Cameron Distances Himself From UKIP Jibes

David Cameron has distanced himself from Tory ministers who have attacked the UK Independence Party in the run-up to this week's local elections.

The Prime Minister, who has previously called members of the eurosceptic party "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly", tried to move on from the war of words.

Pressed several times to discuss the electoral threat posed by Nigel Farage's fast-rising party, he insisted: "I'm not calling anybody anything."

But elsewhere Foreign Secretary William Hague echoed Ken Clarke, who called UKIP politicians "clowns" last weekend and claimed some of its supporters were racists.

Mr Hague told the BBC: "When you look at the financial commitments ... you can see why a former chancellor thinks they have a clown-like aspect."

Despite fears the Tories will haemorrhage voters to UKIP on Thursday, Mr Cameron attempted to focus attention on the battle with Labour instead.

"With a day to go, I think it is still important to talk about what the choice is at this election. And most people sitting at home face a choice either between the Conservatives running their local council or Labour," he told ITV's Daybreak.

"If Labour get in, as we've heard from Miliband over recent days, they believe in more spending, more borrowing, more of the things that got us into this mess.

"That's the same in the town hall as it is in government so I hope people will stick with the blue team who can deliver good services at low cost and keep your bills down."

Mr Cameron insisted he was making good progress in tackling "out of control" immigration - a key concern among UKIP voters.

He also vowed to show between now and 2015 that a Conservative-only government would be able to do more and also act more radically to turn Britain around.

His comments came as Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman confirmed the party would "review" universal pensioner benefits before the next election.

There was confusion earlier this week when leader Ed Miliband suggested the handouts would be looked at, only for the party to later stand by universal payments.

Benefits including free TV licences and winter fuel payments are worth hundreds of pounds a year to pensioners, but there is controversy about the rich receiving them as well.

Ms Harman has now said: "We stand by why we introduced it [universal pension benefits]. We will review it coming up to the next election."

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith suggested at the weekend that rich pensioners who do not need the handouts could pay the money back.

The Liberal Democrats have already said they would introduce means-tests for the benefits, but Mr Cameron has promised they will not be touched until 2016.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said on Wednesday that his father - a wealthy former banker - had not paid back the money he has received.

But he said: "My dad had a well-paid career and he and I think many other people said 'Well, hang on, I don't necessarily need this'."

The Lib Dem leader added that his party was still working out at what point pensioners would be unable to claim and hinted a clear plan would be in the party's 2015 manifesto.