BRITAIN: All four contenders in the Conservative leadership contest yesterday made last-minute appeals for support from fellow MPs without landing a knock-out blow against a rival or tripping themselves up.
Fighting to prevent a humiliating exit in this afternoon's first round ballot, the former chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, made a pitch for centre-right votes when he said he would slash layers of unproductive regional bureaucracy and much of the department of trade and industry in a drive to achieve a "smaller state".
After the private meeting at the Commons - described as thoughtful rather than partisan - some of the 120-plus Tory backbenchers present said they had concentrated on policy and on how David Cameron, Mr Clarke, David Davis and Liam Fox would run the party and maintain discipline.
They asked no personal questions, despite the furore over Mr Cameron's refusal to say whether he had ever taken drugs. Offstage, in an interview with the London Evening Standard, the frontrunner, Mr Davis, appeared to stir the issue when he said the police were "absolutely right" to target middle-class cocaine users.
Bookmakers and pollsters continued to show Mr Cameron gaining ground. Two-thirds (66 per cent) of voters told a BBC Newsnight/ICM poll that it would make no difference to whether they would vote Conservative if they knew the leader of the party had used cocaine.
Some 28 per cent of voters polled said they would be less likely to vote Tory if they knew the party's leader had used cocaine.
Backbench MPs were divided as to who performed best at yesterday's hustings. But all agreed they all did well. "They were all competent, but there was no knock-out blow," said one. Mr Davis, whose poor performance at the Blackpool Tory conference damaged him, did better. The shadow home secretary looked nervous as he entered committee room 14, but emerged in ebullient mood. "I got my points across and didn't forget my words - that's good enough, isn't it?" he told reporters.
"There was no erring and straying [ questions]. It was very much on the issues that mattered," said a beaming Mr Cameron, who was asked about Europe, the economy, business and education. Asked how the race was going, he said: "It's wide open really.
"This is democracy - it's a beautiful thing. People have another 24 hours or so to make up their minds." Mr Cameron, whom critics said made a polished "soundbite speech", added: "There may even be a bit of switching from one candidate to another." That is crucial. Supporters of Dr Fox have been trying to peel away Davisites to ensure that Mr Clarke - personally liked, but ideologically loathed - is first to drop out when balloting ends at 5pm today.
Momentum is vital to all four. Yesterday Mr Clarke was able to announce two new backers, ex-chief whip James Arbuthnot (Hampshire NE) and Andrew Pelling (Croydon Central). New MP Rob Wilson (Reading E) was also claimed by the Cameron camp.