Calls for Howard to go early
A number of Conservative figures have suggested that Michael Howard may have to go as leader sooner rather than later.
Mr Howard announced his decision to step down as leader after his general election defeat. However, he said he would not go immediately but would wait until after the autumn party conference.
In the meantime, he is trying to oversee changes to the Conservative Party constitution that would see MPs given greater control over choosing their leader as well as drawing up a statement of principles and rules for parliamentary candidates.
But, mutterings have begun that a number of figures in the Conservative Party would now prefer Mr Howard to go before the summer.
Speaking earlier, ex-party chairman Lord Tebbit said that a new leader should be in place before the party conference.
Lord Tebbit told Today that he was concerned about plans to reform the constitution, and said local parties should be given more autonomy.
He added: “It requires fairly swift action to elect the new leader and then a period in which the new leader listens very carefully to what is said both by his colleagues in the House of Commons and the people in the grass roots.
“If you treat the grass roots as badly as they are being treated at the moment you may find that you have got a very good party at Westminster for a while but no supporters or activists in the country.”
Lord Tebbit argued that the new leader should be elected by the autumn session of parliament.
“Then he could come to the party conference as the new leader with the authority of having been recently elected, having listened to what everybody said and with the proposals to reform the constitution of the party.”
Former frontbencher Quentin Davies also put his head above the parapet to say that having six months of “paralysis” made no sense.
Another ex-frontbencher Damian Green also suggested that Mr Howard’s authority was “ebbing away”.
Mr Howard was quick though to scotch suggestions he might step down early, telling the BBC that he would stick to his original timetable to see out modernisations of the party.
The signatures of 30 Tory MPs could trigger a leadership election, but there is as yet no suggestion that these are being collected.
