David Cameron is being forced to govern with "one hand tied behind his back" by the Liberal Democrats, a Tory MP claimed as he defended the "Alternative Queen's speech" set of proposals by some of the party's backbenchers.
Peter Bone, a prominent critic of the coalition, insisted the measures were designed to help the Prime Minister and could woo traditional Tory voters who had shifted their support to the UK Independence Party.
Proposals put forward in a range of bills being pushed by Bone and his colleagues include legislation which could ban the burka, the reintroduction of the death penalty and a plan to rename the August bank holiday in honour of Margaret Thatcher.
The private members' bills, which have the potential to embarrass Cameron but stand no chance of becoming law, were a "modern reforming agenda," Bone told BBC1's Sunday Politics.
He insisted they were "very helpful" to the Prime Minister as they illustrated what a Conservative government might be able to do.
"We are putting forward Conservative policies," he said. "One of the problems we have at the moment is we have a coalition Government, poor old David Cameron is governing with one hand tied behind his back.
"Some of these ideas, like coming out of the European Convention on Human Rights and having a British Bill of Rights, is obviously something that was in the manifesto and we want to press on with it."
Bone said he was frustrated in trying to push one aspect of his political agenda: "I did try and get in a paving bill to annul the coalition but I was ruled out of order."
He claimed the Alternative Queen's Speech proposals would mean "Ukip voters will then come back and vote Conservative".