The guessing game

Leading figures canvassed by The Northern Echo said they believed Mr Davis - supported by 67 Tory MPs - lacked the necessary gravitas and would lurch to the right once in power.

Instead, they threw their weight behind the two candidates likely to take the Tories back to the centre ground of politics - young pretender David Cameron and former Chancellor Ken Clarke.

Their comments came a day after Mr Davis, viewed as a traditional right-wing candidate, insisted he was the man to win back North-East seats for the Conservatives.

Mr Davis, brought up on a south London estate, said the Tories needed to be led by someone who Northern voters could identify with as the "same sort of person".

But two leading local Conservatives opted for Mr Cameron, now the bookies' favourite following his triumphant conference speech, despite rumours that he may have used drugs in the past.

And the other hailed Mr Clarke as the only candidate with the necessary "punch" to hurt Labour's big beasts Tony Blair and Gordon Brown - even at the ripe old age of 65.

However, only one of Mr Cameron and Mr Clarke is likely to get through to the run-off of the top two candidates in a ballot of the 300,000 Tory members.

The other will almost certainly be knocked out next week when the list is whitttled down by MPs from four to two, with Mr Davis close to being assured of the other top slot.

Mr Davis was the early bookies' favourite, racking up impressive support from Conservative MPs in the House of Commons - but was perceived as having come slightly unstuck after speeches to launch his campaign and to the Conservative party conference were criticised as being unimpressive.

IAN GALLETLEY, 59, chairman of the Cleveland and Durham Conservative Association, which covers 13 constituencies.

Mr Galletley said the important thing was for the Conservatives to pick a candidate who could appeal to voters who had deserted the party - and that meant David Cameron.

He said ordinary people were attracted by Mr Cameron's 'Come to me' style, pointing to his youth - he is just 39 - his modern image and his young family.

And he could testify personally to the shadow education secretary's "people skills", having driven him around Darlington during the May general election campaign.

Five months later, the pair bumped into each other at last week's Tory conference in Blackpool - and Mr Cameron hailed him immediately with a "Hello, Ian".

Mr Galletley said: "A lot of people didn't know David Cameron very well before his conference speech and were blown away by his performance.

"He understands the level of change needed if the Conservatives are to become the Government again, not just our policies but the way people perceive the party.

"Conservatives take their hat off to Tony Blair in the sense that he is a successful communicator. People care about how you look, sound and relate to them."

He said Mr Cameron pressed the right buttons in being "tough on Iraq", a "sound Eurosceptic" and in having a strong interest in education and the family.

Asked if the Old Etonian was too posh for North-Easterners, he replied: "They have voted consistently for a public schoolboy in Sedgefield.

"What matters is not where you went to school, but what you want to do in the future."

NICK CRASS, aged 57, chairman of Sedgefield Conservative Association

Mr Crass admitted he had flirted with supporting Mr Clarke when the contest began but now firmly believed the rule should be: "Don't go back to the older generation."

The Tories "shot themselves in the head" by not picking Mr Clarke four years' ago, but opting for him now would be a "retrograde step".

Mr Crass said: "What will count against Ken is that he will be 70 by the time of the election after next. He would put his heart and soul into it, but being Prime Minister is a very demanding job.

"David Cameron is a very articulate individual and there is nothing wrong with him being youthful - after all Tony Blair was young when he became Prime Minister.

"He has been very wise in keeping his private life under wraps and hopefully there won't be any further interest in that."

Mr Crass insisted Mr Davis would "take us to the right" - a mistake tha would leave the crucial centre ground snatched by Tony Blair firmly in Labour's hands.

He said: "David Cameron is perceived as being more compassionate, which is what we want. With Davis, that quality doesn't exactly shine through."

Asked about Mr Cameron's posh background, Mr Crass said: "Prime ministers quickly acquire a privileged air once they become prime minister - even if they weren't born with privilege.

"You don't need to come from poverty in order to understand people with difficulties."

FRANK ROGERS, 79, president of Hartlepool Conservative Association.

Mr Rogers, a former Hartlepool mayor, insisted Ken Clarke was the candidate to appeal to the "wider nation" and insisted his age was no problem.

The president of the local association accepted Mr Clarke's "pro-Europe stance" was a factor in a Eurosceptic party, but said it mattered less now euro membership was off the table.

Praising Clarke's "barnstorming speech" at last week's party conference, he insisted Liam Fox was "not experienced enough" and David Davis "not powerful enough" to be a Prime Minister.

Mr Rogers met Mr Clarke several times while he led the Conservative group on Hartlepool Borough Council in the 1990s.

He said: "I like Ken's style. He is a good Conservative, carries a great punch and I think his age will help him when it comes to dealing with issues that come up. What has destroyed us over the years is our differences of opinion over Europe. I hope we can now put that to one side for a long time into the future."

Mr Rogers said he believed Mr Clarke would emerge as one of the top two candidates, despite the huge publicity - not all of it good - given to Mr Cameron in recent days. He added: "David Cameron is the coming man, but he is too young to take the reins at the moment. It would be lovely to have him as Ken Clarke's number two until he is ready.

"Ken has a proven record as a good minister, a good MP and as a good parliamentarian."

He added: "He is a lovely character and - like me - he loves jazz, so he can't be bad! Then, in five or ten years' time, David will be just the man we want."