Tory right-wingers challenge Portillo

Two right-wing candidates have emerged to challenge Michael Portillo for the leadership of the Conservative Party.

Shadow defence secretary Iain Duncan Smith said on Monday afternoon he would make a "strong leader" as he announced he would run.

I have decided to return to the backbenches as soon as this contest is over

Ann Widdecombe

And backbencher David Davis confirmed he would make an official announcement on Tuesday that he would stand to replace William Hague.

The announcements came after a bitter Ann Widdecombe ended days of speculation by ruling herself out of the race because of lack of support from fellow Conservative MPs.

Her exit could see the formation of a "stop Portillo" campaign among grassroots Tories, who have the final say in choosing the next leader.

Shadow chancellor Michael Portillo, who has the support of most of the shadow cabinet as well as a full campaign team, remains the bookies' favourite.

Strong leader

After days of newspaper stories predicting he would run, Mr Duncan Smith made a brief appearance outside the Houses of Parliament on Monday to confirm the reports.

Iain Duncan Smith: 'fresh face' of Conservatism

"I believe I will make a strong leader and one who has clear and sensible opinions," he said, adding that he was looking forward to the leadership contest and would make a full statement on Tuesday.

Mr Duncan Smith, who is likely to get the backing of former Tory prime minister Lady Thatcher, earlier said the Tories needed "continuity and change".

Mr Davis, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, is seen as an outside challenger whose greatest strength is that he is untainted with the failure of the existing leadership which barely dented Labour's majority in the general election.

Of the likely candidates only former chancellor Ken Clarke - currently on a business trip abroad - is still considering whether to throw his hat into the ring.

If he does, he will be the only pro-single currency candidate and faces votes by a largely eurosceptic parliamentary Tory party.

If he could survive that he might be able to garner greater support among the party's rank and file at the second stage.

Soundings

Miss Widdecombe took soundings from parliamentary colleagues at the weekend and said that although she felt she had support in the wider party there was not enough backing among Tory MPs.

She explained that she would support the person best placed "to lead the Conservative Party into the future" and indicated that might well be former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke.

She said: "I have enormous respect for Ken Clarke, and if we can find some solution to the euro issue, I certainly would find it very easy indeed to support him."

David Davis - official announcement on Tuesday

Explaining her decision not to run, she said it was not due to any "lack of will on my part or to any lack of encouragement" from rank and file members.

"But rather to a lack of support from my parliamentary colleagues," she said.

Miss Widdecombe had already announced she could not work in a shadow cabinet led by Michael Portillo.

And although she said this did not apply to any other likely candidate, she had decided to step back from the front line and spend more time with her elderly mother.

Backbench role

"I have decided to return to the backbenches as soon as this contest is over," she said at a news conference in Hoxton, east London.

Miss Widdecombe was a loyal supporter of William Hague

She added: "I have ideas on a whole range of subjects which I want to put forward from the freedom of the back benches, rather than from the confines of collective responsibility and the restrictions of dealing with just one subject."

Last week Miss Widdecombe cited the "backbiters" who surrounded Mr Portillo as the main reason she would not serve him.

But asked on BBC Radio 4's World at One about the dangers of Mr Portillo as Tory leader, she said: "I think we have a lot of rhetoric from Michael Portillo about reaching out."

Despite that, politicians of all parties were neglecting the people of rundown estates like the one she was visiting on Monday, she said.

"If we really want to be inclusive, they're the ones I want to include," she said.

Miss Widdecombe said she had not be able to persuade Mr Portillo, among other shadow cabinet ministers, to back that policy.