Intelligence

Cameron: have the Tories chosen well?

By Philip Webster and Rosemary Bennett
THE Conservatives yesterday staked their future on David Cameron, the most inexperienced person to become leader of a British political party since William Pitt the Younger.

Mr Cameron, at 39, faces Tony Blair across the dispatch box at Question Time today after becoming the 26th leader of the Conservative Party. He scored a decisive victory over David Davis, beating the Shadow Home Secretary by more than two to one, gathering 134,446 votes to 64,398.

And, in a swift illustration of his determination to reclaim the centre ground for the Conservatives, he broke with the legacy of Thatcherism, declaring that there was such a thing as society, and promised a new style of politics that would mean the Tories backing the Government if they thought it was right for the country.

He told his party to stop grumbling and to accept modern Britain as it was.

With the authority of his massive victory behind him, Mr Cameron prepared to lay down the law to MPs, saying that he wanted an end to “Punch and Judy politics — the name-calling, backbiting, point scoring and finger pointing.”

His first test of that approach will come today when he becomes the fifth Tory leader to face Mr Blair. Last night he was in deep consultation with aides, debating whether to use today’s appearance to reflect a more consensual attitude or to attack Mr Blair over the Pre-Budget Report and Europe.

This afternoon he will travel to East London to deliver a speech in which he is expected to promise that, under the Tories, the voluntary sector would take over the current role of the public sector in tackling family breakdown, poor school standards, crime and rundown public spaces.

His “social action” plans have been chosen for his first policy announcement to show that the Tories are about to enter previous “no-go” territories. His next statement, on Friday, will be about the environment, a similarly unfashionable subject for the Conservatives in the past.

Mr Cameron will revealthe most senior members of his Shadow Cabinet today. George Osborne will be confirmed as the Shadow Chancellor. William Hague is expected to be Shadow Foreign Secretary and, The Times understands, Mr Davis is to remain in his post of Shadow Home Secretary.

Mr Cameron’s biggest personnel headache last night was the job for Liam Fox, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, who came third in the leadership race. Dr Fox could become the deputy leader, combining the role with another senior port-folio, such as defence.

There will also be senior roles for Oliver Letwin, Ther- esa May and Caroline Spelman. Mr Cameron may also give jobs to others who backed Mr Davis including David Willetts, Andrew MacKay, Julie Kirkbride and Andrew Mitchell. Edward Llewellyn is to become his chief of staff.

In a victory speech at the Royal Academy, Mr Cameron recalled saying as the campaign began that the party had to change. “Now that I’ve won, we will change. We will change the way we look. Nine out of ten Conservative MPs, like me, are white men.” He would change the “scandalous” under-representation of women.

He added: “We need to change the way we feel. No more grumbling about modern Britain. I love this country as it is, not as it was, and I believe our best days lie ahead.”

He showed he was ready to confront party critics who have opposed his decision to support the Government on occasions. “I want and I will lead a Conservative Party that, when the Government does the right thing, will work with them and, when they do the wrong thing, will call them to account.”

Mr Davis said that the election had shown the party as “democratic, intelligent, civilised, thoughtful and mature. A party of principles, a party of ideas. In short, a party fit for government.” He hailed Mr Cameron as “the next Conservative Prime Minister”.

More than 300,000 news- letters carrying Mr Cameron’s message of change were handed out at railway stations last night. Volunteers were pressing them into commuters’ hands in Leeds, Birmingham, Solihull, Bristol, Swindon, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Guildford as well as London.

Debate, reader comments and forum -- Times Online, The Times

David Cameron has emerged as the clear winner in the Tory Party leadership contest, beating David Davis by a margin of two to one. In his victory speech he promised a 'modern, compassionate Conservative Party'. But as the fourth leader in eight years, what makes him so different from the rest? Can he bring victory to the Conservatives in the next election? Read the article and e-mail your views using the form below. Your replies will be posted here
Here we go again; a new Tory leader, backed by a posse of earnest young public school 30-somethings, is going to introduce a more caring compassionate conservatism. Michael Portillo, in my humble opinion the only heavyweight in the party under 60, had a really radical plan for the future and was spurned. Let us see how long it takes for the reactionaries to try to destabilise another leader. I do think the Tories have a chance, but Cameron must understand that images and slick rhetoric will not get him into Downing Street. Michael Rigby, Blackburn

