Conservative rivals launch bids

The leadership contest formally begins after the party conference

Conservative leadership rivals David Davis and David Cameron have launched their campaigns, outlining alternative visions for the party and country.

Mr Davis has presented a "manifesto for modern Conservatism", urging "radical" reforms to improve lives in the UK.

Meanwhile, Mr Cameron said the party must leave its "comfort zone" - his campaign slogan is "Change to win".

Kenneth Clarke, Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Liam Fox have launched their campaigns ahead of next week's party conference.

'More straightforward'

Mr Davis is calling for fresh public service changes and EU reform.

He said: "People feel the country is going in the wrong direction, but they also feel powerless to change the situation."

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As prime minister, he would provide a "more straightforward" way of government than Labour, he added, while his "Tory idealism" would provide a "consensus for change".

It was important to win back women voters and many of the middle-class people who had gone to Labour, and the party had to acknowledge the need to "reflect the diversity" of the modern UK.

Mr Davis called for lower taxation, a reduced dependence on the state, better "social mobility" and a return of power to local communities.

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He would return power to "people who know best", such as doctors and patients.

Launching his bid, Mr Cameron said there was "a we, as well as a me" in politics and a need for "shared responsibility".

He said there should be "a change in the political culture" with the Conservatives having to change to win back the trust of voters.

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The party should be "incredibly open" to new ideas, such as flat rates of income tax.

Mr Cameron added: "Rolling back the state must never mean that the weak and defenceless are left behind."

He supported "national sovereignty", but not "isolation or xenophobia".

Conservative candidates had to be "positive" on the doorstep, unlike some of the "overwhelmingly negative" campaigning of the past.

Mr Cameron said it would be "pathetic" to wait for Labour to "move to the left" to form an effective opposition.

Voting

In an interview in the Daily Telegraph, leadership contender Liam Fox called for defining lines on the issue of Europe.

He said he would take Conservative MEPs out of the majority centre-right bloc in the European Parliament - they currently sit with the European People's Party despite its federalist leanings.

Nominations for the leadership contest open on 10 October - after the party's conference in Blackpool - with the first round of voting among MPs taking place on Tuesday 18 October.

One candidate will drop out after each round and there will be votes every Thursday and Tuesday until two candidates remain.

There will then be a vote of the 300,000 Conservative Party members across the country to decide which of the two succeeds Michael Howard as leader.

The announcement is due on 6 December.