UK's Cameron says tough spending cuts will pay off

* Cameron promises bright future after painful cuts

* Cameron warns of inflation risk from printing money

By Adrian Croft and Matt Falloon

MANCHESTER, England, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Opposition leader David Cameron, tipped in polls to be Britain's next prime minister, promised voters a brighter future with more control over their lives on Thursday but said they must first endure the pain of sharp cuts in public spending.

Cameron said that unless quick action was taken to stem a record government deficit, Britain risked prolonging the recession and that British authorities needed to stop printing money to avoid igniting inflation.

Cameron, who turns 43 on Friday, gave a confident performance in a speech to his party conference seen as crucial to establishing his credentials to govern Britain if his Conservative Party is, as expected, to win an election due by next June.

With his centre-right party consistently ahead of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party in the polls, he was careful to avoid the pitfall of looking triumphalist.

He pledged to shrink "big government" he said was to blame for many of Britain's problems under Labour, including a budget deficit forecast to hit 175 billion pounds ($281 billion) this year.

Some surveys suggest many voters are leaning towards the Conservatives because they are fed up with Labour after 12 years in power rather than because they back Conservative policies.

A Sky News/YouGov poll issued before the speech said the Conservatives' lead over Labour had shrunk to 9 points from 14. The Conservatives have taken a gamble by telling voters this week they would freeze pay for millions of public sector workers and cut 23 billion pounds in spending if elected.

"If we win this election, it is going to be tough. There will have to be cutbacks in public spending, and that will be painful," Cameron told the conference hall.

He promised a "steep climb" ahead, but said "the view from the summit will be worth it".

DEBT OPTIONS

He said there were three options for Britain's debt -- defaulting, encouraging inflation or quickly paying it down, which he said was the only credible option.

"The longer we wait, the greater the risk to the recovery. The longer we wait, the higher the chance we return to recession," he said.

Cameron said printing money -- a reference to the Bank of England's 175 billion pound asset buying programme which is aimed at stimulating the economy -- risked fuelling inflation if it continued much longer. [ID:nL8222498]

"Some time soon that will have to stop," he said.

Cameron painted his vision of a country where "you choose the most important things in life -- the school your child goes to and the healthcare you get. I see a country where communities govern themselves...a great handing back of power to people."

Liam Byrne, Labour's chief secretary to the Treasury, said Cameron's speech "concealed the judgement calls he has consistently got wrong and the real threat of what he would do."

Cameron tried to show he understood the problems of ordinary people, playing down his privileged background which included attending the elite Eton private school and Oxford University.

He opened up his personal life to voters, revealing he questioned his political career after his disabled son Ivan died in February.

David Lea, western Europe analyst with consultancy Control Risks, said the Conservatives had not "sealed the deal" with voters.

"I think they are still very distrusted by the public on a number of issues. But they remain in pole position because the Labour Party is simply so unpopular," he said.