Hague: not too young

Hague - I'm Not Too Young to Lead

"Neither youth nor old age should be a bar to holding this position," he told reporters at a briefing at his London campaign headquarters. And he dismissed the idea that he could not command a shadow cabinet where most members would be older and more experienced.

"I've spent most of my career with people working for me who are a good deal older than me. When you have won an office on your own merits, you command respect. I've never found any difficulty in any part of my life to having people working for me who are older than me. If you are good enough to hold an office, you are the right age," he said.

Some 32 MPs, including himself, have publicly declared their support for Mr Hague with an extra 14 who have come out for him over the last six days. I'm going into the first ballot with a good deal of confidence, with a great deal of the party and the country behind me, with a growing body of support among MPs." And he insisted he was in a "strong position" for the second ballot.