Clarke ousted from the leadership race
published: Wednesday | October 19, 2005

CLARKE

LONDON, (Reuters):

Britain's opposition Conservatives dumped former finance minister Ken Clarke yesterday out of the race to lead the party and oppose Tony Blair's government. A senior party official said right-winger David Davis was backed by 62 of the party's 198 parliamentarians with youthful David Cameron polling 56 in a first round of voting.

Liam Fox, another hardliner, edged out the veteran heavyweight Clarke - the man opinion polls show is most popular with the public - by 42 votes to 38. The process will be repeated tomorrow before the final two names are put to the party's wider membership to vote on by early December.