BRITAIN: Conservative leader Michael Howard's attempt to change the way the party elects its leader was defeated yesterday when a plan to hand the decision back to its MPs failed to win enough support.
A party ballot to give the franchise exclusively back to Tory MPs failed to win the required two-thirds majority, a decision that may help Kenneth Clarke's chances of becoming the next Tory leader.
Mr Clarke has relatively little support in the parliamentary party and would not have won a ballot confined to its 198 MPs. One MP said: "It is good news for Clarke and neutral for David Davis."
The shadow home secretary, Mr Davis, is still seen as frontrunner.
In the ballot announced yesterday by the party chairman, Francis Maude, the three sections of the party - MPs, MEPs and peers, and local chairmen - voted in favour of the proposal to hand the decision to the parliamentary party, which was strongly recommended by Mr Howard.
But the party chairmen only voted 58.4 per cent to 41.5 per cent to give the vote to MPs. A two-thirds majority was required to trigger the change. Overall the three sections of the college in yesterday's ballot voted 61 per cent to 38.9 per cent in favour of the rule change.
The result means that the previous leadership election rules will be retained. MPs will put forward two candidates for a final ballot of the entire membership, estimated at 300,000. Mr Maude said he hoped the process can be completed by early December.
Mr Clarke responded to the result saying: "I will now start my campaign to give the members of the Conservative party a leader who can take them to government and win at the next election." He will launch a campaign for membership support today.
Yesterday's decision means that MPs may indulge in a sophisticated bout of tactical voting to keep particular candidates off the membership ballot.
It also ensures that next week's Tory conference in Blackpool will see frantic electioneering and leadership intrigue, leaving Mr Howard struggling to get the party focused outwards. The only opinion poll of party members conducted so far showed a surprisingly strong majority for Mr Clarke, despite his strong pro-European views.
Yesterday's result led Ladbrokes to cut Mr Clarke's odds. The former chancellor had been priced at 9-4 to inherit the crown from Mr Howard but is now 2-1. Mr Davis remains odds on. - (Guardian Service)