THE Prime Minister today told the Argus that his heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan .

A dressed-down David Cameron and chief scout Bear Grylls watched London teenagers take part in activities at the Gilwern Outdoor Education Centre near Abergavenny to promote the National Citizenship Scheme (NCS).

The Argus passed on calls for soldiers to come home to the prime minister from people like Hazel Hunt of Abergavenny. Her son Private Richard Hunt died after he was injured in an explosion near Musa Qala.

Asked why he wasn't listening to calls to bring troops home now, he said: "We're bringing combat troops home this year. We are bringing more home next year.

"I think it’s right to do it in a sensible fashion in the run up to the end of 2014 because we will be handing over to an increasingly capable Afghan army and police force.

"My heart goes out to all those families that have lost loved ones or have seen them seriously injured in this campaign.

"But the reason for being in Afghanistan is to stop it becoming a haven of terror."

Meanwhile Mr Cameron said local Tories had a difficult background to fight local elections in May.

The Argus asked Mr Cameron whether he would apologise to local Tories following the poor May election results, following Monmouth MP David Davies' apology to voters in a letter to the Argus.

Mr Cameron said: "Yes, they did have a difficult background to fight local elections in, partly because we're having to take difficult decisions to turn the economy around."

The prime minister said he pulled the plug on Lords reform because he wasn't prepared to see parliament bogged down "night after night week after week".

He didn't accept there was a link between House of Lords reform and plans to change parliamentary boundaries.

"The coalition has got a very serious purpose which is to turn this country around, particularly to turn the economy around. We've got to get our economy moving," he said.

Mr Cameron used the visit to back the National Citizenship Scheme which offers children in England a chance to build skills and take part in outdoor activities.

The Gilwern residental activity centre is welcoming 120 children on the NCS this year, but the scheme is not available to Welsh children and the UK government claims the Welsh Government has not taken up pilot funding.

Mr Cameron urged the Welsh Government to take up a pilot for the NCS: "It's a brilliant programme. I don't know why they don't want to have a look at it."

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We have no plans to introduce the National Citizenship Service in Wales. The Welsh Government has always recognised that volunteers have a key role in supporting their communities and has invested accordingly."