British voters face a stark choice between “competence” and “chaos” at the general election in May, David Cameron said as he put the economy at the heart of his New Year message.

Signalling a key Conservative theme in the election campaign, he claimed a Labour victory would send the country spiralling backwards and jeopardise the recovery.

Mr Cameron said the nation’s New Year resolution should be to “stick to the plan” pursued by the Government over the last four and a half years to guarantee future prosperity.

His comments came a day after Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, described 2015 as a “year of possibility” when the country could vote for a “recovery that reaches your kitchen table”.

In a video message, the Prime Minister said: “With this New Year comes new challenges. The global economy remains uncertain, and many countries continue to struggle.

“And against that backdrop, Britain has a choice: between the competence that has got us this far or the chaos of giving it up, going backwards and taking huge risks.

“So I say this should be our resolution: to stick to the plan, stay on course to prosperity, and keep doing the important, long-term work of securing a better future.

“2015 can promise to be a great year for our country – if we make the right choices together.”

Mr Cameron said two million new private sector jobs had been created since 2010, 24m workers had been given tax cuts, and tens of thousands of people had become home-owners through the Help To Buy scheme.

“None of this happened out of thin air. It’s because we put in place a long-term plan with some clear values at its heart,” he added.