Redwood welcomes Clarke

Right Wingers Happy To Include Clarke

But both Peter Lilley and John Redwood have played down suggestions that their camps were in discussion with fellow contender Michael Howard's team over combining forces to ensure neither Mr Clarke nor centrist candidate William Hague won the top job.

The Sunday Times reported that Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher was calling for a pact between the three after the first ballot to ensure that one of them ultimately won, and that talks were ongoing.

Mr Lilley, interviewed on GMTV's Sunday programme, rejected the idea that any deals had been made with other candidates. "I am certainly not engaged in any such discussions. But I am certainly welcoming others who may have wanted to support someone else in the first ballot but want to shorten the process by coming straight to me," said Mr Lilley.

Mr Redwood told the BBC's Breakfast with Frost he never made predictions, but added: "We will have to look at this situation when we see the first round ballot results. I cannot prejudge what colleagues might say to me after the first ballot. At the moment I am concentrating on getting the best possible vote in the first ballot."

Formal nominations for the contest open on Thursday, and the first round of voting will be on the following Tuesday, June 10. The Rules guarantee that by the third round of voting there can only be two candidates left.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine, who ruled himself out of the leadership contest after suffering heart problems within days of the general election, today declared his backing for Mr Clarke in the Sunday Times.

Writing in the News of the World Mr Clarke said "Everything has changed. Our task now is to learn from our defeat and rebuild our party."

Mr Lilley rejected suggestions that his bid for the leadership could fail because he did not have enough charisma as a leader. "That is what they said about Mrs Thatcher when she was appointed," he said. He went on "Charisma comes from taking decisions, courageous decisions in government and that is how you get it. It is not some artificial stuff you spread on yourself, you get it by taking decisions."

Learning from Labour

Mr Redwood rejected the idea that the new party leader - who under current contest rules can only be elected by Tory MPs - should then submit himself for endorsement by the whole party membership. Contenders including Mr Hague and Mr Clarke have said they would be prepared to do that if new rules were brought in. Mr Redwood said he would stand under any constitutionally-approved system: "But I don't think we can go on having leadership elections. "We have to make up our mind and get on with the business of leading this party and providing very good opposition."