Maples mars Hague's euro roadshow

William Hague: "Speaking for the British mainstream"

Conservative leader William Hague's long-trailed campaign to save the pound, from the back of a lorry, has finally hit the road.

Mr Hague's seven-tonne campaign truck was unveiled to a crowd of a few hundred shoppers in St Albans.

But Mr Hague's plan to "bring politics alive again" by taking issues directly to the people was partly upset by attacks from Tory MP John Maples, who Mr Hague sacked as shadow foreign secretary only two weeks ago.

Mr Maples said his leader was in danger of dragging the party too far to the right and accused Mr Hague of adopting a bunker mentality.

At the first stop in what promises to be a nationwide tour Mr Hague said: "The pound is under threat from a government that wants to abolish it."

"It's time for politicians to get out from the hothouse of Westminster. I think it's very important people are consulted."

Mr Hague added: "We are going to take this campaign all over the country and other campaigns all over the country so we can bring politics alive again."

Micheal Portillo, the new shadow chancellor, accompanied Mr Hague on his jaunt but did not address the crowd.

The case for sterling

Earlier Mr Hague kicked off the first day of his new campaign at a breakfast meeting of City executives in London.

He said the case for retaining sterling was becoming "stronger and stronger" as British business prospered outside the single currency zone.

"We need this campaign and we need it now," he said. "For we have a Labour government that is spending whatever it takes, saying whatever needs saying, concealing whatever they have to, in order to bounce Britain into joining the euro."

Maples' attack

The Tory leader has committed his party to keeping sterling for the duration of the next Parliament.

John Maples: "Make more use of shadow cabinet"

But Mr Hague's campaign had to share the limelight with former foreign affairs spokesman John Maples.

In an open letter to The Times newspaper, Mr Maples said Mr Hague was allowing the party to become dominated by right-wingers when it needed to return to the mainstream.

The Stratford-on-Avon MP said Mr Hague must "sometimes feel despair" at the Tories' position with a general election possibly only 12 months away.

And in a dig at shadow health secretary Liam Fox and shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe, he added: "We cannot win the election through private health insurance and being tough on asylum-seekers."

Mr Maples said he felt Mr Hague was being influenced too much by "kids" in his private office.

'Right to defend pound'

He wrote: "You have surrounded yourself with a private office operation which is almost completely cut off from the shadow cabinet and the parliamentary party."

"Use the shadow cabinet more. You have got some very bright people with real experience of government and of policy both inside and outside. Kids do not know everything and grey hairs have their part to play."

Shadow chancellor Michael Portillo brushed aside Mr Maples's criticisms, telling BBC News 24: "What John Maples says very clearly is we are right to defend the pound and I welcome his support. He also warns of the dangers of being absorbed into Europe."

But he said that rather than being extremist, the Tory shadow cabinet was "a group of practical politicians, moderate politicians".

But Minister for Europe Keith Vaz said: "William Hague has nothing new to say. He says keep the pound - Labour says the pound won't go unless you say so."

"With Labour, voters will have a choice in a referendum but the Tories think they know better and have already decided for you."

The circus comes to town: Commentary by BBC News Online's Nick Assinder