Fresh boost for Davis leader bid

The MPs say Davis was a statesman after the London bombings

Conservative David Davis' leadership campaign has received a further boost from six fellow MPs who have publicly declared him "the man to do the job".

In a letter to The Times, the group hailed Mr Davis as the party's "most effective performer in recent years".

His backers include Robert Syms, who supported rival leadership contender Ken Clarke at the 2001 contest.

The ex-chancellor has warned the Tories they risk third party irrelevance if they lose another general election.

'Successful businessman'

The Tory MPs to show their hands for the Davis campaign also include Richard Bacon, Michael Fallon, Tim Loughton, Mark Simmons and Ian Liddell-Grainger.

In their letter to The Times, the group praise Mr Davis' "real statesmanship" in response to the terror attacks in London and "thoughtful" recent policy speech.

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"His personal background and time as chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee leave him well placed to understand and tackle the greatest political issue of our time: renewal of public services," they say.

"His success as a businessman shows that he understands the importance of nurturing a low-tax, light regulation economy."

Former leadership contender David Willetts announced last week that he was withdrawing from the race to back Mr Davis' bid.

Mr Clarke told BBC's Sunday AM show that it was "a bit of a disappointment" that Mr Willetts had decided to support his rival, although he stressed that he rated the MP, described as "two brains", "very highly".

Lib Dem competition?

Mr Clarke said that if the Tories were defeated for a fourth time in succession the party would be "slightly irrelevant to the governing of this country for quite a long time".

"And particularly if it showed we were being a somewhat self-indulgent, rather old-fashioned, right-wing party of opposition, which we have been in danger of doing recently," he said.

"So I think the next election needs to be taken seriously and the Tories should stop telling themselves 'oh well, let's take a longer view, let's do a bit better in the next election, let's look at the next election after that'.

"The Conservative Party is in quite a critical situation and the Liberal Democrats are breathing down our necks and they will over take us if we don't make ourselves the principle, obvious government by the next election."