BRITAIN: David Cameron and David Davis today embark on a six-week head-to-head to determine the future direction of the Conservative Party after a ballot that gave further momentum to the campaign of the young challenger.
Last night Tory MPs narrowly voted to reject Liam Fox's bid to elbow his way into the finals of the fourth Tory leadership contest in eight years, leaving Mr Cameron the clear frontrunner.
But though Mr Cameron surged ahead with 90 votes to Mr Davis's 57 and 51 for Dr Fox - compared with 56, 62 and 42 respectively two days earlier - his victory was less than the 100-vote clear majority some supporters had predicted.
Last night Mr Cameron finally addressed the speculation about past drug use during an interview on Channel 4 News. The 39-year-old said "lawmakers cannot be lawbreakers", and when quizzed about whether he had ever snorted cocaine as an MP, he said: "No." Asked again to clarify if he had ever taken the drug as an MP, Mr Cameron said: "I have absolutely answered your question . . . I have just said no."
Mr Davis has promised a vigorous contest and his aides quickly proclaimed him the "comeback kid" for seeing off Dr Fox and suffering only five defections. Earlier, Mr Cameron greeted his win with a display of well-groomed modesty that is becoming his trademark style. "I'm looking forward to taking my message right round the country," he said. "It's going to be a lot of hard work, but I am very excited by it. I want to be a voice for change, for optimism and for hope." But his allies know he runs the real risk that an unguarded remark or exposure that he lacks weighty policy prescriptions could burst the bubble that has lifted him since his dramatic speech to the Tory conference in Blackpool.
Mr Davis is now the underdog and denies giving any thought to throwing in the towel to save his party time and money. "There's a long time to go in this contest yet, still another six weeks. I intend to fight for my beliefs," he said. He will start at his old university - Warwick - today. Mr Cameron will go on tour and do a webcast.
Riding a surge of support among MPs, party activists and the wider electorate, Mr Cameron last night confirmed his status as the odds-on favourite to succeed Michael Howard when the votes of 300,000 grassroots party members are counted on December 6th. In the interval there will be 11 party hustings across Britain.
He has been an MP for four years but has been almost untried in serious adversity. His election would be a big gamble for a party desperate to rediscover a winning streak after three election thrashings by Labour.
Mr Cameron said: "I want a party that looks to the future, a party that is a 21st-century party and is modern and compassionate and understands the aspirations and hopes and dreams of the people." Mr Davis (56) made similar noises last night, while stressing his own credentials as a Yorkshire MP who could help his party win back support in Scotland and the north. Mr Cameron is a privileged child of the home counties.