Howard and Redwood Join Leadership Contest

The Euro-sceptic former Home Secretary became the fourth candidate to announce officially that he was standing for John Major's job. Another Euro-sceptic, John Redwood, announced earlier that he was standing, as are the former Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, and the former Social Security Secretary, Peter Lilley.

Mr Howard told a news conference in London: "My record shows I am not easily side-tracked. That I will stick to my Conservative principles no matter how tough the going gets, and that I will lead from the front."

His announcement followed the revelation that he'd fallen out with the former Welsh Secretary, William Hague, over their plans for the contest. Supporters of the former Home Secretary accused Mr Hague of reneging on a deal to campaign as Mr Howard's deputy.

They say Mr Hague was offered the position of Deputy leader of the Conservative Party and the post of Party Chairman, if he were to support Mr Howard in his leadership bid. Mr Hague has made clear he intends to do no such thing.

John Redwood opened his campaign with a promise to show humility for past mistakes and pride for present and future successes.

He called on the Conservatives to rebuild through local government, and to show that they understood the need for better schools and better hospitals.

And he said they should hold the new Labour government to account as it sought to define Britain's relationship with Europe.

Mr Redwood, who launched his campaign at a central London hotel, was surrounded by a number of Tory MPs, including John Wilkinson, Andrew Hunter, Marion Roe and David Wilshire.

Redwood promises to show humility

A 10-strong Parliamentary team is being drawn up to promote Mr Redwood's leadership bid.

"If we Conservatives learn from our defeat, if we listen to the electorate, if we never promise more than we can deliver, if we rebuild our party through local government then I believe we can earn the trust of the British people and go on to win the subsequent General Election," he said.

Mr Redwood said he believed the Conservatives had lost the election as far back as 1992 when Britain was forced to pull out of the Exchange Rate Mechanism which had caused so much damage across the country.

He said dreams had been shattered, people had lost jobs and businesses had gone bankrupt.

In Tuesday's Times newspaper, Mr Redwood declared that he is the only contender able to take on Tony Blair without having to defend the mistakes of the defeated Tory government.

The former Cabinet minister enters the contest claiming that he can unite the Conservatives and give it hope for the future.

The Times article

"I am the only Conservative likely to run in this leadership election who could face Tony Blair across the dispatch box and put down endless difficult questions about the 1992-97 government," he wrote.

Mr Redwood, who challenged John Major unsuccessfully in 1995, came under attack from the pro-European wing of the party even before he had announced his decision.

The former Europe minister, Tristan Garel-Jones, was asked on Radio 4's Today programme if Mr Redwood would be a disaster.

"Of course. I don't imagine for one minute that the Parliamentary party will take his candidature seriously if it comes forward," he replied.

The leadership election cannot go ahead until Tory MPs have elected a new executive of the 1922 committee, which organises the contest. The committee's chairman, Sir Marcus Fox, lost his seat last week.

Other likely leadership contenders are thought to include the former Health Secretary, Stephen Dorrell, and the former Education Secretary, Gillian Shephard.