Ken Clarke has never been one to keep his opinions to himself. And today he dishes out more advice, of the kind that might not please his leader David Cameron, who is mulling over whether to bring him back into the shadow cabinet. Clarke tells today's Guardian: "Anybody who stands at the next election on a platform of tax cuts is asking for trouble." Cameron is unlikely to appreciate his inte...

New Statesman political editor Martin Bright gives his reaction to the return of former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke to frontline politics and asks is Cameron playing catch up? David Cameron owes it all to Ken Clarke. Although it's pretty certain he doesn't see it that way, there is no doubt that Cameron won the Tory party leadership because the support of Tory centrists seeped to away fro...

Ken Clarke will make a controversial return to the centre stage of British politics today when David Cameron unveils him as the new shadow Business Secretary, despite concerns over the appointment already emerging within the party.

David Cameron will unveil Ken Clarke as the newest member of his front-line team on Monday. He'll take on Lord Mandelson with the shadow business secretary brief. The thinking is that a line up of Cameron, Hague and Clarke will persuade voters that the Tory party is really serious about winning power again. Understandably, there will be much speculation about the possibility of this going wro...

It's official. Ken Clarke is coming back to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Business Secretary. Tory sources tell me the deal was sealed at a lunch yesterday at George Osborne's London home at which David Cameron was also present and will be formally announced tomorrow. It was Osborne who had suggested the possibility of a job for Clarke to Cameron in December, and discussions between the t...

ITN just announced that former Tory Chancellor Ken Clarke has done a deal with David Cameron and will become Shadow Business Secretary tomorrow - replacing fellow East Midlands MP Alan Duncan. ITN says the pro-European MP Ken Clarke has taken a 'vow of silence' on his pro-European views to keep the anti-Euro Tories in their box. We'll see... Meanwhile, can't wait to see Cameron...

The Telegraph are hinting that David Cameron may be ready to bring Ken Clarke back to the Tory front bench. I've said elsewhere that I would not renew my party membership if this happens. Also, blogging can be hard work when you are in full time employment and Ken Clarke on the front bench would give me another reason to pack it all in. Why do I dislike Clarke so much? The answer is simple - ...

David Cameron has given his strongest indication yet that Ken Clarke’s solution will be in the next Conservative manifesto. Mr Cameron backed the proposal drawn up by his party’s democracy taskforce chaired by Ken Clarke, the former chancellor who is now shadow business secretary, to create an “English Grand Committee” at Westminster which would

Ken Clarke questioned David Cameron's social and economic policies as recently as last month and predicted a Tory government will have to cut spending and rise taxes after the next election.

I cannot believe that David Cameron has brought back Ken Clarke. The man is a raving Europhile and is probably the least loyal Conservative MP when it comes to voting in the house. This term Clarke has voted against the party at a rate of almost one vote in ten. This is a very bad day for the party and will do nothing but cause splits and alienate members. David Cameron - you have let down a great...