Tories warned over Clarke 'nightmare'

Published on Sunday 11 January 2009 19:53

DAVID Cameron has been warned returning Ken Clarke to the shadow Cabinet would pose a "nightmare".

The Tory leader has been told Mr Clarke, who has held several senior offices of state including Chancellor, is "too lazy" for a frontbench role, while a Tory bankroller has threatened to halt future donations if Mr Clarke's Europhile views gain traction in the party.

The Tory leader has been quietly discussing a possible return for the "big beast" if he can agree not to break rank with the shadow Cabinet policy of opposing British entry into the euro.

Yesterday, Mr Cameron refused to confirm whether Mr Clarke would be promoted, saying that he had "already made a comeback".

Mr Clarke has been leading a democracy taskforce which has looked at the role of Scots MPs and their voting rights.

Tory sources have said, provided he can keep his Europhile tendencies in check, he may be promoted to shadow business secretary, where he will be pitted against Lord Mandelson.

But Lord Tebbit, the former Conservative Party deputy chairman, predicted a "nightmare" would unfold if Mr Clarke returned to the top team.

Stuart Wheeler, a gambling tycoon and the Tory Party's biggest donor, warned that he would consider withdrawing funding if Mr Clarke sought to influence the rest of the shadow Cabinet with his views on Europe.