, he insisted.

Signalling that the party would be focusing on the government's "miserable failure" to keep its promises, Mr Hague pledged to use the campaign to "shine a light on the lies and distortions that have become the hallmark of this Labour government".

Hague: There are 'millions of undecided voters'

On Wednesday the party unveiled a new billboard poster campaign depicting a pregnant Tony Blair with the caption: "Four years of Labour and he still hasn't delivered".

Declaring the Tory manifesto was "the most radical and far-reaching document of its kind for a generation," Mr Hague promised to cut taxes and keep the pound.

'Betrayal'

He also pledged to "fix our broken asylum system, speed up applications and end the abuse so that we become a safe haven not a soft touch."

British people felt a sense of "deep disappointment and betrayal" with the government, he said.