Willetts pulls out of the race
David Willetts has withdrawn from the Conservative party leadership race and thrown his weight behind David Davis.
Although Mr Willetts had only five supporters, his decision to stand down has been viewed as clearing the decks for right-winger Mr Davis to assert a broad-based “One Nation” Toryism.
The Havant MP’s decision is also perceived as a major blow to the Ken Clarke camp.
Speculation is rife that the intelligent shadow trade and industry secretary will be made shadow chancellor under a Davis-led reign.
Mr Willetts said in a statement last night: “I believe that David Davis is the right man to lead the Conservative party. He has the experience and the authority to be an effective leader.
“He recognises the scale of the task ahead of us and he has the energy and determination to lead us to victory.
“[H]e has the empathy, understanding and gravitas to address the challenges facing Britain and the wider world.”
Meanwhile, Sir Malcolm Rifkind yesterday urged fellow Conservatives to embrace his brand of inclusive One Nation Toryism.
The shadow work and pensions secretary said the One Nation ideal had a deep, historical precedent with Disraeli and was politically expedient given the sizeable population of ethnic minorities in Britain.
He told a meeting of some 1,000 supporters in Westminster that the Tory party must shed its image of being preoccupied with “narrow, sectional interests” and assert “a broad, generous and truly national vision”.
Sir Malcolm said a party under his helmsmanship would work to bridge social divisions and rid the country of relative poverty.
“But the results have been, at best, patchy. Tax credits are an embarrassing scandal, means testing is rampant and the New Deal has not delivered,” he said.
“One Nation principles will require radical simplification and reform of the tax system, to take the poorest out of tax. It will mean harnessing the dynamic of free enterprise to create real jobs.”
