Patten: Tories in 'complete mess'

Patten: Tories in 'complete mess'

The Tory leader is under fire again

Former Tory chairman Chris Patten has said the Conservatives are in a "complete mess" under Iain Duncan Smith.

And in a sideswipe at the Tory leader he said that Ken Clarke was one character in the party that would appeal to voters.

He then said he hoped the "attractive" characters in the Conservative Party would be in a position of influence in the next few months.

Mr Patten's comments came as shadow chancellor Michael Howard ruled himself out as a contender for the Tory leadership.

"I've ruled it out many times unequivocally, without qualification," he told GMTV.

"We have an excellent leader, we should all rally round behind him, we should all support him because if we do that we can go on, we can show the people of our country that we can provide them with a better way of doing things."

'Depressing fact'

In an interview with the BBC's Breakfast with Frost programme, Mr Patten - now an European Union commissioner - insisted he still wanted to see a Conservative in Number 10 after the next election.

But he argued that it was a "depressing fact" that at a time when the government was on the "backfoot" on a range of issues the Opposition was failing to capitalise.

Ken Clarke is a very attractive figure

Chris Patten

Mr Patten - who lost his seat in 1992 despite his role in John Major's widely unexpected election victory - was speaking after Tory splits again emerged into the public view.

Mr Duncan Smith spent much of last week trying to draw a line under the spat, which escalated when former cabinet minister and leadership contender Michael Portillo said the party was narrowing its appeal to voters.

Mr Patten said: "I think it's very depressing that at a time when the government are looking very much on the back foot on a range of issues, the Conservatives get embroiled in a row about politicians that nobody knows very much about, dealing with officials that nobody knows about at all.

"The Tories have to stop digging the hole deeper."

'Tribal warfare'

Getting the Conservatives to a state when they were "ready and able to govern" was far more important than "endless tribal warfare" in the party, Mr Patten said.

Mr Patten was governor of Hong Kong

Asked whether he had met the next Tory premier Mr Patten said: "I hope I have and I hope there will be a Conservative prime minister after the next election.

"But that depends a great deal on the Conservative Party getting its act together at last.

"It looks in a mess today and there are some very attractive Conservative frontbench spokesmen in the House of Commons ... and I hope they are in a prominent position in the next few months."

'Hardline members'

Mr Patten said: "Ken Clarke is a very attractive figure.

"He has the great advantage in politics of being popular with people who aren't just hardline members of his own party."

Iain Duncan Smith insisted last week that he was "absolutely confident" he would take the Tories into the next election, despite renewed speculation about a leadership challenge.

That came after rumours about the future of party chairman Theresa May, following suggestions that she had not been consulted over the sacking of key officials at Tory headquarters.

Some senior members of the executive of the 1922 committee, which represents Tory backbenchers, had called for Mr Duncan Smith and Mrs May to explain what one described as "monstrous misjudgements".

Another said members of the executive were "incandescent with rage" at the leadership's "self inflicted wounds".

The row was sparked when party chief executive Mark MacGregor was dismissed.

Mr Portillo accused Mr Duncan Smith of surrounding himself with "yes" men.