Stay alert, says Hague

William Hague urged MPs: Don't drop your guard

William Hague has called on his party to continue preparing for a May general election - in spite of speculation that the foot-and-mouth outbreak may push it back until June or later.

Mr Hague, speaking to Conservative MPs and prospective candidates before the party's spring conference in Harrogate, said: "We are now on the eve of battle".

We are now on the eve of battle

William Hague

He urged them to ignore reports that the government was considering delaying a possible poll on 3 May because of the crisis in the countryside.

"Be ready and do not be relaxed just because the media think it might be postponed", he said.

"The government is desperate to have an election by 3 May."

Ready to fight

Maude: 'No superstate'

At the conference on Sunday, shadow foreign secretary Francis Maude will re-affirm his party's tough stance on Europe.

He will pledge to renegotiate the common agricultural policy, common fisheries policy and Treaty of Nice.

And he will reiterate the Conservatives' plans to introduce a bill to bar European judges from overruling laws made at Westminster.

He will insist that the Tories are not isolated in Europe but will commit a future Conservative government to "stop the slide to a superstate", and to make sure that Britain is "run by Europe less than we are today".