The drive to modernise the Conservative Party gathered pace last night, with calls for a new era of tolerance towards homosexuals and single-parent families. In what is still a high-risk strategy, Mr William Hague put his support behind a call from the former cabinet minister Mr Michael Portillo for the party to rebuild and resell itself on the foundations of "aspiration, opportunity, duty and compassion".
Mr Hague himself led the way with a call for greater tolerance in a letter to the gay Tory organisation Torche, which was published in yesterday's issue of the Pink paper.
Last night, in a lecture to the Centre for Policy Studies, Mr Portillo said: "Old taboos have given way to less judgmental attitudes to the span of human relationships."
The Tory Party, he said, was conservative and not given to political correctness. But he went on: "Still, the party never rejects the world that is."
Mr Portillo - for many Tories the lost leader - said it was extremely important for the party "to deal with the world as it now is". And that must apply "to our attitude to the personal relationships that people choose to enter".
Entering an area "where we got ourselves into some bad scrapes while in office", Mr Portillo told his audience: "The Conservative Party has always voiced unreserved support for the family. We believe that children are best brought up in stable family relationships with two parents. But we admire those many people who are doing an excellent job raising children on their own."
He continued: "For good or ill, many people nowadays do not marry and yet head stable families with children. For a younger generation in particular, old taboos have given way to less judgmental attitudes to the span of human relationships. There remain many people to whom the new norms seem all wrong. The Tory Party is conservative. Still, the party never rejects the world that is. Tolerance is a part of the Tory tradition."
Mr Portillo said: "I believe the Conservative Party in its quiet way is as capable as any other of comprehending the diversity of human nature. That must go hand in hand with policies that reinforce the responsibilities every parent has for his or her children. That is an area of proper concern for politicians representing the legitimate interests of our society."
On MPs' conduct, Mr Portillo said Mr Hague was right "to make a clear distinction between misconduct of a financial nature, or some other betrayal of public trust, and problems in personal life, such as marital breakdown."
A betrayal of public trust should lead to resignation, he said: "But private problems and indiscretions should not normally lead to the end of a person's career. A sense of proportion is, it seems, returning, as we see from the way that recent problems have been dealt with. You may think less highly of someone who exhibits weakness in his private life. You may choose not to support or reelect him. But we should not require people to be driven from office in such circumstances."
On the reasons for the Tories' election defeat, Mr Portillo said the party should address charges of arrogance and sleaze head-on. The party had been associated with the most disagreeable messages and thoughts. "Much of that linkage was unjustified. But since it is what people thought - what people still think - it must be appreciated as a deeply felt distaste, rather than momentary irritation."
PA adds: Baroness Thatcher yesterday launched an astonishing attack on British Airways' decision to drop the Union Flag from its aircraft logo. Lady Thatcher and her husband, Denis, stopped at the BA stand at the Blackpool conference hall and told the official there: "We fly the British flag, not these awful things you are putting on tails."
Taking a handkerchief from her handbag, she said it was "absolutely terrible" before tying it around the tail of a model plane to obscure one of the new logos.
Her husband said: "For Christ's sake, why can't we have British designs?"