Alan Sugar backs primary-style election for Tory leader

Alan Sugar, star of BBC2's The Apprentice, urged the Conservative Party to spend "its millions" on finding a leader that real voters actually liked. Speaking to Andrew Neil on last night's 'This Week', the businessman said that the only way that the Conservative Party could be sure to elect a leader with the same 'breakthrough' qualities as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, was to involve the public directly in their selection.

Mr Sugar's suggestion that the party extend the franchise is in direct contradiction to the course proposed by the Howard-Maude-Monbiot axis whereby MPs regain the final say over who will be the next Tory leader.

Earlier this month conservativehome.com proposed a primary system of election that would have appealed to Mr Sugar. It also appealed to Stephan Shakespeare of YouGov. Writing in The Observer, he said:

“An idea has recently been proposed on the Tory bloggers' website, conservativehome.com, which - given the crisis of British Conservatism - deserves consideration. The proposal is that Conservatives adopt a US-style, completely open, primary race to select their next leader. The idea is compelling. At present, any Conservative MP can run for the leadership - but in reality, only those who have built up enough ‘collegial capital’ need bother to apply. Fresh talent must wait. Only those who impress their fellow insiders, either by their prowess at the dispatch box, their ability to work the House in the right way, are going to get a chance. But the qualities which appeal to insiders are not the qualities which appeal to the electorate. There is no better example than Howard. Here was a man with a brilliant command of the debating- chamber rapier. A man with oodles of experience. A truly ‘grown-up politician’, as they never tired of telling us. A man respected throughout Westminster. But a man who repelled the electorate.”

Such a radical path has not appealed to the Tory leadership. But if Michael Howard wants to turn the clock back eight years, Boris Johnson's Spectator wants the clock reset to a few decades ago:

"Better still, it would be a fine thing if the Tory party could dispense with the agonies of a contest — in which faction is inevitably entrenched, and scars can take a long time to heal — and allow the leader to ‘emerge’. The 182 cardinals don’t seem to have any difficulty in Rome. Why should the 197 Tories? Bring back an enlarged Magic Circle."

Comments

[Jack Stone]

You must have a leader who as the support of the majority of the Parliamentary party. If you stay with the present system of electing the leader you will simply get, once again, another IDS coup when the going gets tougth which they undoubtably will do at times before the next election, whoever is leader, if that leader doesn`t have the support and confidence of the majority of the parliamentary party.

[James Hellyer]

But being elected by the Parliamentary Party does not guarantee their loyalty and support. It turned on John Major and William Hague, both of whom it elected.

The Parliamentary Party needs to learn to be loyal to whoever is leader - even if it is someone they didn't choose.

[Des Thomas]

People elect their leaders. Many motivated and successful working class Tories like me would welcome aUS style primary system. It would give us a party that reflected our views and asperations: freedom to succeed, incremental change and value for money public services. As we form a majority in this country the Party would be the dominant political force. A government of the people for the people, whats so wrong with that! Appart from the fact that those who would be our masters, sociaist or patrician, would be out of work.