David Cameron has signalled the start of a political fightback, vowing to show "fighting spirit" to "cut through the dither" holding Britain back.
In an article in the Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister hinted at a series of initiatives designed to breathe new life into the country's flagging economy.
These included bringing forward controversial measures to boost growth by relaxing planning rules.
And he warned that Britain could not afford the "paralysis" which causes new housing developments to be held up by local opposition and length planning inquiries.
He said: "A key part of recovery is building the houses our people need, but a familiar cry goes up - 'Yes, we want more housing; but no to every development - and not in my back yard'.
"The nations we're competing against don't stand for this kind of paralysis and neither must we.
"Frankly, I am frustrated by the hoops you have to jump through to get anything done - and I come back to Parliament more determined than ever to cut through the dither that holds this country back."
The GCSE marking controversy occurred during the summer Westminster recess His comments will raise fresh concerns that the Government wants to open up Green Belt land for development - a move that will prove highly controversial within the Coalition.
The Prime Minister also used his article to brush aside complaints by teachers over the fall in the latest GCSE results, promising further measures to reverse "dumbing down" in the classroom.
However Mr Cameron faced fresh sniping from within his own ranks, with backbencher Brian Binley publicly calling on him to axe George Osborne as Chancellor in the forthcoming Cabinet reshuffle.
Also writing in The Mail on Sunday, Mr Binley said Mr Osborne should be made Conservative Party chairman so he could concentrate on winning the general election and be replaced by Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, who had the "analytical strengths and broad commercial experience" to make a fine chancellor.
In his article, the PM defended the Government's economic strategy, saying it was on the "hard road to balancing Britain's books".
He added: "We've cut the deficit by a quarter already, and we are sticking to this course: rejecting the easy path; restoring sanity to our finances; keeping Britain safe."
