Iain Martin, of the Wall Street Journal, criticised the party's manifesto, which had the words 'an invitation to join the government of Great Britain' embossed on its cover, saying it "must have sounded like a great idea when Oliver Letwin and Steve Hilton came up with it but I can not imagine it flying in marginal Conservative seats".

BBC: Why did the Tories not win the 2010 general election?