Hague has stormed to victory

Hague pledges to lead a united, confident Tory Party

Hard words have been said but we start with a clean sheet

Hague Seizes Tory Crown

William Hague has been chosen by Conservative MPs to lead the embattled party into the next millennium. Mr Hague won 92 votes against 70 for Kenneth Clarke - a result, said one of his supporters, "beyond our wildest expectations". There was one abstention and one spoiled ballot.

Mr Hague emerged from the House of Commons to cheers and applause. "It is my job not only to lead the party but to heal its divisions," he declared. "I'm going to take it on the road to unity, to confidence, back to power."

Asked about his rival's future, Mr Hague said Mr Clarke would receive a senior position in the Shadow Cabinet.

Clarke: No to Shadow cabinet post

Clarke on why he has turned down a shadow cabinet post

But Mr Clarke, as he congratulated Mr Hague, turned down the offer. He said that he had spent 26 years on the front benches and would now continue on the back benches. "I am sure William is going to be one of the successful Prime Ministers of this century," he told reporters.

Major: Bows out

Major calls for the party to support Hague

Speaking to a gathering at Conservative Central Office, Mr Hague warned that he would impose firm discipline on the party. "If I have to, I will make myself unpopular for a time," he said. He was supported by John Major, who - perhaps alluding to his own experience as leader - said it was imperative for Tories to support Mr Hague in public even if they disagreed with him in private.

The 164 Tory MPs began lining up to vote early on Thursday morning in the third and final round of the ballot. Both Clarke and Hague supporters were confident that their chosen candidate would succeed John Major as leader.

Westminster: A hive of activity

BBC's John Seargent on the day's events Dur 2.54

The dramatic events of this week rendered prediction of the result virtually impossible. The astonishing decision of the rightwing Eurosceptic John Redwood to back the left-leaning Mr Clarke was still not enough to guarantee the former Chancellor victory. Some Clarke supporters believe that the alliance with Mr Redwood may have cost Mr Clarke twenty per cent of the vote.

At the age of only 36, Mr Hague - the youngest Tory leader since the 24 year-old Pitt the Younger in 1783 - has reached the summit of a political career which began twenty years ago with a speech to the Tory Party conference. His youthful tones impressed Margaret Thatcher, who gave a ringing endorsement of his candidature on Wednesday. On hearing of his victory, she remarked: "It's been a good day."

Mr Clarke had been given an early boost with the latest survey of Tory party chairmen, peers and Euro-MPs coming out once again for firmly for him.

The poll showed Mr Clarke was more popular than Mr Hague among every section of the party, and his lead over his rival among the constituency chairmen had widened significantly.

The Labour Party said that the result was a confirmation of the deep splits within the Tory party. Margaret Beckett, the President of the Board of Trade, said: "There are two Tory parties and Mr Hague doesn't know which one he's in. The divisions now run so deep that the idea that William Hague can put together a team defies credibility."

The Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown said that the Tories had opted for "internal strife". Disaffected Conservatives, he added, would find a "welcome home" in his party.

The Old and the New

Thatcher hails a clear result

Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs in the Commons cheered when they heard the result. Labour MP Colin Pickthall, who had been speaking in a debate on the Common Agricultural Policy, quipped: "Well, that is good news - for us."

For once, the Tories were able to end the day on a high note. Champagne was flowing at Mr Hague's victory party, and there were conratulations from Lady Thatcher.Cheers rang out when Mr Clarke arrived with some of his supporters.