THE tendency for the Conservative Party to press the self-destruct button shows no sign of abating.

The first round of the leadership ballot demonstrates that the lessons from humiliation at successive elections remained unlearned.

Only a party in utter disarray can contrive to create a farcical situation where the same 166 MPs asked yesterday to choose between five candidates are asked again to choose between the same five candidates tomorrow.

Logic and the best interests of their party should dictate that Michael Ancram and David Davis pull out of the race. But it appears pride and naked ambition has got the better of them.

Their reluctance to stand aside is understandable, bearing in mind the curious tradition of the party to elect a leader it is less than enthusiastic about.

The desire to dump Edward Heath in 1975 paved the way for Margaret Thatcher. The desire to make Michael Heseltine pay for standing up to Mrs Thatcher paved the way for John Major to come up on the rails in 1997. And the desire among euro-sceptics to stop Kenneth Clarke at all costs let in William Hague in 1997.

Effectively, this contest is between Mr Clarke, Michael Portillo and Iain Duncan Smith.

It is a sad reflection on their standing among their colleagues that neither was able to muster the support of a third of Tory MPs.

Whoever eventually emerges victorious from this election will not do so with a ringing endorsement from the party. The campaign will be bruising and divisive.

It is apparent that there is a concerted attempt by a sizeable contingent within the party to stop Mr Portillo. Equally, there is a natural inclination among euro-sceptics to stop Mr Clarke.

Mr Duncan Smith may well be elected leader, not because of who he is and what he stands for, but simply because he is not Mr Clarke or Mr Portillo.

With such a flimsy mandate he will find it difficult to heal the rifts within his party and forge an effective opposition to the Government in time for the next General Election.