Edward Leigh: "complete reform" of Tory Party

Nominations Close For 1922 Committee

The elections will take place on Wednesday, against the background of growing disarray among the Tories. Those elected to the committee will oversee the contest between the five candidates for the leadership of the party.

Contenders for the chairman's post include Sir Archie Hamilton, the former Armed Forces Minister, and Edward Leigh, a leading Tory Eurosceptic. Other candidates expected to stand include John MacGregor, a former Cabinet Minister, and Sir Geoffrey Johnson-Smith, one of the committee's vice-chairmen.

The election will be dominated by the issue of reforming the party. Currently, only MPs may vote for the leader; however, since the election, constituency parties have been demanding a greater voice in the selection process. Moreover, two of the leadership candidates, Stephen Dorrell and William Hague, have urged reform of the party's institutions in order to make it more representative.

Hamilton: too late for change

In a letter to his colleagues in the House of Commons, Mr Leigh argued that there was a need to "fly the flag for complete reform and modernisation of the party."

Sir Archie, meanwhile, has said that it is now too late to change the rules of the leadership election.

But he added: "I feel whoever wins should subject himself to the vote of the members of the party who attend a specially convened conference."

John Redwood, another leadership contender who challenged John Major in 1995, urged the party to decide "quickly" on the method of electing the leader. He said there were just two alternatives: retaining the present system or introducing One Member, One Vote (OMOV) in addition to the votes of Tory MPs.