Howard defies calls to stand down

Michael Howard today defied calls to quit the Tory leadership immediately.

Despite an attack from Lord Tebbit and claims of a coup plot to force him out, Mr Howard insisted he will remain as planned until late autumn.

He said: "I set out a timetable very shortly after I indicated I was going to stand down. I've that we ought to have a period to reflect on the best way forward for the party and learn the lessons of what happened at the election."

He added: "I think that's the right timetable and that's what I intend to do."

Close allies affirmed Mr Howard's point that he was determined not to be forced out early.

He spoke out after former chairman Lord Tebbit called for a July succession to replace him with a leader with "authority" intact.

The peer said a swift handover to a new leader was "highly desirable" and went on: "Then he could come to the party conference as the new leader with the authority of being recently elected, having listened to what everybody said, with proposals to reform the constitution of the party."

Mr Howard aims to stay on to push through controversial internal reforms, including changes to the leadership contest rules.

But Lord Tebbit suggested this was a " mistake" and said former premier Sir Edward Heath made no attempt to "fix the arrangements for the selection of his successor" when he lost in 1974.

Lord Tebbit's comments appeared calculated to undermine Mr Howard amid signs of an orchestrated campaign to force him to quit early. Amid rising turmoil, one senior MP claimed Mr Howard was only escaping an immediate vote of no confidence because backbenchers were leaving Westminster for the 10-day Whit recess.

The crisis boiled over this week when MPs reacted angrily to plans to change the rules for electing a leader and reorganise the entire party machine.

Allies of Mr Howard were accusing supporters of David Davis, the frontrunner in the contest for a new leader, of driving the campaign to bring forward the handover of power.