Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare is demanding the return of the Tory whip and has already approached a senior peer to discuss the move.

The decision over whether to restore the whip in the House of Lords to Lord Archer, who served two years in prison for perjury, will be one of the first headaches for David Cameron, who is almost certain to be confirmed as party leader in less than ten days’ time.

Michael Howard, the outgoing Tory leader, whom Lord Archer describes as a loyal friend, refused to be drawn on whether the peer should return to the bosom of the Tory family. He said: “That will be a decision for my successor. I won’t do anything to embarrass my successor.” Neither Mr Cameron nor David Davis, the two leadership contenders, were willing to say yesterday if they would welcome him back.

Lord Archer, 61, a former deputy chairman of the party, rejoined his local party in Vauxhall, South London, where the novelist has a penthouse flat.

Lord Archer said that he had few illusions about a prominent job. Speaking to The Australian newspaper today in his first interview since his arrest, he said of Mr Cameron: “He is only 39 years old. I don’t even know him.”

When told by The Times that Lord Archer was back in the fold, one senior member of the Shadow Cabinet, said: “Oh my God, no! Are you sure? Oh God.” When told that Lord Archer wanted to rejoin the Tory benches he uttered an expletive and said: “That will be one for the new leader. I have no idea what he will do. Jeffrey has many supporters and friends in the same way he has many enemies. I think this will cause trouble whatever we do.”

The prospect of Lord Archer going back on the benches for the first time since his five-year suspension will alarm some supporters of Mr Cameron, who said at the party conference: “We have got to change our culture so we look, feel, think and behave like a completely new organisation.” Mr Cameron’s spokesman declined to comment over what future Lord Archer could expect.

In his interview with The Australian to mark the publication of False Impressions, his first novel since he left prison in 2003, he said that he had no illusions about returning to the frontline. “In the past I wanted to be chairman of the Conservative Party and I wanted to be Mayor of London,” he said. “But at the moment my life consists of writing and charity auctions and watching sport.”

Lord Archer resigned as deputy chairman of the party in 1986, after newspaper allegations that he had slept with a prostitute. He resigned as candidate for the London mayoralty and was arrested in 2000 when it emerged that he had lied in the 1986 High Court libel trial.

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