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Leading businessman backs Clarke for Tory leadershipA senior businessman has written to Tory MPs urging them to halt the drift towards Euroscepticism and the right. Sir Bryan Nicholson, former president of the Confederation of British Industry, says they should back Kenneth Clarke for the party leadership. "I believe that Kenneth Clarke offers us by far the best chance of assembling a winning majority of opinion. He has widespread personal appeal and real `bottom'" he said.He warns MPs that choosing a right-wing leader would damage the party's relations with the business community. He cautions the Tories against swinging to the right and abandoning the centre ground. Swing to right would damage business supportSir Bryan, a leading businessman, was president of the CBI from 1994-96, and is a life-long Tory. In his letter, he tells MPs: "I am writing because I am very concerned that the party risks making the same sort of wrong analysis and taking the same sort of wrong direction that Labour did after their 1979 defeat. It was dismaying to see over the last year or two the skilful way in which New Labour infiltrated, to some degree, the hearts and minds of a lot of business people, only possible, I believe, because of their perceived move to the centre ground and our perceived departure from it. Party divisions and particularly those over Europe were the subject of much discussion amongst small business people." he said.He continued "I believe another further swing to the right combined with an overly sceptical somewhat hostile attitude to the EU would do immense damage to the Conservative Party amongst its leading business supporters." Mr Clarke has run a low-profile campaign for the party leadership, avoiding the news conferences, public speeches and tours of the regions adopted by other candidates. The Clarke team believes it can leave candidates competing for the right-wing vote to battle it out between themselves. Meanwhile today, friends of Michael Heseltine confirmed reports that he is likely to back Mr Clarke. One said , "I am expecting him to back Kenneth Clarke. But he is waiting for the right moment." |
Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961-1997
Conference 97
Devolution
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