I voted for Davis (his policies were better defined and more in line with my beliefs). I don't know if Cameron is any better than the rest - only time will tell. I presume that what was said and the way it was said at the party conference will be mostly forgotten four years down the road. Let us hope we do not end up wondering why we voted for him. Actually, I believe it makes little difference who has been elected, not because I think the Tories are unelectable, rather the reverse. I believe Labour are entering that phase themselves. No party has ever reversed such a downward trend as Labour have been on (since they were first elected in 1997, actually) and I doubt very much that the appointment of Gordon Brown as leader will either, despite what people say. So their 35 per cent at the last election could easily be reduced to 30 per cent. In fact, their main task will be one of damage limitation. Hard to believe? Who would have thought four years ago that Cameron would now be leader of the Conservatives? Steven Roberts, Goffs Oak, Waltham Cross

I fervently hope that the new Conservative Government in waiting will use business experts and put into action all the things that Britain needs. Huge swathes of useless jobs need to be done away with to reduce the huge tax burden now placed on it by Gordon Brown. The first item that should be looked at is discipline. In the schools, give teachers the right to discipline unruly pupils. Discipline must be restored to our society and quickly. Mr Cameron, you are the means to restore our society and we are going to depend on you. Please make actions louder than words. John Buchan, Brisbane, Australia

Although I am proud to say that I backed David Davis from the very start to the protracted finish, I cannot fail but be carried along with this wave of optimism that David Cameron has injected into the party. I think Michael Howard is well and truly vindicated for his timing in standing down as Leader and for giving his successor a very prominent platform from which to take the Conservative message out to the country. As a Conservative, my fingers are crossed that we can sustain this momentum and build on it to secure a consistent Conservative lead in the opinion polls over Labour, be that Blair or Brown. I will admit to being slightly apprehensive that Cameron will not be as “pure” a conservative as David Davis or Liam Fox, but his overwhelming win gives him the leeway to lead the way he wants to with a strong mandate. Troublemakers will find little support. Cameron has won the right to lead the Party his way; I just hope that he uses his appeal better to promote Conservative principles and does not feel the need to disown true conservative policies. John Jenkins, Llanelli

I believe that the Tories have chosen well. David Cameron is articulate, intelligent and young; at last, Britain may expect effective opposition. Without a strong opposition a nation loses balance. The alternative voice and opinion is vital to an effective democracy. David Cameron provides the new blood needed to reinvigorate the Tories. His comments relating to society reveal a commitment to rebuild a compassionate community with the discipline to strive for excellence, motivated by a desire for an independent approach to both internal and external affairs. Rosemary Redston, Moorooduc, Australia

I wanted David Cameron to win, because as a younger person perhaps he would be more in touch with the realities of living today. And being younger he will also have the capacity to learn. Now I am waiting to see what he is going to do. Is the Conservative Party going to condemn us to another Labour victory? I want to know what they will do for me, as a middle-class, middle-Englander. Sarah Marquis, London

As a Tory, I am delighted with the election of David Cameron as party leader. His relative lack of experience means that he truly is able to offer "a breath of fresh air" and bring a new approach to not only the Conservative Party, but British politics overall. Under his leadership, I look forward to Conservative victory in the next general election. Dominic Graham de Montrose, London

I do not think that David Cameron is a good choice as a Tory leader. I feel that he is not a man who can free the country from its many years of dull tyranny. The Conservative Party needs a leader to rival the propaganda machine of the Labour Party; I do not think that he is the man to do this. Christopher Ward, Spilsby

David Cameron seems a nice enough chap, but whether he can bring the Tories electoral victory is doubtful. Like nearly every politician nowadays, his strong suit is not outstanding intelligence or special competence but public relations. In these circumstances, what does it matter which party one votes for or who leads it? Quintin McCutcheon, Aberdeen

The problem with the Tories in the recent past is that they have forgotten the need to be loyal not only to the Party, but to their elected leader. No one person can succeed as leader without the support of a strong team behind them. Let us hope that this young man can command the respect that he will need to bring his party back as a strong opposition. Bernard Parke, Guildford

