Rapidly-rising Government debt means every baby born in Britain starts life owing £17,000, Tory leader David Cameron said today as he launched a new publicity campaign.

His claim came as the Opposition unveiled a hard-hitting new poster designed to highlight what it calls Labour's "debt crisis".

The poster, which will be shown at 260 billboard sites across the country, features a photograph of a baby and the slogan: "Dad's nose, mum's eyes, Gordon Brown's debt - Labour debt crisis: Every child in Britain is born owing £17,000. They deserve better."

Mr Cameron said that with national debt set to top £1 trillion in several years' time, the interest payment alone amounted to more than was spent on educating the nation's children.

He said of the campaign: "I think it is an extremely powerful, important and responsible message that we are quite right to get across...

"Labour are getting it wrong. It's easy for politicians to talk about tax rates and borrowing as if there was no tomorrow, but there is a tomorrow and it is going to be paid for by our children.

"And every child born today is entering the world with £17,000 of Labour debt hanging over them."