New poll puts Clarke ahead in leadership race
Kenneth Clarke has overtaken David Davis as the preferred choice of Conservative party members to replace Michael Howard as their leader.
A YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph found that 33 per cent of activists backed the former chancellor as the best man for the job, against 28 per cent for shadow home secretary Mr Davis, the previous favourite in the leadership race.
A similar poll in May put support for Mr Clarke at just ten per cent, compared to 35 per cent of members who then favoured Mr Davis.
Mr Davis, who says he will not formally announce his candidacy until Mr Howard officially steps down next month, denied suggestions that his restraint was allowing his main rival to power ahead of him following the launch of Mr Clarke’s high-profile bid for the leadership.
Commentators say the poll result will surprise many observers, who thought Mr Clarke’s hopes rested on the Conservatives accepting rule changes proposed by Mr Howard to give MPs, rather than activists, the final say in choosing his successor.
Unexpectedly, 63 per cent of party members questioned said they would prefer Conservative MPs to select their leader, against 31 per cent who wanted to retain the power for activists.
But the Telegraph claims the overall poll suggests that even if party members opt to retain the final vote, Mr Clarke, traditionally viewed with suspicion by activists because of his pro-Europe views, could still win the leadership battle.
The figures will make disappointing reading for other contenders in the race for the Tory crown.
Young hopeful David Cameron, the shadow education secretary, received the backing of just 17 per cent of members, while shadow foreign secretary Liam Fox was favoured by eight per cent of those questioned. Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind received just four per cent.
Welcoming the results, Mr Clarke told the Telegraph he was “really delighted at the growing support coming from across the party.”
“I intend in the coming months to build on that support and on the confidence the party has in me,” he added.
But the paper warns that although the poll results will make “worrying” reading for Mr Davis and his backers, they are “far from disastrous.”
Asked separately who they would support if there was a run-off between the two main leadership contenders, 48 per cent of Conservative members said they would support Mr Davis and 45 per cent Mr Clarke.
