Tories draw up rules for leadership

Senior Conservatives were today meeting to agree new leadership rules that would take away the final decision from ordinary members.

The controversial plans would restore the right of MPs to have the last say over who will lead the party into the next general election.

A wide-ranging package of reforms appeared unlikely to get through without major changes, however.

Proposals to make local parties surrender "pots of gold" held in their bank accounts to central treasurers looked likely to be dropped, said sources.

And there was expected to be stiff opposition from grass-roots members to plans that would force them to pick parliamentary candidates from a much narrower shortlist of "approved" would-be MPs.

The post-election reforms were being debated by the 17-strong Tory board before going to a shadow cabinet meeting tomorrow. The outcome could tip the balance in the contest to replace Michael Howard as leader because front-runner David Davis is seen as the most popular candidate with grassroots supporters. Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley today called for the party to change its name to Reform Conservatives.

He claimed the move would boost support and compared it to Tony Blair's decision to rebadge Labour as New Labour. He said: "The public needs to be aware that the Conservative Party has reformed itself and is going to reform the country."

Under current leadership rules, Tory MPs vote for a shortlist of two candidates with the winner picked by the mass membership. The system fell apart after MPs complained that Iain Duncan Smith, who won in 2001, did not command support at Westminster.

Under the revised rules, drafted by a working party, candidates will be whittled down to a shortlist by a meeting of party chairmen. MPs would then have the final say.