‘Compelling vision’ needed for Conservatives

The Conservatives need more than a new leader in order to get back into government, the party chairman has warned.

Speaking at the opening day of the Conservative party conference in Blackpool, Francis Maude said: “We need much more than a new leader. We need to show that we know and understand and can reflect today’s Britain. We need to offer a compelling vision of tomorrow’s Britain that inspires the young who are Britain’s future.

“We’ve succeeded in the past because those who went before had the courage and the vision to embrace change, to confront the world as it is, and to resolve to make it better.”

The main focus of the Conservatives’ annual conference will be who will replace Michael Howard as party leader. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Liam Fox, David Cameron, David Davis and Kenneth Clarke have all announced their intention to run for party leadership.

However, newspaper polls on Monday suggested the leadership race might be a two-horse race, between Shadow Home Secretary David Davis and former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind was the first of the declared leadership contenders to speak at the Blackpool conference and he appealed for a return to ‘One Nation Conservatism’.

The Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions told the Conference that the Labour party was “deteriorating” and criticised the Cabinet as “political pygmies” who imitated Conservative ideas and values.

He said: “We need to have confidence in our beliefs. I believe our basic beliefs and values remain sound. I joined the party because I saw it as a unique combination of patriotism and principle and, through these, being able to provide liberty, equality and opportunity and improvements to the condition of the people.

“That is our challenge. Maybe we do have a mountain to climb, but let’s set our sights high.”

Mr Clarke used a fringe meeting at Monday lunchtime to tell party members that fears that he would take the UK into the single European currency were “paranoid”.

Shadow Culture and Family Secretary Theresa May also stressed the need for reform during her conference speech. She said that the Conservatives needed to win back the respect and support of the British electorate by being “less opportunistic, scrupulously honest and painfully reasonable”.

Mrs May said that the party needed to show that it was a party that was “comfortable with Britain as it is today”. She said: “We have to show we are a party representative of men and women, of every age, race and religion; a party as at home in the cities as it is in the country; a party as confident about the future as it is about the past. And we must reflect that, not just in our words, but in our attitudes.”

(KMcA/SP)