Divisions Among Tories As They Consider Future

There were strong signs that John Major would stay on for at least a while to give his party a chance to pull itself together.

As potential leadership challengers including Michael Portillo and Malcolm Rifkind lost their seats, the names of those remaining came into the frame.

John Redwood, the leading Euro-sceptic who challenged Mr Major two years ago for the leadership, hung onto his seat, as did Michael Howard, Kenneth Clarke and Michael Heseltine.

However, the message from senior Tories was that the party now needed to undertake a period of cool, calm reflection on its future - while also turning itself "instantly" into an effective opposition.

Mr Major himself seemed to signal that mood, when, at his Huntingdon constituency count where he conceded Mr Blair's victory, he said: "We will listen to the voice of the electorate. We will consider what has been said to us.

But even as the results were coming in, the divisions within the Conservatives started to show. The Tory Reform Group, which is on the left of the party, released a document blaming the right's "rank treachery" for the electoral massacre.

It said that the right-wing had "run a vile campaign of hatred against John Major and his administration". The document also blamed some newspapers for assisting the campaign.

Those Tory ministers who retained their positions have called for a period of calm and reflective recuperation. They have all studiously avoided any discussion of an ensuing leadership competition.

Dorrell: Urging calm

Earlier, however, the Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, had highlighted divisions in the party as a key element in the defeat. "Party divisions will have to be reflected upon," he told the BBC. "But it takes many people to make a division, and the important thing to remember is that parties do better when they're not divided.

"The last thing we need is recriminations or people jumping to conclusions. We need to pause and not work things out within moments."

The Health minister, Stephen Dorrell, said: "The language of the Tory Reform Group is .. unhelpful", and along with other ministers, he urged calm reflection of the election results.

Michael Heseltine

"Lots of questions to be asked."

The Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine, said his party may have to go through a process of internal analysis. "If the polls are right and we have actually lost then there have to be a lot of questions asked and a lot of answers provided."

The Former Tory Party Chairman, Lord Tebbit, told Sky News "I think it began to go wrong at the time of the debacle over the exchange rate mechanism."

He criticised the way the Tory campaign had been run. "I think that the campaign had a lack of focus and a lack of clarity about the message. There was an insufficiently tough effort in pinning Labour down when they've been telling falsehoods."

Ken Clarke: "Time for reflection."

The Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke - criticised by some members of his own party for causing divisions over Europe - was unhappy with the way the campaign had gone.

"I would have liked to see a lot more on the economy, a lot less on Europe, a lot less on sleaze, and it may have been different. I hope we are about to engage on a period of constructive opposition."

William Hague, the young Welsh Secretary who was at one time the bookmakers' favourite to become the next Conservative leader, has come out in diplomatic support of Mr Major. "I've been campaigning for weeks around the country, saying he should be Prime Minister of this country, and I don't regret a word of it."

He said the party needed to move on. "Clearly the appearance of division hasn't helped. There is no point apportioning blame around the party. We have to have a period of cool and calm reflection."

The Home Secretary, Michael Howard, resisted a suggestion that he might put himself up for the position of leader. "I will support John Major for as long as he is leader of the Party," he said "There is no competition for leadership."

A former minister, Alan Clark - a historian of the Conservative Party - said a period of calm was essential. "We need to keep our profile down for perhaps a year or so, and sort out any divisions."

The former Health Minister, Edwina Currie, who has been openly critical of the Tory campaign, said the Conservative Party should look to the future. "My preference is we should get the leadership contest under way as soon as this election is out of the way."

On the BBC's election programme, she said Mr Major should not 'hang about' .. "I know some of my pro-European colleagues feel he should stay until October or November, for the sake of party unity, but I think that would be a disaster, and a tragedy for the man."

She even expressed a preference for the next leader of her party. "I hope we have someone who is wisely and sensibly pro-European and can carry the nation forward."

One veteran Conservative is blaming the Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, for "the poor Conservative general election campaign". Nicholas Winterton, who held onto his seat in Macclesfield, said Kenneth Clarke had alienated voters by not clearly stating that the UK would not enter a single currency. "He will be remembered, even reviled in history for his actions," Mr Winterton said.

Malcolm Rifkind jumped to Mr Clarke's defence. "I know Ken Clarke very well," he said. "He is a man of great integrity and honesty. He speaks his mind and that has to be admired."