Widdecombe bows out of leadership race

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JUNE 18. One of the most controversial and authoritarian Conservative figures faded out of frontline politics today as Ms. Ann Widdecombe, the shadow home secretary, decided to retire from the frontbenches once a new leader is elected. She would, of course, not be contesting the leadership election, she announced after it became clear that she did not have enough support among her party MPs.

Her announcement brought to an end a minor but eventful chapter in Tory politics which she dominated with an energy that often put off many of her own colleagues. Even her boss, Mr. William Hague, with whom she shared a certain wavelength on ``moral'' issues was often embarrassed by what she admitted were her politically incorrect views - and which she flaunted with a messianic zeal, threatening ``zero tolerance'' for asylum seekers, drug users and anyone who was seen to be on the wrong side of her moral threshold.

Until two weeks ago, Ms. Widdecombe fancied herself as the country's home secretary refusing to acknowledge that the Tories were headed for a defeat in the general election; and when the defeat came, she was ready to take over the reins of the party. Within hours of Mr. Hague's decision to step down she declared - in two separate interviews the same morning - that she was being urged to step into the vacuum. She even hinted at the sort of shadow cabinet she would have and held out an olive branch to her potential rivals such as Mr. Kenneth Clarke. She said she would have no problem giving him a seat in her shadow cabinet despite his strong pro-Europe views.

But as she started looking around for support, she found herself isolated with even fellow europhobics turning their backs on her. To her horror, nearly half the shadow cabinet threw their weight behind her bete noire, Mr. Michael Portillo, whom she accused of being surrounded by a pack of ``backbiters''. She believed it was they who were responsible for her public humiliation over her policy of zero tolerance on drug users. A day after she said that even occasional cannabis smokers deserved to be punished, a number of her high-profile colleagues in the shadow cabinet were telling newspapers that they themselves had experimented with cannabis.

So what was the big deal about smoking cannabis and why should anybody be punished for it, they asked. Ms. Widdecombe suspects that Mr. Portillo's men - nicknamed ``Portillistas'' - were behind it.

In a classic case of the enemy's enemy being your friend, Ms. Widdecombe indicated today that she would be willing to support Mr. Clarke if he chose to stand against Mr. Portillo. Meanwhile, support for Mr. Portillo is growing with more party MPs deciding to back him. The former Prime Minister, Mr. John Major, gave him a good conduct certificate on Sunday, giving a boost to his chances.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Clergy has no greater status, says Ayatollah Sanai
Next     : Ex-King's movement wins poll