Letwin backs Cameron leadership bid
Shadow environment secretary Oliver Letwin has insisted he will still support David Cameron’s leadership bid despite Kenneth Clarke’s decision to stand.
His comments come after the former chancellor confirmed in The Daily Mail that he would run for the leadership for the third time, ending months of speculation.
Mr Letwin said that while he had great admiration for Kenneth Clarke, he believed the more youthful David Cameron was the man to take the party forward to electoral victory.
“I believe that David Cameron has the makings of a great leader of the Conservative party,” Mr Letwin told Today, and “one who can reach out to millions of voters who haven’t voted for us in the recent past”.
Mr Letwin suggested Mr Cameron’s relative youth could be an advantage, pointing out that the party needed someone to be leader of the opposition for four years and then prime minister for another five years at least.
“I don’t think it is a question of whether Ken is too old: I think it is whether somebody else has the potential to develop into a great leader and one who can last a very long course,” he said.
And age has certainly become a factor in the leadership race, with Michael Howard standing down because he believes he would be too old to be prime minister next time around, and Michael Rifkind keen to stress his energy despite being 59.
Mr Letwin acknowledged that Ken Clarke was more well-known among the voting public, but he insisted that whoever was elected leader of the party would get huge exposure and publicity.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP for Wantage, Ed Vaizey David, has also backed Mr Cameron, saying he would create a “fresh start” for the Conservative party.
A vote on the rules for electing a Conservative leader will take place on September 27th. The controversy surrounds the issue of whether MPs or party members should have the final say in electing a leader.
Read profiles of the Tory leadership candidates.
