BBC News | UK POLITICS | Sacked Tory berates Hague

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Tuesday, 15 February, 2000, 08:55 GMT

Sacked Tory berates Hague

Tory leader William Hague has come under attack from former shadow foreign secretary John Maples for allowing the party to become dominated by right-wingers.

Mr Maples, sacked from the shadow cabinet earlier this month, said the party needed to return to the mainstream if it was to recover in the polls.

The criticism, aired in an open letter to The Times newspaper, came as Mr Hague launched the Conservatives' "save the pound" campaign.

Mr Maples said Mr Hague must "sometimes feel despair" at the Tories' position with a general election possibly only 12 months away.

He said he was writing to offer some ideas from "outside the bunker".

Mr Maples said: "Our danger is that most of the major departments are now shadowed by right-wingers.

'Speak to the whole nation'

"The moderates are mainly in staff jobs without portfolio," he said in an apparent reference to party chairman Michael Ancram, shadow Commons leader Sir George Young and chief whip James Arbuthnot.

He said: "Our policies and our tone must be mainstream and speak to the whole nation."

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.

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."

Mr Maples said he had never had a serious discussion of the party's foreign policy with Mr Hague and added: "I expect other shadow cabinet members share that experience."

Government "spin doctors" have been accused of undermining certain ministers, but Mr Maples said similar behaviour was going on at Conservative headquarters.

'Great pleasure'

He said: "It happens a lot and you know how destructive of morale it is."

Mr Maples said he had warned Mr Hague not to allow Lord Archer to stand for Mayor of London.

The open letter comes six years after his "Maples memorandum", detailing the weakness and divisions within the Major regime, was leaked to the Labour Party.

Shadow chancellor Michael Portillo said he had not been in the shadow cabinet with Mr Maples and did not recognise his criticisms of Mr Hague.

He said: "I have had great access to William Hague and it has been a great pleasure to work very closely with him."

He said Mr Hague agreed that the Tories had to win the "centre ground" and the party was showing it had a "moderate" stance by reversing its opposition to the minimum wage.

Mr Hague refused to comment on Mr Maple's remarks as he launched his "save the pound" campaign on Tuesday morning.

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Howe warns of more Tory defections (04 Jan 00 | UK Politics)
Norris warns against move to right (02 Jan 00 | UK Politics)
Hague denies drift to right (30 Dec 99 | UK Politics)
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