UR TV CAST

Mr Marlow argued: “He would be an even more formidable than Norman Lamont. He is part of the present Cabinet, and his motives are less likely to be subject to misrepresentation.”The Prime Minister, in his public speech at Central Office, declared himself angry at “a tide of trivia, of rumour, of insubstantial stories and of froth that has been drowning out the real political issues”.He added: “I am not fighting to secure re-election as leader of this party because I enjoy being driven around in cars, or in order to savour a few more state dinners, or because I like being late for the Lord’s Test match with the West Indies, or because I take pleasure in the trappings of office. I am fighting because – rightly or wrongly – I believe I understand how the people of this country live their lives.”Mr Major disclosed that Gillian Shephard, the Secretary of State for Education, will announce cash vouchers for parents to buy nursery education at the school of their choice, state or private. He also promised a White Paper on housing this week, aimed at creating a further 1.5 million home- owners in the next decade. It will also crack down on “queue-jumping” for public housing – a reference to single-parent families. And he pledged to “revolutionise” school sport, with “new support, new targets and new facilities”.By late afternoon, there was still no word from Norman Lamont, widely tipped as an anti-Major stalking horse.

But one right-wing MP, John Carlisle, said: “I think it seems fairly clear that Norman will stand.” He told Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it is absolutely right that he does. This must be a heavyweight contest.”A veteran Eurosceptic MP reckoned Mr Major’s chances of being re-elected leader as “five, or maybe only four, out of ten He is not fighting from a position of great strength.”. FEWER than half of all Conservative MPs are willing to declare for John Major, according to a MORI poll for the Independent on Sunday. Although the Prime Minister scored highly – with 82 per cent support – among those who responded, 64 of the 160 MPs approached refused to answer.
For Mr Major, that introduces a dangerous element of volatility into the election.

By no means all the 64 who refused to answer can be assumed to be a threat to him, because some MPs always refuse to participate in such surveys. One declined to co-operate unless he was paid.But MPs considering a voteagainst Mr Major or an abstention will be wary of spelling out their intentions in advance, even to a polling organisation. They would risk becoming targets of Mr Major’s campaign team, and could face criticism from constituency associations.Some of those who hope to mount a challenge against Mr Major may be wary of revealing the extent of their likely support since this could prompt Mr Major to redouble his efforts.MORI On-Line spoke to 96 Conservative MPs, including 14 ministers, by telephone on Friday and Saturday.Sixty-two MPs believe that Mr Major will be challenged, with only six convinced that he will be re-elected unopposed.Malcolm Rifkind, Secretary of State for Defence, emerged as the choice to take over from Douglas Hurd at the Foreign Office. Twenty-five MPs backed him, against 12 for Michael Portillo, the Secretary of State for Employment, six for Ian Lang and three for Michael Howard.Of those who answered the question, 79 said they would back John Major in any leadership contest, three said they would be voting for another candidate and five indicated that they were undecided.For the position of stalking horse in the election, Norman Lamont emerges as the clear favourite. Nearly one in five of those who answered believe he will emerge as a candidate.But the MPs who spoke to MORI seem solidly behind the Prime Minister.

Seventy-nine backed Mr Major, with only three saying they would vote for another candidate and five still undecided.Although relatively few MPs agreed to answer, there is evidence that Mr Portillo is coming close to Mr Heseltine as the favoured successor in the Conservative Party. Asked about a second ballot, 37 MPs said they would still vote for the Prime Minister and 43 either didn’t know or refused to answer the question. Mr Heseltine won the backing of only seven MPs, two more than Mr Portillo.. IT WAS as much a joyous celebration of a new nation’s identity as it was a game of rugby. South Africa’s 15-12 extra-time victory over New Zealand in the final of the Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg yesterday sparked such a genuine expression of joy and reconciliation that it was impossible not to be deeply moved. On the way to the ground, black taxi-drivers who knew nothing of rugby before this tournament were joining in unison with Afrikaners steeped in the game, by hooting their horns and clenching their fists in a display of unity and solidarity. This was to be a day which was not exclusively for the Springboks but for the whole of South Africa.