Clarke: End wrangling over Europe

Clarke appeals to leadership rivals

Tory Leadership Rivals Argue over Europe

Kenneth Clarke's campaign manager warned the former Chancellor's two rivals that, if victorious, they should not seek to exclude people from their front bench teams on the basis of their views on Europe.

David Curry said Mr Clarke had made clear he would include people from all strands of Tory opinion in his shadow cabinet if he won, to ensure the unity that was vital to the party's success.

Mr Clarke, attending a local gymkhana, had a message for his rivals.

"William Hague said he would never say never (on the single currency), then he started debating how many decades it might be before we were in, and now he's saying not while he is leader," he said.

"My advice to William, and to John Redwood as well, is: let us address this and get a common view on Europe after we've got the leadership elections at the same time as we get a common view on other important issues," continued Mr Clarke.

In an article in Sunday's Observer newspaper, Mr Clarke stressed his desire to unify the party and to broaden its appeal.

He said that if elected, his overall approach would be to "place the highest possible emphasis on unity on all issues".

The party must seek a way through the ideological battles that had "cost the party dear" and unite around the area of "maximum agreement", he wrote. "My shadow team will be a very wide one, representing all strands of Conservative thinking."

But William Hague, the former Welsh Secretary, declared that if he won, he would expect everyone in his Shadow Cabinet to play by the team rules.

Mr Hague insisted that he would not soften his opposition to a single currency to accomodate pro-European Tories.

Hague: No compromise over EMU

Hague: Unity through strong leadership

His comments were interpreted as a sign that he will take a tougher Eurosceptic approach and that there might not be a place on his front bench for Mr Clarke.

"I will be starting from the presumption that all the other leadership candidates should be included in the Shadow Cabinet," said Mr Hague. "But I'm not going to include people at any price."

"I'm not going to include people for us to carry on in the same old way. I'm going to say: this is going to be a team that works as a team and sticks together and people must acknowledge at the beginning what the rules of the team are," he insisted.

"Unity is achieved by advocating a clear position and a clear message, not by trying to accommodate the view of every single person in the party. History teaches us that when the leaders establishes a clear position, people unite successfully," continued Mr Hague.

The other Euro-sceptic leadership challenger, John Redwood said that he would like Mr Clarke in his Shadow Cabinet, but with the proviso that the leadership election would have settled the issue of Europe.

Redwood: Need to settle Europe issue

Redwood: Clear position on Europe

"I am quite sure that if we were to choose a leader who wasn't clear on this issue, the war would go on, and far from being ready to take on Labour and then win the election, we would carry on rowing amongst ourselves," insisted Mr Redwood.

"The Conservative Party is more united on all the non-European issues than I can ever remember it," he said.

Asked if he would want Mr Clarke in his Shadow Cabinet, Mr Redwood said: "I would like him to join me, but one point is very crucial: the issue of Europe. I want this leadership election to settle the issue of Europe."

"We will only be happy on the single currency when we say exactly the same about it as we have been saying about the Social Chapter: we don't want it. Then I think we will put an end to the civil strife," continued Mr Redwood.

"Anyone in the shadow team would have to accept that the leadership election had solved that problem," he added.

Earlier, Mr Curry told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Ken is saying it is idiotic to say that everyone has to have an identical view on Europe. That cannot be achieved."

He insisted Mr Clarke had not discussed whether he would serve in a Hague shadow cabinet, but added: "Ken has made absolutely clear that if he is leader he wants a team around him drawn from all sections of the party, an inclusive team. There would be absolutely no ideological test on Europe."

"What does concern us is the apparent intention of Mr Hague to exclude from his shadow cabinet anyone whose views on Europe or the single currency are different to his," said Mr Curry.

"That would be a terribly divisive way to address the party. It would be the opposite of uniting it. Ken wants to unite it," he insisted.

All three contenders were striving this weekend to secure the votes of those who backed Michael Howard and Peter Lilley last week before they dropped out of the contest and said they would back Mr Hague.

The second round ballot takes place at Westminster on Tuesday. If it produces no decisive result, there will be a third ballot, on Thursday.