Labour's Shahid Malik, for example, said the remarks showed the Tories remained the "nasty party". "It doesn't matter what they tell you, they still are the nasty, racist, sexist, homophobic party they have been for many, many, many years," he said.
Mr Cameron would undoubtedly reject that image of his party, but he knows it has occasionally been the public perception. That is precisely why he has been expending so much of his energy on changing the party in a fundamental way to make it more inclusive, diverse and tolerant.