I believe that the next three months will be the crucial testing phase for Cameron's leadership. It will strongly indicate the success or failure of the 2010 general election for three simple reasons: 1. Labour will try to tarnish the image of a new leader as they did with the previous Tory leadership. 2. Cameron is not the only young leader. Don't forget, William Hague was also young and much better at debate than Cameron but couldn't deliver. 3. The real test for Cameron will be reinventing the Tory party for today's Britain and re-thinking the pragmatic policies which will be focused towards the needs of electorate. Let's wait and see. Imran Khan, London

There is one good thing about the election of David Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party at this time; he has at least five, probably ten, years to learn how to shave and blow his nose before there is any chance that the British public - no doubt in a fit of despair after so many years of New Labour - consider him as a Prime Minister. Thank God for that! Tom Edwards, Bromley

So, the Tories are now to be led by a Guardian columnist with a sexist "positive discrimination" agenda. Not that the "libertarian" David Davis would have been any different in practice to the self-confessed "liberal" Cameron. The Tories have now joined New Labour and the Lib Dems in rendering themselves largely irrelevant to the concerns of the democratic majority in Britain. Terry Daly, London

Finally! The Tories have balls. They are no longer banking on Labour messing up to get into power (this would have been necessary if Davis were leading the party), and have injected the Conservatives with the youthful forward-looking vitality it needed. No Punch and Judy politics would be wonderful, David, a wise lesson from the he-said she-said debacle of the last election. Meaningful non-reactionary and feasible policies are what the party needs. This is the time for the Conservatives to change their tune dramatically, and capitalise on the current infighting of the Labour Party, and Blair's gross failure to represent the British as head of the EU. Good luck Mr Cameron. Richard Sarsfield, London

It seems that both the media and sadly the Tory party are enamoured with the notion of some sort of political Mary Poppins who is "practically perfect in every way". Fair enough, Cameron may possibly have had a spoonful or two of the wrong kind of sugar, but that does not change the fact that he is the right man to lead the Tory party to victory at the next election. If Tony Blair has never given a straight answer to the drugs question, then nor should Cameron be expected to. Although Cameron himself has said on national television "lawmakers shouldn’t be lawbreakers", it is pure idiocy to therefore suggest that only those who have never broken any law of any sort should be politicians. Politicians are humans too, so to demand perfection is to demand the impossible. Let’s stop wasting our time, and get on with looking at the policies and visions involved in this leadership race. Mark Brennan, London

Ken Clarke was the only candidate capable of bringing the Tories electoral fortune soon. The Tories' previous leaders were also capable of bringing victory, but just as they were winning popular support they either jumped or were pushed in football manager fashion. The contest which eliminated Ken Clarke stinks of unfairness and that is enough to deter voters such as myself. Democracy? All in all, it could be a great Christmas for Gordon Brown as he weighs his future prospects. Karl H. Bridge, Dulverton

Cameron is far too clever at playing the media - not surprising as he was chief PR for Carlton. He knows about lighting, make up, cameras, positioning, good sides, bad sides, smiles and sound bites. It is something to bear in mind. He cares a lot about how he appears. Please let us hope that this vanity, although now important in modern politics, is not going to overtake real hardcore policy and work. I fear that it might. Name withheld, Totnes

Mr Cameron claims to be a strong eurosceptic but just how far is he prepared to go? Unless he is prepared to threaten EU withdrawal and, if his bluff was called, do it, he will be just as big a failure as Mr Blair in producing any real EU reform and defending British interests. Without reform, there is no economic or political case for continued British membership. Christopher Gillibrand, Brussels, Belgium

From afar, I followed the leadership race very closely. Although they represent parties from different ends of the spectrum, Bill Clinton and David Cameron have a lot in common - the focus on image, the move of the party to the centre, and the search for consensus across ideologies. Clinton had trouble with that third element; he was the object of such political venom and hatred he could rarely reach across the aisle for support. Cameron may find the same, even worse. He should not lose his goal but his objectives may have to change. My suggestion: keep David Davis up front in that team. He showed a lot of character, knowledge, and toughness, things that Cameron will need himself. Congratulations to the UK on the leadership race - it was a lot more "real" than what passes for politics here. Gary Cinnamon, San Clemente, California

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December 7, 2005 at 09:27 AM in UK | Permalink | Top of page | Blog Home