Hague and Parkinson: "Youth and experience"

Parkinson explains his appointment to the BBC Dur: 2'41"

Redwood comments on accepting his new post Dur: 2'51"

Hague Makes First Shadow Cabinet Appointments

Peter Lilley becomes Shadow Chancellor, Michael Howard Shadow Foreign Secretary, Stephen Dorrell Shadow Secretary for Education and Employment, and John Redwood Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary.

Sources said all four former leadership contenders had accepted the jobs they were offered by Mr Hague. The fifth contender, Kenneth Clarke, said on Thursday night he did not want to be in the Shadow Cabinet.

The appointment of John Redwood, as shadow secretary for trade and industry, and Stephen Dorrell as, shadow secretary for the environment, shows Mr Hague's desire to bring both the left and right of the Tory Party into his shadow cabinet.

The other main appointment, announced so far, is that of Lord Parkinson who has been appointed party chairman, a post he held from 1981 to 1983.

Back then he was credited with playing a key part in Margaret Thatcher's landslide election victory. He resigned following revelations that he had had an extra-marital affair.

The post of chairman is viewed as perhaps the second most important job in the party, as it will fall to him to galvanise the grassroots after their crushing general election defeat.

The unexpected appointment of a man who in Government was one of Baroness Thatcher's favourites signals the extent to which the new leader is guided by the former Prime Minister's legacy.

But Mr Hague has stressed that his Shadow Cabinet would include "all parts of the party".

"I am delighted to say that a very experienced politician has agreed to return to the front line for a couple of years in order to preside over the changes we need to make in the party," said Mr Hague, announcing the appointment of Lord Parkinson.

The BBC's Guto Harri looks back at the colourful career of Cecil Parkinson
4'10"

"He is going to be taking on this role to put the party into new fighting shape," he added. "I am looking forward immensely to working with him and I think he will combine the youth of the new leadership with the experience of politics for many years and bring great heart to the Conservative Party across the country."

"I am looking forward to the new challenge of reinvigorating and recreating a party at its grass roots," said Lord Parkinson.

Former deputy chairman and best selling novelist Lord Archer said Lord Parkinson's appointment was "inspired and outstanding". He added " I am sure that in the few years he intends to serve our party he will knock back into shape Conservative Central Office and the constituencies in the brilliant way he did when he was last chairman. I welcome it"

With right wing Euro-sceptics sensing they can now secure a firm hold on the party, the long-term question Mr Hague must grapple with is whether he can successfully bring on board those on the left.

Clarke: Heading for backbenches

The former chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, who was soundly beaten in the ballot of Tory MPs, has already said that he does not want to play a role in the new shadow cabinet.

Questions were also being raised at Westminster about the political future of John Redwood, Mr Clarke's temporary running mate.

Mr Hague was expected to offer Mr Redwood a job in his team, but it remains to be seen whether the rancour between the two during the leadership campaign will mean the now twice-failed leadership hopeful will accept.

Although Mr Hague is not expected to make an announcement until after the weekend, former Cabinet colleagues Gillian Shephard, Peter Lilley and Michael Howard look set to get major roles in the new opposition frontbench.

Mandelson: Tories facing wilderness years

Mandelson tells BBC Television why he "welcomes" Hague's victory Dur: 3'20"

Members of the campaign inner circle, such as MPs Nigel Evans and Alan Duncan, could get roles as shadow ministers.

For Labour, Peter Mandelson said Mr Hague's victory was good news for the Government. The Minister without Portfolio told BBC Television's Breakfast News that the Tories were now facing years in the wilderness.

He said the choice of Mr Hague would perpertuate the divisions within the Tory party.

"I think he represents a right-wing clique at the top of the party. After all every single constituency within the Conservative party backed Kenneth Clarke not William Hague," he said. "I think therefore he has an impossible task to bridge these divisions."

Mr Mandelson added that the choice of Mr Hague as Tory leader had spared Tony Blair from facing a "big-hitter" like Ken Clarke in the Commons.

"William Hague is half the man Ken Clarke is in every sense of the word," said Mr Mandelson.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the party had a "tremendous determination for unity."

The former Tory Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind urged Mr Hague to run an inclusive administration with room for the right, centre and left.

Malcolm Rifkind: Determination for unity

"I think there's a problem, in the sense that with Kenneth Clarke, Michael Heseltine and John Major all on the back benches, there's a very important tradition within the Conservative Party that won't have one of the big hitters sitting in the shadow cabinet," he said.

The outgoing party chairman Dr Brian Mawhinney said the Conservatives were "hungry to come together behind the new leader".

The task of uniting the party would be easier for Mr Hague and the next party chairman than it had been in the dying days of the last government, Dr Mawhinney said.

Mawhinney: Coming together behind leader

"He has one advantage that John Major didn't have; that is that for a short time, he's in opposition, and we in government with a very small majority had constraints that made it more difficult to do the sort of disciplining that both John and I might instinctively have wanted to do," he told the Today programme.

"So we now have an opportunity in opposition to put in place systems that will stand us in good stead when we get back in Government," stressed Mr Mawhinney.

Yesterday, Mr Hague cruised to victory, comfortably beating Mr Clarke by 92 votes to 70.

He is the Conservative Party's youngest leader since 24-year-old Pitt the Younger in 1783.

Mr Hague travels to Scotland on Friday night to underline his determination that there should be no "no-go zones" for his new brand of Conservatism. He'll meet a number of senior figures in the Scottish Party. and will be fulfilling a campaign pledge to go to Scotland on day one of his leadership. The First Ladies Club