David Davis will today seek to consolidate his frontrunner status in the Tory leadership contest by telling his party conference to stop apologising for its record and unite behind "timeless" right-wing principles that can sweep them back to power.
The battle burst into life on the Blackpool conference floor yesterday when Mr Davis's centre-left rivals, David Cameron and Kenneth Clarke, threw down the gauntlet and called on the Tories to recapture the centre ground from New Labour.
That leaves the shadow home secretary needing to make his own speech in the Blackpool political beauty contest the most important of his career when he attempts to prove he has the charisma and the intellectual weight to win decisively by the time MPs and activists have had their say on December 6th.
As the man with most to lose, Mr Davis (56) now finds himself under acute pressure. He has the support of nearly 70 MPs, almost enough to guarantee a place in the final round when activists will choose between the two leading candidates. Failure today to make a sufficient mark could start a landslide to his more polished rivals. His speech on the conference fringe on Monday won a lukewarm response.
Aides revealed last night three of the crucial points Mr Davis plans to make as he gently repudiates his rivals' centre-ground call. "Right-wing methods to achieve the goals of One Nation Toryism," was how insiders put it. "Let's stop apologising and get on with the job," Mr Davis will tell the conference after two days of being told how bad their plight is after eight years in opposition.
But, as Liam Fox, the only candidate trying to outflank Mr Davis on the right, raises the stakes, Mr Davis will seek to soften today's message by reminding the conference they must be a "party of power with a moral purpose".
Dr Fox, the shadow foreign secretary, will step up his bid to emerge the darling of activists and right-wing MPs who mistrust Mr Davis. The policies were right in 2005, but were not sold to voters; the country must change, not the party, he will say - after yesterday declaring a willingness to leave the EU if it does not change too.
Ken Clarke and David Cameron went head-to-head in their battle for the Tory leadership yesterday.
Speaking at the party's conference in Blackpool, Mr Clarke pitched an appeal to traditional Tory values, a contrast to Mr Cameron's pledge to "inspire a new generation" of Conservatives.
The oldest and youngest contenders for the party leadership made their appeals ahead of platform addresses by frontrunner David Davis and outsider Liam Fox tomorrow.
Former Chancellor Mr Clarke claimed he was the "bigger beast", best suited to take on Labour.
Mr Cameron told activists they must put failure and defeat behind them by embracing a modern, compassionate Conservatism.
The pair are effectively battling for the second place in the final membership battle along with the other candidates. Mr Davis is seen as a certainty to reach the final stage because he is so well supported by MPs.
Mr Clarke (65) made it clear low taxes would be at the heart of his agenda, setting a goal of reducing public expenditure to 40 per cent of GDP. However, winning power was about much more than just putting the economy back on track, he said.
"As Conservatives, we have a strong set of values in which we deeply believe: strong defence, low taxation, smarter and honest government, market economics, law and order, the family," he said.
Mr Cameron (38) repeated his call for activists to have the courage to change the party culture and identity to match voters aspirations. The shadow education secretary said people should "feel good about being Conservatives again".
Polls suggest activists are ready to back Mr Clarke this time but he will first have to make it through the knock-out ballots of MPs. Bookmakers currently make Mr Cameron his closest competitor for the second spot, with Dr Fox a close third.
However, that could change if deputy leader Michael Ancram uses his conference address to launch a leadership bid tomorrow. He is thought to be gauging his support before making a decision. - (Guardian Service; Additional reporting PA)