It may well be that it needs to go through the traumas of a referendum campaign in order to sort itself out finally. But we can’t go on like this, because apart from it being bad for all Conservatives, I think it’s bad for the country not to have a more serious opposition.”Mr Patten said the Tories had “committed political suicide” when John Major was Prime Minister, and the party was still “in pretty deep trouble”. He added: “I think it’s very difficult for the Conservative Party to get its act together so long as the euro-obsession remains.”Theresa May, the Tory chairman, said there was “no confusion” over the party’s stance on tax after Michael Howard, the shadow Chancellor, appeared to contradict a pledge to cut taxes by Iain Duncan Smith. But Francis Maude, a former shadow chancellor, called for greater clarity on tax policy “We should be very clear about what we say. It is not desirable to have confusion and I hope it will be cleared up quickly.”Hady Wakefield, a Tory donor and former businessman, said Mr Duncan Smith was “making simply no impression” and might not be the right character for the leader’s job.The Liberal Democrats will try to exploit the Tory turmoil by concentrating their efforts on a million “soft” Tories in a new year campaign.

Charles Kennedy warned his party yesterday it would come under greater media and public scrutiny now it was challenging the Tories in the opinion polls. “That means everybody’s got to up their game – and it begins with me. But so has everybody else,” he said.”We’re not altering one iota anything that we stand for. What we are trying to do is sharpen our image, our appeal, our professionalism if you like, at all levels of the party.”Labour will publish a Christmas ghost story today aimed at highlighting what it sees as “backstabbing” in Tory ranks. Visitors to Labour’s website will see senior Tories portrayed as ghosts haunting Mr Duncan Smith’s leadership, including Baroness Thatcher, Lord Heseltine, Kenneth Clarke and Michael Portillo..

The actor and comedian Stephen Fry said yesterday he was relieved to keep his driving licence after being caught speeding at 99mph. He was on his way to perform in the 50th anniversary edition of the radio quiz I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. Magistrates were told that Frypleaded guilty at the first opportunity and apologised to police.Rita Taylor, of the road safety group RoadPeace, said: “It is wrong that people should get away with doing something like that .. especially with a previous conviction.”. A teenager dying from the human form of BSE is to be allowed to have radical surgery in Northern Ireland after a ruling yesterday by the High Court in Belfast. Jonathan Simms, 18, from Belfast, will have the treatment in a final attempt to slow damage caused by variant CJD.