So, Ken Clarke, the former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer, has been brought back into the publicc eye as he returns as David Cameron's business spokesman to counter Peter Mandelson. The deal was sealed over lunch on Saturday between Mr Cameron, Mr Clarke and Shadow Chancellor George Osborne. Clarke, a rabid europhile, has voted against the party whip 33 times, more than any of his c...

Today's coverage: Tories face tough choices - and moving George Osborne is one of them - Iain Martin Sadly, George Osborne should go - Janet Daley Why we need Ken Clarke to take on Alistair Darling - Tracy Corrigan David Cameron should replace George Osborne with Ken Clarke - Alex SingletonIain Martin has been becoming noticeably increasingly incensed with the Tory's incoherency on the economy. To...

Much as I like George Osborne, it has become clear - for the reasons explained by Iain Martin - that he cannot continue as Shadow Chancellor. Iain suggests that there are two plausible replacements: William Hague and Ken Clarke. Of the two, the most attractive candidate politically would be Ken Clarke. Having brought Britain out of recession last time, Mr Cl...

Conservative party members want David Cameron to bring back Kenneth Clarke, the former chancellor, and David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, in his next frontbench reshuffle, according to a poll published today. The survey, which also shows that a significant minority of Tories want George Osborne to be replaced as shadow chancellor, was released to coincide with speculation that Cameron ...

There’s an intriguing pre-conference story in the Mail on Sunday today. The paper reports that: “Ken Clarke faces a whispering campaign by allies of David Cameron and George Osborne to move him from Justice Minister because of his ‘disastrous’ views on law and order, it was claimed last night. Conservative MPs say Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne are ‘ frustrated’ by M...

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...

David Cameron has placed Ken Clarke on probation. Some Tories believe this is an absurdly lax punishment, which amounts to letting Mr Clarke off scot free.

Well, well - he’s certainly started with a work rate that puts some Conservative Shadow Cabinet members to shame … for it’s another day, and another attack from Ken Clarke on the policies that David Cameron and George Osborne have been pushing. Following up his earlier comments about the IMF, this time Ken Clarke has

Government is something which should be conducted without sentiment. This is especially true in tough economic times. For some time I have toyed with the idea of writing a column suggesting that David Cameron should make Ken Clarke Chancellor when he wins the election. The very idea will cause some spluttering in certain quarters, and I understand why, but let me explain. The idea of making Ken Cl...

George Osborne would welcome Ken Clarke the former Chancellor back into the Tory shadow Cabinet and has been actively pushing his case.