THE great Portillo steam engine appears to have spluttered and juddered to a halt - indeed, it may even be going into reverse. The former darling of the Tory right has been facing nothing but difficulties ever since last Thursday's re-run of the MPs' ballot for the party leadership and it could lead to a result which may not only be too close to call among MPs, but also in the party at large who will then decide.

Tonight, MPs will vote on the three remaining candidates - Mr Portillo, former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke and the man who now appears to be the front-runner, the Thatcherite Iain Duncan Smith.

We are told that only two names will be put forward to the second round - the vote among the 300,000 Tory party members in the country - so the real battle for MPs' votes appears to be for that crucial second place between Portillo and Clarke.

With voting expected to be extremely tight, there is a distinct possibility of a tie for second place, meaning that neither candidate could be eliminated. The chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Micahel Spicer, might order a re-run if there is a draw.

There were calls - including from former leadership hopeful Ann Widdecombe - for all three candidates to go through to the membership ballot. All have made supreme efforts to appeal to all sides of the Parliamentary party, and the centre ground, which crucially they must reoccupy if they are to stand any chance at all of defeating Tony Blair at the next election.

Mr Clarke's campaign was given a boost yesterday when four former supporters of David Davis announced they would back him. He said he aimed to recapture the enthusiasm of a party which has ''had enough of the polarising on Europe''. One senior Eurosceptic MP indicated privately that he would support Clarke. ''You have to tell yourself he is the figure the Labour Party most fears, and ask yourself who is most likely to win the next election for us?'' he said.

However, from The Northern Echo's small survey of younger, ordinary Tory Party members in the North-East, sympathies seem split between Mr Portillo and Mr Duncan Smith. Ken Clarke is, at best, second choice.

All seem agreed that it has not been a good start for the first run of the new, supposedly more democratic, system of electing a leader.

WHAT THE YOUNG CONSERVATIVES THINK

VANESSA HALEY, 32, Darlington. Iain Duncan Smith supporter:

'I think the leadership election has been a bit of a debacle. Mr Portillo thought he had the leadership on a plate, but now others have come forward who could do much better.

''I will be supporting Iain Duncan Smith. I think he is a real man for a real party. He is a man with family values and is down to earth - and he is the same age as Blair.

''I also think he will prove very popular not only with the party but with the country. Portillo has too many skeletons in his closet. Duncan Smith has been honest right through and will be good for the party.

''Portillo does seem to be too liberal on subjects that should not have been raised. The candidates should have been talking about the state of the health service, waiting lists, public services and pensions.

''Kenneth Clarke's age is against him and he is not popular with the party - but I will support him if Iain Duncan Smith does not get through.''

GRANIA HARRISON, 20, Darlington. Michael Portillo supporter:

'I don't think this contest has been very professional. It has put a lot of people off politics. All this slagging off does no good. I do think the rules need to be changed, because the whole thing has been allowed to be portrayed in the media as a mess.

''I will be supporting Michael Portillo because I think he will attract a lot of young people to the party. He has learned a lot from his career. If he gets through then it will be a new start for the whole party. It is disappointing because, at one stage, he appeared to be very popular, and now people seem to be going out of their way to destroy him. It is a tragedy.

''If Portillo does not get in then I don't think the Tories will win the next election. I would not want to see Kenneth Clarke win as he will divide the party. I would find it very disillusioning, as I don't think we would seem to be very interested in young people. I don't think things would improve at all if Iain Duncan Smith or Ken Clarke became leader.''

JOHN-JO MacNAMARA, 21, Newcastle Central. Portillo supporter:

'It has obviously been a rather messy leadership election. It is unfortunate that the system is new and has been put to the test rather more quickly than many people had been hoping. When the contest is over we will have to come back and look at it again.

''I am supporting Michael Portillo because it is very important to get back to basics. He is trying to give us an opportunity to look again at ourselves and renew the Conservative Party - like we did with Churchill after 1945 and with Thatcher in 1975 after big defeats. It must be a Conservative Party for the 21st Century.

''We have lost two general elections in a row. In June we stayed stagnant and did not advance. From what I have seen and what I know from dealing with Mr Portillo, he will be as ruthless as Mrs Thatcher was. He has reassessed his beliefs because of his own personal defeat in 1997, and it has given him the opportunity to reassess himself.

''I will probably vote for Iain Duncan Simith if Portillo is defeated. True, the Tory party has to bury the hatchet with Europe, but I can't see how a Euro supporter like Kenneth Clarke could represent a predominantly Eurosceptic party.''