According to the news reports I've seen he hasn't actually resigned but has stated that he will stand down when the Conservative Party changes it's rules for electing a successor. His main reason for doing it is that he feels he'll be too old to lead the party when the next general election happens.

Gotta applaud the guy for giving up what must be a pretty cushy job for the ideal he believes in. As I don't follow politics too closely I'm not sure who'll eventually succeed him but if they really want to be a party in power it better be someone that can win over the voters with some charisma and not another William Hague or Iain Duncan Smith.

I heard somewhere that he will be resigning but hasn't as yet as Milky said and they're looking for some younger blood to take his seat. Imagine they're trying to liven things up...

I've read all the same bits as Milky and Lil Miss. He's not "resigning" now, but will hand over before the next general election campaign begins.

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by Milky
be someone that can win over the voters with some charisma and not another William Hague or Iain Duncan Smith.

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Charismatically William Hague was exceptional, probably one of the best public speakers I've ever seen. The problems lay in other areas of image management, party discipline, presentation and media handling.

Locally (Harlow), it took 3 counts but in the end the labour candidate beat the tory candidate by a grand total of 97 votes, which given that UKIP & Veritas together took about 2000 votes means that Bill Rammell (the MP) should be feeling very lucky to have got in!

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by Byron
Wonder if the massed ranks of colonels of the 'shires will have the sense to vote in Ken Clarke now?

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I very much doubt it, if Ken Clarke is elected then the tories would almost certainly lose the next general election -- he'll be about 70 by then.

It's important that the party take it's time to elect a new leader, and Howards decission coupled by the fact that the party isn't clamouring for his head offers just that.

Personally I feel the single most interesting facet of this was Michael Howards comment that he would step down due to his age -- this could have a very negative impact on most of our surviving dinosaurs, even those younger than Howard could be scuppered. I wouldn't be too surprised if not only Ken Clarke, but also David Davis, Malcolm Rifkind, Michael Ancram, and John Redwood are considered too old to be in the race.

Even if they're perceived as too young to lead the party, having George Osbourne, David Cameron, etc in senior posts on the Shadow cabinet could make things very interesting!

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by Samphirette
He's not "resigning" now, but will hand over before the next general election campaign begins.

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He has resigned, complete with resignation speech, but will "hang on for a few months" until the new leader is elected.

And in for a penny, David Trimble's just gone as well.

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by Callum
(quotes)
I very much doubt it, if Ken Clarke is elected then the tories would almost certainly lose the next general election -- he'll be about 70 by then.

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No staying power these days, Winnie was pushing eighty when he finally stepped down.

It'll be interesting if all the old guard is out of the question. That leaves only one recognisable and electable face ...

Step forward Boris Johnson!

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by Byron
(quotes)
No staying power these days, Winnie was pushing eighty when he finally stepped down.

It'll be interesting if all the old guard is out of the question. That leaves only one recognisable and electable face ...

Step forward Boris Johnson!

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LOL

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4533555.stm

George Osborne, Liam Fox, Francis Maude, David Cameron!

Bit of a kicking for Oliver Letwin though.