The people of Croydon will decide who sits at No. 10 Downing Street according to David Cameron during a trip to the borough to back Gavin Barwell.

The Prime Minister was at The Fairfield Halls this morning to deliver a speech promising that a return to office for the Conservatives would see an increase in opportunities for those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds (BME).

Speaking before his scheduled press conference Mr Cameron, sat beside Mr Barwell, who was elected MP in Croydon Central in 2010, spoke of the importance of his re-election.

He said: "This is the type of seat that will see the result of the election decided. This will determine the outcome of the election. It will be very difficult for us to form a government without Central Croydon."

Mr Cameron also backed the Croydon Guardian's campaign to bring East Croydon and West Croydon stations within zone four.

He said: "Gavin has been making a very strong case, talking to the major (Boris Johnson), Transport for London. The regeneration it would help drive would help make up for the loss in ticket prices."

He pointed to Mr Barwell's record in bringing about Lillian's Law - a change in how offenders caught driving under the influence of drugs are prosecuted, and securing £21m for Croydon University Hospital as evidence of his success in pushing through change.

He said: "Gavin Barwell gets things done."

Later speaking in front of a packed room of press, Conservative party members, and representatives from the BME community in Croydon, Mr Cameron pointed to successes achieved since 2010 in promoting opportunity for those from a BME background but promised more as part of a "20/20 vision".

Key promises included: 1. Repeating the achievement of creating 2 million jobs in the next five years, with 20 per cent going to BME - equating to 660,000 more people from those backgrounds in employment by 2020.

2. Creating 3 million apprenticeships, with 20 per cent held by BME - 300,000. This he said would be financed by a reduction in the benefit cap from £26,000 to £22,000.

3. More BME students going to university. Mr Cameron claimed last year more people from a BME background attended university than ever before, but hoped to increase that number by a further 20 per cent - 19,000 more BME students by 2020.

4. Through the creation of start up loans he said the Conservatives have encouraged entrepreneurial spirit. He said by 2020 he wanted 20,000 more people from BME backgrounds applying for these loans to set up their businesses.

5. More diversity within the police and armed forces. At present only 4.5 per cent of the armed forces are BME, and 13 per cent of the police. He promised to increase this number to 20 per cent by 2020.

Finally, he promised that the Tories themselves would look to have at least 20 per cent of their candidates from BME backgrounds standing in 2020 in constituencies where the party stood a strong chance of retaining a seat.

He added that during this election the Conservatives will have more people from BME backgrounds standing than any other party.

There was a moment of confusion when during his speech about how people of Britain can have multiple identities, Northern Irish and Hindu; Welsh, Muslim and British, he stated he supported West Ham FC, only to later have to admit that in fact he is an Aston Villa fan.

Rallying he referred to voting for the Liberal Democrats as like Forest Gump - you never know what you are going to get - and warned that a vote for Labour would be for a coalition with the SNP that threatened to undo the "good work" achieved by his government over the past five years.