Davis: New rules will be defeated
Tory leadership hopeful David Davis believes new plans on how to elect a leader of the party will be defeated when members vote on them later this month.
The shadow home secretary, who is currently heading the race to succeed Michael Howard, has avoided becoming embroiled in the debate about future leadership rules on the basis that “you don’t meddle with the referee just before you go on the pitch”.
But speaking this morning, Mr Davis suggested he would not be unhappy if current proposals – that would take the final vote on a leader away from grassroots members and give it to MPs – were defeated.
His comments come after a poll by the Sunday Telegraph yesterday found 44 per cent of constituency chairmen were intending to vote against the new proposals on September 27th.
“I don’t have a strong view either way, from the point of view of my own interests. I think this new proposal to do away with the rights of the membership is going to be turned down,” Mr Davis told Today.
“I don’t think that is a bad thing. It would have been much easier to say to the party and the country, why don’t we reverse the order so you have the first hit and MPs have the last say?”
His shadow cabinet colleague, Liam Fox, who has now formally announced he will be contesting the leadership, is more openly against the proposed rule change and has called for a system of electoral colleges to choose the Conservative party leader.
This could take a similar form to that used in the Labour party, where leadership candidates must secure a majority of votes in each of three electoral colleges: the trade unions, individual party members, and the parliamentary Labour party.
“A confident, outward looking party doesn’t restrict its franchise and I think our members ought to be given a real say in the decision, albeit with the members of parliament having the majority vote,” Mr Fox told BBC Radio Five Live.
“You have to balance the interests of the members of parliament, who do know the candidates better, and the people out in the country who give their support and their money and they should have their views taken into account.”
Speaking at the weekend, Tory leader Michael Howard urged the party’s national convention to back the new rules – which he proposed – saying it was vital that the parliamentary party be united behind their leader.
The proposed rule changes are designed to avoid a situation where a leader is elected with the backing of the grassroots members but without the support of MPs, as in the case of Iain Duncan Smith.
“It’s often said that being leader of the opposition is the toughest job in politics,” Mr Howard said.
“Anyone who’s going to do this job in future needs to know from the outset that he or she commands the clear support of the MPs – that he or she can rely on a united, disciplined team – just as I was able to.”
