Foreign Secretary William Hague has said the Conservatives do not need to change course to win the next general election after losing supporters to the UK Independence Party.
The Tories retained 18 county councils but lost control of 10, with the loss of 336 seats. In comparison, UKIP made huge electoral gains - largely at the expense of the Conservatives, winning 147 seats.
Responding to his party's poor local election results, Mr Hague insisted UKIP voters were looking for a government "that does many of the things that we are now doing".
He said it was now up to the Government to get its "message across more forcefully" that ministers were doing everything they could to help hard-working people, cut immigration, cap the welfare bill and bring down the deficit.
Mr Hague told Sky News' Murnaghan programme: "It's not a matter of changing course but it is a matter of pointing out that it is a choice at the next general election between a Conservative Prime Minister and a Labour Prime Minister and we are doing our utmost to tackle the issues that people are concerned about in this country.
"A General Election is not an indulgence as a local election or by-election can be. It is a choice.
"Do you want a Conservative government that is going on to carry on its important work and hold a referendum on the European Union, or do you want a Labour government that would go back to all the things that went wrong under Gordon Brown?
Thursday's county council election results "We have to be clear that we will succeed in bringing down immigration, capping welfare, keeping down the cost of living for people, bringing down the deficit.
"These are part of our mission as a government - and we need to present that clearly to people over the next two years for the next general election."
He said while voters who supported UKIP should be treated with "respect", it was "fair game" to claim the eurosceptic party's spending commitments "did not add up", adding UKIP was currently the "popular vehicle" for the protest vote.
David Cameron is coming under increased pressure from senior Conservatives to hold a referendum on Europe before the next general election, with calls from Tory right-wingers for a "mandate referendum" as early as next spring.
Mr Hague said the Conservative Party was unable to offer a referendum before the next election because it was in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, but stressed Mr Cameron was prepared to look at ways to demonstrate its commitment to holding a referendum.
He said the Tory leadership had not ruled out asking MPs to vote on plans to hold a referendum, but added that it would probably be defeated because the Conservatives did not have a majority in the House of Commons.
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