Clarke can survive at the Tory top table |

Thursday 5th November 2009 | 16:45

Clarke can survive at the Tory top table

Insiders believe differing European views will not threaten his Shadow Cabinet position

Ken Clarke can continue to play a major role in the Conservative Party despite his views on Europe, insiders believe.

There have been suggestions that Clarke’s well-known pro-European views would be too much of a contrast with David Cameron’s Euroscepticism. This speculation increased after David Cameron's speech on Europe yesterday, which explicitly set out a plan to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU. Cameron also revealed his intention to introduce a United Kingdom sovereignty bill, meaning British law would take precedence over EU law, an idea Clarke had previously dismissed.

Despite this, 56% of insiders believe Clarke can continue as a member of the Shadow Cabinet without major problems. 38% disagree.

The Phi100 panel is comprised of MPs, peers, journalists, think tank leaders, strategists and academics, providing a unique insight into the collective political sentiment in Westminster.

"It depends how much self-control he has"

A left-aligned journalist said, “Yes, of course it’s possible.”

One of Clarke’s fellow Conservative MPs said, “Yes…he'll shift in his seat when asked if all this repatriation of powers stuff is for the birds, but since he presumably wants to be a Cabinet Minister he can live with Cameron's package.”

But another Tory MP said, “I don’t think it is possible. And how would his policies protect the City from EU regulation, to which he himself is objecting?”

A think tank leader said, “No. It isn’t just Europe, it’s his non-fondness to work hard, master a brief, do the hard slog. He likes being on television, but there’s more to being a Secretary of State than that, and plenty of current non-frontbenchers who would work”.

A right-aligned journalist said, “It depends how much self-control he has.”

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