The former chancellor is banking on changes to the current election rules in which the party membership chooses from a shortlist of two. The proposal is to give the power of anointing a new leader back to MPs.

Clarke was defeated in 2001 despite being the favourite among MPs. A ballot among all 300,000 party members gave the leadership to Iain Duncan Smith, who was ousted after two years.

But at a meeting of the party’s national convention in London yesterday scores of activists spoke out against the change that would see them lose the final say on who succeeds Michael Howard.

Yesterday’s session is not decisive, however, as voting slips on changing the rules have just gone out and the result will be known only at the end of the month. But Clarke suffered another blow when he came fourth in a Sunday Times poll of whom Tory MPs backed.

In the wake of opposition to the rule changes, party chiefs could now seek a compromise that would see the new leader voted by an electoral college system apportioning an equal share of a third each of the vote to MPs; peers and MEPs; and activists.

Earlier, many of the constituency chairmen arriving at the meeting had dismissed accusations that grassroots members were to blame for Duncan Smith’s lacklustre leadership.

Geoff Woolger, chairman of Aldershot Conservatives, said: “This rule change proposal has only been done for one person, Ken Clarke. A leopard does not change his spots, in this case his views on Europe.”

Last night Lord Tebbit, the former party chairman, claimed Clarke was “just too lazy” to give the Tories’ effective leadership.

In the poll of more than 100 Tory MPs carried out by The Sunday Times, David Davis came top with 28 votes. Liam Fox, who last night announced his intention to stand, was second with 10, David Cameron third with nine and Clarke fourth with eight. Fifty other MPs said they were undecided or declined to comment.

Cameron is under pressure to pull out. Alan Duncan, who withdrew as a candidate in July, believes he should leave it to Davis and Clarke.

“We are coming to the endgame here with Clarke versus Davis. I think Cameron can now go away,” he said.

ELECTION DATES

September 27: Constituency chairmen vote on whether to accept rule change.

October 3-6: Candidates try to woo conference.

October 7: If new rules passed, leadership campaign begins.

Late November: New leader selected. If rule change defeated, MPs vote on challengers.

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